Dear TRENDS Diary –
Like most humans, I’m a creature of habit. I walk the same path and often overlook what lies beyond my daily routine. But there’s so much more to explore in Boulder.
When I saw the grants for the COVID Work Project, it was initially hard for me to figure out what to do because pottery cannot be displayed like a mural to be seen by all in an outdoor setting. How can I get the community involved and still do the art I love? I brainstormed and came up with the idea of a ceramics scavenger hunt.
I’m making 10-15 wheel-thrown ceramic pieces of varying forms. Every day, I’ll hide one in my neighborhood by Ideal Market and post little clues as to where they are on my Instagram, @daraschumanceramics.
I am working on this project for two reasons: To incentivize people to explore their neighborhoods, to get people to walk a different path while still social distancing, and to share ceramic pieces with others in my community. Each piece will be unique and bring a little joy and beauty to the houses of my fellow neighbors. In placing the pieces, it allows me to explore as well.
COVID has forced me to innovate. I usually work out of the community studio provided by the Boulder Pottery Lab. Ceramics requires space and expensive materials and equipment. When the Pottery Lab temporarily closed, I didn’t have those.
Thankfully, my grandparents gifted me a pottery wheel and I recently saved enough money to buy a used kiln. So now I am able to make my art independently from start to finish. These pieces I make for the Work Project are going to be the first pieces I make in my own home studio.
– Dara Schuman, as told to Shay Castle
