Title
Clay Poetry Plate
Grade
5-8
Subject Area(s)
Art, History, Writing
Overview
Students in grades 5-8 will see the connection that art makes to a society and a culture by exploring the art of Dave, an enslaved African American Potter from South Caroline who began making pottery before the Civil War, from around the early 1820’s to the mid-to-late 1860’s. Dave is famous for his ability to throw very large pots often up to 40 gallons or more in size and for the fact that he was able to read and write. We know that because his pots were often signed, ‘Dave’ and the pots often contained short poems that he wrote. The poetry and pottery created by Dave serve as excellent primary source artifacts as we decipher a great deal of information from the poetry about the life and conditions of a slave.
The best current estimate is that Dave was born around 1800. Much of the information that historians have been able to assemble on Dave has come from examining the records of the families that ran the principal pottery works in the region. Over time he was bought and sold by the Drake, Gibbs, Miles, and Landrum families. Dave, for example, was the property of Harry Drake until the latter’s death in 1832. After emancipation in the 1860s, Dave took the last name of Drake, perhaps in commemorative remembrance of the man who presumably taught him to be a potter.
We will use the several books on African American Art, along with the Leonard Todd’s book, ‘Carolina Clay: The Life and Legend of the Slave Potter, Dave’ along with an NPR podcast to explore the life of Dave. The students will complete an art unit, combining clay sculpture with a literacy component as they too learn to express themselves through the visual arts, just as Dave, the Potter, did back in the 19th century.
Essential Understanding
- How does society influence art?
Essential Questions
- In the world today we learn as much through visual images as we do through written word.
- How do a person’s views, beliefs, and opinions shape the way they view and make art?
- How do people express themselves through art?
Where do ideas come from?
CT Standards
CT Social Studies Curriculum Framework:
Content Standard 1- Content Knowledge: Knowledge of concepts and information from history and social studies is necessary to promote understanding of our nation and our world.
Content Standard 2- History/Social Studies Literacy: Competence in literacy inquiry and research skills is necessary to analyze, evaluate and present history and social studies information.
Content Standard 3-Application: Civic Competence in addressing historical issues and current problems requires the use of information,skills and empathic awareness
CT Art Curriculum Framework:
Content Standard 3- Content: Students will consider, select and applya range of subject matter, symbols and ideas.
Content Standard 4- History and Cultures: Students will understand the visual arts in relation to history and culture.
Content Standard 5- Analysis, Interpretation and Evaluation: Students will reflect upon, describe, analyze, interpret and evaluate their own and others’ work.
Objectives
Students will create a clay vessel that will be inscribed with a couplet
reflective of a connection they have to their life, inspired by the work of a slave named Dave, the potter.
Materials
Clay, clay tools, glaze, underglaze, paint brushes, water, pencils, sketch paper, plate/draped cloth
Details of Activities
Day 1-Dave The Potter Podcast & Writing Assignment
1.
Students will see a
PowerPoint on the history and life of ‘‘Dave the Potter’, view some examples of his work and listen to a podcast written by a currant author on Dave’s life.
2. Writing Homework Assignment-A Poem on Freedom
We have just discovered how Dave the Potter used Art to express himself and share details of his life with poetry. Please write a couplet, 2-3 lines, rhyming or not, that represent your thoughts on freedom. Because the rhyme comes so quickly in rhyming couplets, it tends to call attention to itself.
Day 2-Verses Made By Dave
1. Pass out Handout
Verses Made By Dave to class and lead a group discussion on what we can tell about Dave The Potter and his life as a slave.
2. Art Homework Assignment
Practice writing your couplet in a several different scripts. You may choose one of these or create your own.
Day 3-Clay Slab Construction
1. Using slab-rolling machine, roll out one large slab (15x15) per student and place on a plate draped in cloth.
2. Press clay slab into the plate and cut edges to fit the size of the plate. Smooth edges of plate with a small wet sponge, ridding the clay of jagged edges or imperfections.
3. Details may be added to the dish for decorative elements (leaves, flowers, shapes).
4. Students may also press into the clay various patterns or textures, leaving space though for the couplet.
5. Clay slab must dry for one week and be bisque fired in a kiln.
6. Using underglazes and very small brushes students will paint their couplet onto the clay plate. Pencils may be used first to space the writing. Decorative elements or patterns may be painted on the plate.
7. Clear glaze is then sponged onto the entire plate (except the bottom) and plate is then fired for the 2nd time.
Suggested Assessment/Evaluation
Clay Poetry Plate Rubric
- Clay construction
- Under glaze application
1-Outstanding
2-Above Average
3-Average
4-Below Average
1=A
2=B
3=C
4=D
Name_______________________Overall Grade__________
Possible Extensions/Resources
Introduce contemporary African American Artists such as Romare Bearden
and “Roots Odyssey”
Resources
