Currently on display in the Durham Community Room are original hand sculptures from Mr. Jacob Raeder’s Ceramics Arts class.
Mr. Reader felt that hand sculptures would be the right project for the beginning of the year, as students would be able to demonstrate creativity, while exploring themes and ideas through gestures, along with the symbolism of the hand.
“When looking at these sculptures, you see a lot of kinetic action,” Mr. Raeder said. “For example, a web coming out of Spiderman, or a hand lifting a golf ball. Throughout the whole year, I wanted the boys to consider the degrees of craftsmanship, meaning how well something is executed and how thorough they choose to be in the execution.”
Mr. Raeder encouraged students to get comfortable using unfamiliar materials such as alginate and hydrostone.
“When working with new materials for the first time, there is always a steep learning curve, and it requires students to exemplify patience and perseverance. I want them to learn how to pivot or deviate from the original plan, which is a very important skill for completing this project,” Mr. Raeder said.
The process of making these hand sculptures is not an easy task. First the students choose a gesture, then they cast the hands in alginate—which gives their mold a life-like impression—before casting hydrostone into that mold.
“During the casting process, there are so many moments of intense activity alongside moments of intense drive.”
Mr. Jacob Raeder
Depending on how well the cast turned out, some students had to use a sculptable epoxy to fix anything that went wrong. The students then chose how they wanted to mount the piece, the first part being the gesture, and the second being the stand.
“During the casting process, there are so many moments of intense activity alongside moments of intense drive,” Mr. Raeder said. “I would like them [the students] to ask themselves, ‘How am I using the downtime productively to be experimenting or testing?’”
Mr. Raeder is fascinated by how much students can inspire each other in the art room, even in small, subtle ways.
“If someone wants to use foam for the base, then someone else may also be inspired to use foam as well. If someone is making a Marvel-themed hand, then other students may be inspired to do so as well,” Mr. Raeder said. “It is extremely inspiring to me how ideas catch fire in the art room.”
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