News
Throwing pottery at the Glass and
Ethnic Festival
Laurelville hosts artists, demonstrations
at Mount Pleasant festival
"Did you make all of these?"
Astonished visitors to the Laurelville booth at the Mount Pleasant
Glass and Ethnic Festival asked this time and time again as they
took in the large collection of pottery for sale.
It's festival season in the Laurel Highlands, and Mount Pleasant's
installment is no small stop on the circuit. 40,000 people attend
the three-day event annually, enjoying its music, food and festivities.
This year, Laurelville sponsored a booth that showcased the gifts
and talents of local potters. Six individuals shared their work,
taking turns at an electric wheel to give passers-by a glimpse at
the craft of ceramics. They worked against a backdrop of elegant
pieces of their own pottery, from serving platters to vases to unique
coffee mugs.
Diane Pyda participated as one of the featured artists at the Laurelville
booth. An art teacher at Mount Pleasant Area High School, she has
expanded the school’s art program to include a number of ceramics
courses.
Laurelville’s relationship with area potters has grown significantly
over the past couple years, thanks in part to Keith Hershberger.
Based in Pittsburgh, Hershberger, who is married to former Laurelville
program director Erin Clymer, worked alongside Union Project artists
and others in the community to construct a wood fired kiln on site
at Laurelville just over a year ago.
Pyda joined the effort as soon as she caught word of it. “I taught
the Rittenhouse girls (Krista and Leah, daughters of Laurelville’s
Jane Rittenhouse and her late husband, Don) in school, and they were
so excited about this kiln-building workshop at Laurelville,” Pyda
recalls. She has been involved ever since, forming strong friendships
with many of the participating artists, whom she describes as “some
of the nicest people.”
The kiln—which will be fired again in late October as part of Beyond
Words—heats up to 2300 degrees Fahrenheit in order to fire durable,
high-quality pottery. The results are intriguing. A number of the
ceramics for sale at the festival had been fired in the kiln at Laurelville.
But the main attractions to the Laurelville booth were undoubtedly
the live pottery throwing demonstrations. When an artist was at work
at the wheel, visitors stood by, mesmerized, as lumps of clay took
shape according to the potters’ inspiration.
http://www.laurelville.org/beyond_words.html
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