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Throwing Back, Massachusetts Pottery History
Program Categories
Crafts, Educational Programs, Historical Programs and Characters, Storytellers
Audience Age
teens and adults
Pottery Wheel Demonstration with Optional Hands-On Pinch Pottery Workshop
60 min. or 90 min. workshop
Tales of the unusual, the unknown and the unpredictable are told at this event with a demonstration of techniques and ma ny types of pots. Who were the Tufts and Cornell families ? Who’s drinking tea on the roof? Is Boston the original Beantown? This is a fast and fun exploration of the Commonwealth’s pottery legacy.
Hands-on: We will be passing from person to person a freshly made pot from the potter’s wheel and the chance to feel a dry and wet pot as it rotates on the wheel. Each person will also make a pinch pot (cup made from a ball of clay by pinching the clay with the thumb and finger) and the unfired piece goes home with the participant.
Audience size: unlimited
Book Suggestion: The Prophet by Kahil Gibran; Walden Pond by Thoreau; The Ballad of Cassandra Southwick poem by John Greenleaf Whittier; The Autobiography of Edith Guerre; Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay by Christopher Benfey
Appropriate For: March - Youth Art Month; October - National Arts and Humanities Month
$300.
For detailed fees and mileage information see www.PiedPotter.com - email: rick@americanredware.com - call 413-436-7444
Group Size
Unlimited
Program Length
60 min.
Ramp or elevator for all workshops
Standard 15 amp outlet for the pottery wheel demonstration workshops
This is a very clean program, there won’t be any clay remnants left behind. For more information please call Rick Hamelin at 413-436-7444, or email rick@americanredware.com or visit www.PiedPotter.com
Last Modified
10/04/2022
Recent Library/School Appearances by About Clay by Pied Potter Hamelin
Elizabeth Valero
Millbury, MA
(508)865-1181
Meg Clancy
South Hadley, MA
(413)538-5045
Margret Nareau
Huntington, MA
(413)667-3506
Paula Long
Montgomery, MA
(413)862-3894
Katie Krol
Williamsburg, MA
(413)268-7472
Rebecca Folb
Worcester, MA
(508)799-1655
Performer’s Contact Information
About Clay by Pied Potter Hamelin
Rick HamelinP. O. Box 1082
Warren, MA 01083-1082
View All Programs Offered by About Clay by Pied Potter Hamelin
Through the years I have completed numerous summer reading programs and here are some of the comments I received as feedback.
Folks are still talking about your program and how much they enjoyed it. I have our dragon, now named Norbert (yes, from Harry Potter) on display in the Youth Room with lots of people commenting on him! Meg, South Hadley Public Library
Rick’s show was fascinating! I got no work done! D. Bro, Assistant Director, Huntington Public Library
Fantastic, informative, age appropriate. Thank you so much. Bambi Miller, Tyler Memorial Library, Charlemont
Rick entertained a mixed audience with facts, stories, pottery terms and demonstrations on the wheel and the time flew by! Even small children were enthralled, especially when he created the dragon. Very worthwhile cultural presentation. Kate McCarron, Lunenburg Public Library
It is often difficult to engage 5th and 6th graders but the kids really liked this demo! Even a 3 year old made a pot! People who came into the library for other reasons came in and stayed for Rick! Laura Grant, Children’s Librarian
Rick captivated the audience. Children and adults both had a fantastic time learning about clay and pottery. He had a very good rapport with the children. Meg Clancy, South Hadley Public Library
Kids loved watching a dragon come to life and making 7,000 year old pinch pots! Heather Marchetta, Longmeadow Richard Salter Storrs Library