never used to like art.  I’m terrible at drawing and I have always lacked artistic creativity so I generally shied away from the subject.  Then, my sophomore year, I took a ceramics class, and it changed everything.  My brother and sister both loved ceramics, and I decided I would try it out.  We sculpted for a little while to begin with, but once we started wheel throwing, I knew this was the class for me.  I wasn’t particularly exceptional when I started out, but I did love throwing so I worked hard, and continued to improve.  I loved the class so much that I decided to switch into ceramics two for second semester instead of waiting until the next year.  I continued practicing, going in at lunch and staying after school.  I took every opportunity I had to practice.  I learned cups, bowls, platters, and vases.  The next year, due to lack of students for ceramics three, I completed an independent study and by the end, created a set of tableware.  I am continuing my studies with a full year of throwing my senior year.  This is my fourth semester of ceramics, and it is still my favorite class.  It is a refreshing break from the rest of the school day where I can relax and learn about something very different from my other classes.  Mr. Herman is one of my favorite teachers ever, and I credit everything I know about clay to him.  I have learned new, creative ways of problem solving.  But perhaps the coolest thing ceramics has taught me is to be creative and artistic, something that I thought was a lost cause just two years ago.  It is only at Memorial, where we have an exceptional art department, that I could have had the high school ceramics experience that I’ve loved so much.

Anthony went to clay camp with Mr. Herman last summer.

Ceramic work by Anthony Walker on display and in use.