Meet Maria From The Carver Center Youth Employment Program
Meet Maria, a former Clay Art Center student and current studio assistant, thanks to our partnership with the Carver Center’s Youth Employment Program.
Clay Art Center is proud to partner with local organizations who make it possible to expand our reach and keep clay accessible to as many people as we can. While that often happens through one-time classes and afterschool programming, other partnerships allow us to hire young people with an interest in clay. One of those partnerships is the Carver Center Youth Employment Program, which connects eligible Westchester County youth ages 17-20 with paid opportunities to work entry-level jobs in a variety of industries. Participants gain job readiness skills training and paid work experience in a field that interests them. Local nursing student Maria knew she wanted her Youth Employment Program experience to be at Clay Art Center because she had enjoyed taking classes here as a student herself. Now, she works as a teaching and studio assistant in some of the same classes that inspired her love of clay. Learn more about Maria and her path to clay in the interview below.
Q: How did you get started with clay?
“Initially I got started with clay in high school. I saw a poster in the hallways that said, “Clay Classes in the Afternoon!” and that was a perfect opportunity for me to find a new hobby or form of creativity. It’s always been a passion for me, being interested in clay, because in Mexico there’s a specific type of pottery called Talavera, and it’s really beautiful, and I just wanted to learn more about my culture and this pottery that’s been used by my family in Mexico.”
Q: What did your classes at Clay Art Center mean to you as a student?
“As a student, it was a new learning opportunity and a chance to find my way, and to have a different perspective from both my peers and the person teaching the class. It was a great opportunity to learn more techniques, as well as have more ideas and be more creative in my own way. It was a meaningful experience.”
Q: Do you connect to Clay Art Center differently as a teaching assistant or as a studio assistant than you did as a student?
“In a way, the connection is still very similar, but I get to see a different perspective from the teacher’s side. Being able to help the students, like the teachers had given me the experience of exploring new ideas, I feel like I was able to develop that with the kids, and help them be more creative. If they ever had any issues with their projects, or they didn’t like how it was turning out, it was easy for me to just help them think positively and reinforce with them that not every project is going to be the same, and you can always change it up as you go. You can always just make it better.”
Q: How does your work with clay connect with your work in nursing?
“I would say it connects with nursing because it gives me a place to come and relax, as well as a distraction from medical stuff that might be happening in the hospital. It’s a really nice area to just relax and be open-minded. It’s a helpful activity for me.”
Q: What’s one piece of advice you would share with somebody just starting out in clay?
“One piece of advice I would share with someone would definitely be: be creative with it, because you can really make anything with clay. I’ve seen people make music boxes with clay, actually, and they’re able to explore the music and their artistic side. You can make a lot with clay, stuff you can utilize, things you can decorate your own home with. You can look at how different Indigenous groups across the world really utilize clay to their own liking. For instance, some people make whistles out of clay, like the death whistles in Mexico, which are still being made today. I would tell someone new to clay to look around the world and find inspiration for their projects.”