Working with clay, sculpting tools, and a creative idea in mind, the Ceramics Club set its first meeting in motion by bringing ceramics artists together to socialize and sculpt whatever comes to their imagination. Beginner and experienced students alike made their ideas come to life in Ceramics Club sponsor Ms. Cari Washburn’s room after school on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Providing slabs of clay and sculpting tools to each student, the Ceramics Club offered members a forum to unlock their creativity to its full 3D potential. To kickstart the members’ creation process, the officers presented pictures of different styles of trinket dishes, the object of creation for the meeting, giving ideas of inspiration to the members.

“Today we’re making little trinket dishes where [club members] can put their rings and other objects in,” Ceramics Club President Reese Markle ‘25 said. “We wanted to do a fall theme so we took a lot of inspiration [for the trinket trays] from Pinterest. The members, of course, do not have to stick to the theme, [especially because] I want everyone to have creative freedom and not be limited by the chosen theme of the season.”

As the creative minds of the sculptors took action on their imaginations on a slab of clay, both new and old friends bonded together over their shared interests. Both officers and experienced members alike helped their friends learn the basics of ceramics, allowing for quality inter-organizational bonding time among club members.

“I am making a little tray in the shape of a broken heart with my best friend,” Ceramics Club member Legend Galvan ‘25 said. “They’re like two puzzle pieces that make up the full shape of the heart when you place them together. Me and my best friend thought it would be super cute if we did our take on those broken-heart friendship necklaces that little girls typically bond over. I have [actually] never done ceramics before. It’s a lot of fun [trying something new] because I’ve been wanting to try out ceramics for a very long time. I’ve always been inspired by videos and never known how to try that, [but] I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to start [ceramics], especially with my best friend guiding me along the way.”

In addition to providing time to socialize with friends, the meeting also allowed for an opportunity to calm the anxiety of students who were pressured by the ramping nature of Westwood academics, by providing a safe space for complete creative expression. 

“[Ceramics] is something that calms me down and makes me feel very at peace with myself,” Ceramics Club member Ollie Trail ‘25 said. “It’s an activity I’m very passionate about and helps me turn off my mind from any stress of the day, and allows me to use my hands and be in such detail with them. I believe [ceramics] is a very nice and calming activity and can help anyone dealing with anxiety.”

The influx of new members, inspired to utilize clay in their artwork, pleasantly surprised the officer team, who were not expecting the abundance of students interested in ceramics.

“We got a bunch of [freshmen] to sign up during Fishbowl and I think reposting on my Instagram story also helped in promoting our club,” Ceramics Club Vice President Rima Vudutalapally ‘25 said. “It truly makes me happy to see artists who are united by ceramics and to help those who require assistance. Helping inexperienced members allows me to use my skills, and the act of assisting another artist encourages me to continue what I do.”