| Patricia Schwarz Owner/Operator/Instructor ppschwarz@aol.com |
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| Patricia
has had a love affair with pottery since her first clay course her
freshman year at Newcomb College. In addition to a BFA in clay
from Newcomb, she has a MFA in clay from East Carolina University
and a MA in Art History from the University of Memphis. She
has also attended workshops all over the country to continue to
learn from the best teachers and stay current with movements in the
clay world. She has taught art at the Junior High and High School levels since 1976, ten of those years in the Memphis City School System where she was awarded the Tennessee Humanities Award for Outstanding Teachers and the Rotary Award for Teaching Excellence. Patricia is a member and past president of the Memphis Potters Guild, as well as a board member and past president of Memphis Association of Craft Artists (MACA). Patricia maintains an active exhibition schedule, demonstrating and displaying her work at craft fairs and other venues in the Midsouth. Her work is always on display at Clayworks Studio and Gallery. Active in the community, Patricia is a long time giver to the fundraising auctions of WKNO, Playhouse on the Square and many others. A cancer survivor herself, she offers clay lessons to patients of St. Jude and their families. She has also assisted with the crafts activities of the Memphis Street Ministries program. Patricia knows that every student will learn to make functional pottery on the wheel. "It is a skill," she says, "anyone can learn it, regardless of artistic background. As with any skill, the more you practice, the more proficient you will become. We work from success at Clayworks. Everyone makes a pot, even in the first class. Learning to shape the clay as the wheel turns and feeling it take form between your hands is very exciting. I get a real kick out of helping my students experience this for themselves." |
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