Two hundred Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS) students are working with Artist in Residence Parran Collery to create stoneware tiles that reflect their dreams for the future. These tiles, once fired and glazed, will be assembled and installed in the stairwell near the school’s main lobby. The completed installation will be three tiles high, running about 15 feet long, with a center medallion featuring a sculpted image of Eleanor Roosevelt, with the inspirational words, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” This tile installation will join existing student art murals on the walls of ERHS as part of the administration’s plan to combat students’ high stress levels. Art 1 teacher Christine Wilkin is leading the project made possible by matching grant funding from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). Collery was selected from the MSAC roster of artists in residence, and will work with ERHS students for seven days. Sophomore Jasmine Wilson, who is currently taking Art 1 with Wilkin, plans to become an entrepreneur and artist. Wilson stated, “Our purpose was to create a piece with a dream that we have for the future. The dream that I had was that we will have more female leaders, and hopefully one day, a female African American astronaut on the moon!” Wilson outlined the process of transferring her dream for the future onto a 6- by 6-inch stoneware clay tile: “First you made a sketch and brainstormed different ideas that you might have, then wrote a detailed paragraph about the dream and made sketches in the packet boxes for each symbol that you wanted to incorporate,” such as the NASA symbol incorporated in Wilson’s tile. According to Wilson, “the most exciting aspect was handling the clay.” She had previously worked with clay but never for a tile piece, creating the relief aspect to show what was closer and what was farther away.
Wilson helped sculpt the portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt for the center medallion of the installation. “Bringing dimension to the portrait was really my goal,” Wilson said. Wilkin acquired posters from the We the Future campaign, which feature “10 young leaders representing 10 diverse movements, each already building us a better world. In partnership with the artists Shepard Fairey, Rommy Torrico, Munk One and Kate DeCiccio, this project [sends posters plus background materials] into more than 20,000 schools across the country, to inspire and engage the next generation” (amplifier.org/campaigns/ we-the-future). Wilkin stated, “We looked at all 10 of the posters. Each student picked one they were interested in.” Wilkin pointed out that “kids are in school so many thousand hours, looking at the walls of their school so many hours of the day, so we want to make sure they feel inspired and empowered to really be able to contribute to the world around them. All these kids [featured on the We the Future posters] are really working hard to help with [different social issues]. So, let’s think about Eleanor Roosevelt, write down your dream for a better future – not a nightmare!” Students’ dreams included advancements in medical technology, healthcare for women, feminist issues, equality for African Americans, reduction of gun violence, safe, clean water, clean air and affordable housing.
Students prepared this conceptual work before Collery arrived, so that the seven days she would be on site could be used to give students hands-on guidance for turning their concepts into clay. The tiles will be painted with different colored glaze, fired and assembled in a tile mosaic to decorate a previously blank wall at ERHS. Collery reported on working with ERHS students, “They are really invested in this project. This team did a good job in making it personal for them, and talked about putting in positive energy. They care about having their work be of good quality. This is a gift that they’re giving to the school that will be there for decades.” Collery has been an MSAC artist in residence for over 20 years, and has worked with students leading hands-on art projects in over a dozen schools. She studied art and psychology at the University of Vermont and earned an MFA in sculpture from Rutgers University. Her experience working at a tile manufacturing studio in Pennsylvania, specializing in relief sculpted tile, “opened my eyes to see how I could use my sculpting and something practical, something people needed that they could purchase for their homes.” Collery established Eartha Handmade Tile in Southern Maryland. Her tiles, mosaics and sculptures may be seen in shops, galleries, private residences and public art projects across the East Coast.
Students Create Clay Tiles Evoking Eleanor Roosevelt
Jasmine Wilson shares her sketch in preparation for her clay tile.