Let us take you on a journey through one year programming with one of our newer partners, Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE).
WISE is a nonprofit with a mission to serve and empower immigrant and refugee women and girls in the journey of self-actualization through education and leadership development. They provide culturally responsive education and advocacy through partnerships. This is where NCC comes in! NCC has worked with WISE’s program Girls Getting Ahead in Leadership (GGAL)—an academic, leadership, and college preparation program for underserved and at-risk immigrant and/or refugee girls in grades 6 – 12.
WISE and NCC first partnered in 2023 with a workshop in conjunction with NCC’s exhibition Coastal Sweetgrass: Clay & Land & Craft which featured Gullah artists, Andrea Cayetano-Jefferson and Ashlyn Pope. In the workshop, participants learned both basket-weaving and ceramic skills. From there, our partnership blossomed into further programming and in spring of 2024 NCC developed and held ongoing after-school ClayToGo sessions for GGAL at Humboldt High School (St. Paul, MN). Then, during the summer NCC held a workshop to create to be part of the fall 2024 exhibition, Pathways: Collaboration, Community, Clay. In 2025 we will extend our partnership to two locations in addition to Humboldt High School—Sejong Academy Korean Immersion School (St. Paul, MN) and Washington Technology Magnet School (St. Paul, MN).
NCC’s Community Engagement Manager, Alysha Hill worked with GGAL Coordinator, Jess Miano to develop programs that fit the needs of GGAL participants. Heather Schroeder was NCC’s teaching artist for all GGAL programs in 2024, leading participants through a range of projects including pinch pot couch containers, slab birds and flowers, mugs, and ramen bowls with spoons.
Upon Jess’s reflection of the 2024 programming, she spoke highly of WISE’s experience with NCC.
“Heather was very thoughtful in choosing projects that were engaging and appropriate for the student’s abilities. I observed an increase in students’ self-confidence throughout the program. I heard students make statements like, ‘Wow, I’m really good at this!’ And, ‘Ms. Jess, I think I’m going to need to take a clay class in college!’
She also said,
“GGAL had an incredible experience working with Northern Clay Center! Heather was very thoughtful in her planning. She listened to participant feedback and tailored projects to fit their interests and needs. Each week the girls gained new skills and could see their personal growth as their work was returned to them. It was a very effective way to encourage students to develop a growth mindset! This was also a wonderful opportunity for our students to practice mindfulness, self-expression, and creativity. Thank you Northern Clay Center!”
Jess Miano, GGAL Coordinator
NCC Teaching Artist, Heather Schroeder (center) with GGAL participants at WISE.
[I] “felt like each project had some sort of takeaway for the participants. I saw such a big shift in the confidence of the girls during the time I had with them! At the start of the first two sessions many of them expressed that they felt like they were not artists, and didn’t like how their projects were turning out. By the end of those two sessions, each of them was smiling and saying things like, ‘I made that! I am an ARTIST’ with a big smile. It was so rewarding to watch them within just an hour have such a huge shift in how they viewed themselves and their art.”
Heather Schroeder, NCC Teaching Artist
A rewarding aspect of working with clay, is that we often see when a teacher demonstrates a lesson to a group, students often take on that knowledge and apply their creativity with their new skill sets rather than mimicking exactly what the teacher has demonstrated. In the end they are all the same thing being made but in vastly different and unique ways. That’s really the beauty of ceramics, the personal variations it can hold—from perspective, taste, and methods of storytelling. We see many participants inspiring one another throughout the process, especially in ongoing programs.
Heather went on to say that,
“this was such a diverse group of students, and due to the mission of WISE I felt like everyone supported each other in the ways that they needed.” During the spring program Heather said “I felt that the most effective project was the ramen bowls. This was a project that many of the girls expressed interest in wanting to do. During the making of this project a few of the girls shared about traditional pottery from the towns/villages they grew up in, even sharing photos of objects they have. Many of them created bowls with symbols specific to their cultural backgrounds. My favorite part of the program was being able to hear about traditions and lore that have been passed down within their families and how they reflected those stories in their art.”
Heather Schroeder, NCC Teaching Artist
NCC’s partnership with WISE is a great example of how NCC works tremendously hard to offer high quality ceramics education and opportunities to our partners. Through outreach programs, we are able to connect with a broader audience and share the vibrant opportunities available at and through NCC, such as exhibitions, visiting artists, and related events. Outreach not only introduces students to the diverse world of ceramic arts but also highlights potential career paths in the field, aligning with our mission to expand opportunities for those interested in ceramics. We are honored to be able to partner with WISE for over a year now and continue to expand on opportunities, grow together and continue to reach as far as we can.
If you have a school or organization that is interested in working with clay for a program, residency, and/or after school program, please contact NCC’s Community Engagement Coordinator, at 612.339.8007 x313 or outreach@northernclaycenter.org.
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