Classroom provides creative stomping ground for residents, friends | Local Entertainment

“It should be round,” she said with a laugh. “I said, ‘Okay, abstract art.'”

But over eight weeks, the duo developed their skills, culminating in a teapot with a spout and lid that actually holds and pours water.

“It’s been incredible to see how far I’ve come,” Palk said.

“We all started building each other up,” Steiner added.

The pair joined eight other students in a class on creative aging ceramics held at the AVA Community Arts Center. Thanks to a joint initiative of the National Library, National Arts Council and Lifetime Arts, the course is free for 10 students who may not have attempted to learn skills in their lifetimes of study until now.

The class provides a way for artists to meet people in their community, and for others to cope with loss, while being surrounded by art and new friends.

Pahlke and Valerie Randall use the course to find friends in new communities.

Parker moved to Gillette from Washington earlier this year, while Randall and her husband moved to Gillette from California in September. Both have found a new home in Gillette, where more of their family has lived for years.

Both women enjoyed the course which tested their creativity and state of mind. By the end, they also had two bowls, a vase and a teapot to show themselves.

Palk was so amazed by the look of her teapot that she didn’t even recognize it.

“I came to (AVA) one day to see if they were so bad I had to grab them and take them home,” Pahlke said. “They told me where it was, and I thought, ‘Oh, I love that, I didn’t even know it was mine.'”

As the firing process heats the glaze, all the pieces have changed from the last time the artists saw them, giving them all their lustrous appearance. These pieces were then admired by community members and peers at an artist reception on December 8, allowing students time to mingle with each other as well.

Randall was initially hesitant to take the program because she had only moved to the city a few weeks before the program began, but she found the company a good fit to work with.

“It’s men and women, and it’s been really cool being around people my age. There were a few guys older than me, and I thought, ‘If they can do it, I can do it, too,'” she laughs speak. “They were all very hospitable.”

Sue Ullrich also appreciates the company.

Earlier this year, Ullrich joined her first creative aging project shortly after her husband passed away.

The January 2022 class met in Gillette College’s District 59, where students created their own wood and metal products. Since then, she’s become a regular at the makerspace, where she makes more projects for friends and family.

She had never even been in the space before taking the class.

“I remember thinking, what a great opportunity,” she said of her first course. “It scares me to think I haven’t used the tools, but the teachers are very helpful.”

Ulrich found more workplaces and the creative freedom she gained was another focus of the Creative Aging project. Krisene Watson, who writes grants for each project, said it’s all about giving the senior community a way to get out of the house and keep their minds active.

Throughout her work with adults, she has seen locals come to life.

“[Sue]signed up for the program at Area 59, where she met Pat Burrows,” recalls Watson. “[Brows]lost her husband many years ago, but it’s still devastating because it’s your best friend. It’s important that people have someone to connect with during that time. Seeing these two connect really great.”

Ulrich noted that the classes got her back into the community faster than she would have otherwise.

“Without taking classes, I would have been much slower to come back and get involved in things. I was hesitant at first because I didn’t know if I was really ready,” she says.

The lesson brought her solace not only at the beginning of the year, but also in the fall, as it coincided with the first anniversary of his death.

“It’s nice to have something to do,” Ulrich said.

The two-hour class time each Tuesday and Thursday allows everyone to talk and connect while getting the most out of their hands.

“It’s nice because you can sit there and visit everyone while you work,” Steiner said.

For Debra Garcia, it opened the door to a brand new workspace that she plans to call home. Garcia signed up for the center’s sculpture class and purchased about 20 pounds of clay, a medium she had never been exposed to before taking the class.

“My friend, she was the one who saw the class and really wanted to sign up, but she was younger. I told her, ‘Hey, now, you have to pay your dues first,'” she said in a conversation with her peers. said with a smile.

Like clay that is molded into unique shapes and the art of carving, classes mold a group of strangers into a group of friends. Everyone also knows by now that even what looks like a potato at first, with well-trained hands and a good instructor, can make a beautiful piece.

Krisene Watson, the public library’s extension services manager, worked on preparing the Creative Aging Grants that will go to four events in the county. The ceramics course is the last course that can be covered through the grant.

Ahead of the ceramics class at the AVA Community Arts Center, Watson said, the grants also pay those 55 and older to take an oral history class that preserves attendees’ stories in video format, wood and metal in the Gillette College District Work Course 59 and Art Class at the Wright Silver Sage Senior Center.

At first, libraries statewide received only two grants, Watson said. But she stuck with it because she could see how much the program was helping people in Campbell County.

“It was a lot of work to get a third and fourth grant here, but the classes were fun and it was very rewarding to see the lives that (the project) changed,” she said.

These classes have become so popular that there is even a waitlist for the ceramics class. Somehow Watson hopes there will be more. A grant of approximately $2,000 is sufficient to cover the cost of courses and materials, with attendance ranging from 10 to 15 students per course.

Watson said she also likes working with different business units within Gillette because it’s a win-win for all involved.

“When you have partnerships, you can help the community, they can help people take classes, and that makes things more interesting,” she said.

To keep the program going, Watson said people can donate to Friends of the Library with a note saying they want the money to go toward creative aging classes.

“I hope we can continue to do this, because it’s amazing to see lives change and to show everyone what resources they have,” Watson said.