Thursday, May 3, 2012

Flint Photos: Kiln at DeWaters Art Center...




12 comments:

  1. The kiln was given a new artistic face in 2005 as part of the Flint Institute of Arts' expansion and renovation. ( http://web.mac.com/flintartsed/Past_Projects/Kiln_Room_Project.html )

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  2. This thing always reminded me of a clown's Queen Elizabeth collar... as if there were such a thing in the 60's. What exactly is that structure used for anyways? I always thought it was just decoration.

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  3. I was a custodian (janitor) at the Art Center from 1969-1971-many fine ceramic works of art came from that kiln. Whatever happened to Bill Campbell ? A fine artist -he lived there most of the time I was there.

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  4. The kiln at FIA was one of the lasting memories of an elementary school field trip there. Even now, mentioning a kiln is a gateway to a conversation with people who make ceramic things.

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  5. I remember seeing this many of times. I though it wasa just generic art...but lo and behold, it was functional.

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  6. Yes, David! I was a young art student at MCC in the early seventies and used that kiln many times. I loved the entire Modern, Bauhaus-inspired building (and the people in it!).
    You need to "google" Bill Campbell. He's gone on to become extremely successful as a potter who is renown for his ceramic forms and crystalline glazes! And to think, I still have one of his plates!

    Darcy B.

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  7. I'll try to say this in as polite a manner as I can. Teacher-student love-making occasionally occurred in the kiln annex. One of Flint's sexiest places. That is all.











    ...hey, Gordon- Flint's Sexiest Places... that is a post that could go far...

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  8. Are you implying that things got hot in the old kiln?

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  9. This is not the proper "Forum" for discussing such incidents, Mr. Maxson from just beyond the west city limits. This may not have been illegal or a violation of harassment guidelines then, but it falls into the same category as the "techers" that met high schoolers at the swings in Mott Park in the 1960s. If this happened today, it would be front page news.

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  10. All letters to this Forum Letter section must be prefaced by a legal disclaimer. As sample follows:

    "It was 1965. This incident did not violate any laws, statutes, or workplace policies in place at the time."

    After this disclaimer, you can relate your lurid salacious story about your experience with the Art teacher or Philosophy professor that occurred after you pushed the stop button on the elevator.

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  11. You just never know where the conversation will end up when you post a photo of an old kiln. I'm glad readers have such passion for the arts.

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  12. I remember getting to fire some pottery in the kiln during my early elementary years, during TAG (Talented And Gifted) classes. I had a bunch of those - Spanish, Keycoding, Candlemaking, and POTTERY!!!!! My Mom still has some of my old kiln-fired things I think, tucked away in a tote in her Mt. Morris basement. Our pottery classes, along with many others, were at the nearby school just up the road (the one next to Longway, that is now offices), and walked to the FIA for things like music and pottery. Sometimes, I really, really miss Flint and environs. Other times, I'm so glad to be away from it and in the middle of the Ozarks.

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.