Amy Nottingham is the art teacher at the Grove High School, in Redlands, CA. The Grove is one of the only Montessori high schools in the US and has an amazing approach to hands-on educational settings for kids on a farm. She was my youngest son’s art teacher a few years ago and really unlocked in him a passion for photography and an introduction to sculpture. Amy is an accomplished artist herself and does lovely drawings when she is not teaching great lessons.

Here are her words: “At the Grove School, we honor the rich history of Redlands Pottery by using the red clay earth found on our farm campus to make our own clay body and create ceramic works. Some of them are even sold at our Farmer’s Market to support the ceramics program! Students dig and sift the clay, add other clay ingredients to improve plasticity, slake in water over a few days, then kneed and kneed and kneed to remove excess moisture and bring the clay body to the best workable consistency. The creations of the students are whimsical and functional. The students relate a great sense of satisfaction knowing they created the whole thing, from Earth to Artwork, with their own hands! They also express a greater appreciation for the clay we purchase from a store and use the rest of the year, because making your own clay, while rewarding, is a lot of work!”