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Wallace Excellence Award Initiatives

Background Information

In late 2008, Northern Clay Center received a Wallace Foundation Excellence Award Grant. With this grant, Northern Clay Center is developing new programs designed to broaden participation by individuals 55 and older, which include:

Participatory classes for 55+ers at Northern Clay Center and offsite (with our ClayMobile) with community partners who serve this population;
Guest artist workshops and lectures about historical and contemporary ceramics;
Tours of current exhibitions, meet and greets with artists, and social events for retirees, book clubs, and others;
Touring exhibitions and our permanent collection to libraries, community centers and other galleries in greater Minnesota.

Year One of Program, 2009

NCC established an advisory committee representative of our target populations and providers of services to 55+. This committee helped to identify our goals under this initiative, shape programming, and offer feedback and support.
We adapted and extended existing ClayToGo curricula for our target populations. Through extensive discussion with program directors, recreational therapists, and other field "experts", we developed a template for the process and schedule for bringing our services to the 55+ population who are residing in care centers, independent living cooperatives, hospital and clinical settings or who participate in day programs designed for persons with special needs.
We developed an evaluation plan and data collection tools in consultation with technical advisors.
We initially hoped to conduct 8 programs in 2009 for the target population, reaching 110 persons with 660 contact hours. Ultimately, we conducted 28 programs, reaching 535 persons with 2544 contact hours.

Year Two of Program, 2010

NCC began distributing hard copy visitor survey cards at exhibition openings, special events, workshops and lectures. Additionally, we distributed online surveys to participants in quarterly classes and hands-on workshops. Preliminary analysis of data captured was conducted in late 2010.
NCC identified and began working with a market researcher, who conducted focus groups with current/former students and NCC program participants, prospective participants, and gatekeepers in the community who are already working with the 55+ population.
Armed with our findings from the market researcher, we identified a local ad agency and spent several months in 2010 designing an open house event that provides numerous opportunities for engagement for clay lovers, professional and aspiring artists alike, and people who are just plain curious about what we do at NCC. A media plan was developed, as well as marketing materials for ART@HAND. Click here for more info about Art@Hand.
We adapted docent-training curricula for the target populations, with the help of the Walker Art Center's docent staff, and enrolled new docents for and completed the first round of docent training in the fall of 2010.
We continued and identified new partnerships with offsite organizations who serve the 55+ population, including:

VISION LOSS RESOURCES, Minneapolis

PARTNERSHIP RESOURCES, St. Louis Park

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, St. Paul

What our partners and participants have said about our programming:

Fr. Jogues Epplé, Episcopal Homes partnership,

Because of someone's kindness, we seniors were welcomed into the studio of Northern Clay Center. It was a humbling experience.

In Latin, humus means "soil, or clay." The idea is that if one is humble, one is "getting down to earth." When we are knocked off our high horses, we get humble willy nilly.

One of our grand, truly grand, mothers told Kevin [Caufield], our instructor, "this (throwing pots) teaches us humility." It also teaches us to be human as in errare human est meaning "to err is human." Working in clay is a basic human joy when we are humble enough to get down to "where we ought to be."

The NCC experience was humbling. Tis a gift to be simple, as the Shakers tried to tell the 19th century, the first era of the Robber Barons.

One of the joys of being old is savoring gratitude. We returned to our home in St. Paul by crossing a great joy, the amazing Mississippi that rolls over lots of clay…our clothing was splotched with clay as our hands are with liver spots. We are too old for vanity. We can smile at the clay and the wrinkles from years of good experiences.

The clay dries up our skin. So does life. It seems there is no end to "the meaning" of seniors sitting beside a whirling wheel. When our wheels stop, the clay spins out of control. We have to keep on keeping on, or old age is just a waist.

In the film, Shawshank Redemption, the old con tells the new fish, "you gotta get busy living; or you gotta get busy dying." That is the challenge of being old. Old is a fine word. Who wants to be a senior? The last time I was, I was in high school, an experience I would not relive for the life of me. Old age is the third and final stage of me. Old age is the third and final stage of life. The secret is to enjoy aging as a fine wine, old, treasured, delicious.

The first North Americans left chards of pottery. The American Empire will leave the detritus of obese consumers. In the meantime, and these are mean times, we had a splendid gift of time to get basic, to play with clay.

A quaint word disinhume means "to disinter". The Latin root for humility and clay is also in disin-hume. Before we are in-terred, put into the clay, we will have few more generous hours than those at NCC where we worked with sweet Mother Earth, our Sister.

Staff, Episcopal Homes
Residents expressed their gratefulness for the opportunity to work with a professional artist—they said it improved self-esteem to see improvement in the quality of the work they completed. One resident said she didn't think she'd be "any good" at the clay work and felt more willing to try new activities in the future based on her successful experience in clay.

Staff, Partnership Resources
It was great to see some of the more secluded or inactive members of our agency interacting with their peers in a positive manner, while working on an activity that suits their interests. It allowed them the chance to interact and build relationships with others around them that they may have otherwise had.

NCC teaching artist, Bethesda Rehabilitation Hospital, Parkinson's Unit Partnership
He [a participant] explained to me that while he had his hands on the clay, the Parkinson's seemed to fade away.

NCC teaching artist, Ebenezer Ridges
From a personal level, this is not traditionally an age-range of participants I have had comfort with. From the first class, relationships were formed, trust was built, and the holistic approach to this building of community has been life altering. The work produced by participants, along with their increased levels of confidence with a new art medium, has made this one of the most meaningful teaching experiences I've ever had.

Staff, Ebenezer Ridges
When our seniors' work was recently featured in NCC's ArtHealthy exhibition, we went to NCC on a lifelong learning outing so they could see their artwork—they were so thrilled! We feel fortunate to have NCC partner with Ebenezer Ridges, to strengthen our life-long learning opportunities available on campus. Pottery is another opportunity for seniors on our campus to try something new and creative in a fun, supportive and relaxed atmosphere. Pottery classes taught by NCC allow participants to work on fine motor skills and hand strength, while tapping into their inner spirit.