Thought it might be interesting to discover who is teaching and
where and what and why. This is the first of a series ...

Reg Dixon. Vancouver School of Art

Teaching can be many things - demonstration, indoctrination, an
opportunity for each student to do his thing. Teaching can be an
easy way of making a living or it can be a real commitment to a
way of life.

Teaching art and particularly pottery is a very complex and subtle
procedure. The making of a good pot demands so much from the
student: manual dexterity, exact control, aesthetics, chemistry,
geology, kilns etc.; at best it calls for almost total involvement
in process and medium.

I have given courses in pottery in Canada, England, Italy,
Paraguay and Brazil - children from five years old, old ladies,
even blind people, and one thing has emerged = each individual
is unique, in ability, work patterns, psychological hang-ups,
ambitions and so-on. This makes a large class situation difficult
and calls for great awareness and involvement on the part of the
instructor.

So what happens at the VSA? The conditions are far from optimal
space is very restricted, delays in deliveries of equipment etc.
and too many students - but to my mind perfect conditions, while
important for production, can even be detrimental to learning.

The diploma course at VSA is four years and from the second year
on a student is free to choose his own programme - painting,
sculpture, plastics, commercial etc. The pottery is very popular
these days, in fact some 45 students have elected to take pottery
this year. So who gets in? I feel it would be playing God to say
you can become a potter but not you or you. So everyone comes,
some for only one day a week.

- Take a handful of clay - make something, feel it. Can you
become involved in this or are you thinking of making a
Christmas present for Aunt Amy?

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