This week in our LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, I challenged my students to replicate three distinct forms in one hour. They had sixty minutes to make all three. And they couldn’t move the examples off the table. With very little guidance, it was fun for me to watch how each of them approached the task differently. Most quickly jumped on the wheel… one handbuilt them all… yet size & shape were still a challenge for everyone. But it was the “oval” vase that proved to be the real challenge. With a wide range of “success”… some used the wheel while others handbuilt the shape. It was a great challenge for everyone.

Although I will say, I was a little “disappointed” that no one thought to paint them all with the new orange slip we have in the classrooms now! Given another five or ten minutes, maybe someone would have gotten there?! I mean… the examples were ORANGE, right?!

So here are the final sets of the “matching” cups & saucers! My THROWDOWN students killed it in this 45-minute challenge. Making pinch pot teacups & saucers that matched each other.. while BOTH players were blindfolded!!! Plenty of discussion… but built “blindly” racing the time deadline. Again, since we had an odd number of players, I had to step-in to play along!

In the end, we called in Lillstreet handbuilding teach Nicole to be our judge not knowing who made which set… and she chose Melanie & my set as the WINNER!!! whoo-hoo!!!

For our final THROWDOWN challenge of the night, the teams of two were BOTH BLINDFOLDED and challenged to make a cup & saucer with pinch pot techniques! They each had to make a matching cup with handle & a saucer… MATCHING!!! Yes, they had to build a “matching” set while never seeing or feeling the other person’s piece. They had to discuss & analyze their pieces verbally so their partner had an idea of what they were both working on… size, scale, proportions, style, decorations, etc. With 45 minutes, they all had plenty of time to discuss & describe their pieces… and to be in the dark the whole time!

And since we had an odd number of students in class this week, I had to step-in & was partnered with Melanie who KILLED it in all three challenges!!!

This week in my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, we did some handbuilding challenges! Mostly just “technique” challenges… but the biggest challenge was being BLINDFOLDED!!! They were divided into teams of two… one was the “Maker” and the other was the”Caller.” The Caller was the eyes of the team… giving instruction, advice & encouragement for the Maker. The Maker was the one competing to make the longest coil, or largest slab. And yes, they switched places for the two challenges so they each had a chance to play with the clay… and a chance to see how it feels to be the Teacher. As many of my THROWDOWN students have not had a lot of handbuilding experience!

Sorry, I missed photos of the coil-rolling challenge… my bad!

Continuing our “game” theme… my Lillstreet Throwdown students continued by choosing a shape from the SQUID GAME logo… just a quick choice… unaware that they then would later be tasked with building a three-dimensional version! A tough challenge to make 6-inch tall piece in just 60 minutes… especially with some students having very limited handbuilding experience!

Turns out most of them chose the triangle… which meant a pyramid! Only three chose the square… which meant a cube. And no one chose the circle which would have meant a sphere! Some of them got a bit too wrapped-up in the geometry of a pyramid… HA!!!… but in the end, they all did great & had a fun time!!!

And maybe learned a little sumthin’-sumthin’ along the way?!

This week in my Lillstreet Throwdown class, I decided to kick it off with a rousing game of JENGA. With each person taking a turn to “make it taller, without making it flop.” Whoops Sara!!!

And then we followed that up with “Clay Jenga” on the wheel. With two people competing against each other… each doing one pull to make their “shared” thrown cylinder taller. Each person taking a turn to “make it taller, without making it flop.” It had to rise at least 1/4” per person, per turn… and not flop. The last one to do a successful pull won that round & moved on in our class brackets… until we had that one final winner!!!

Apparently there are still some fortune cookies to be found at Illinois Beach State Park…
if you’re willing to face the weather!

From Adam…
“Wow Gary, great hiding of the cookies this year! I spent 6 hours between the North and South Units yesterday on my bike and only found the one on the Poplar tree. Thanks for that, I knew I rarely saw that species there, so once I found the only grove of Poplars in the South Unit I was confident I’d find that one and did. Then last weekend Mom, the kids and I were out there with no luck until we finally tuned our senses & vision to that green moss/lichen and we found the one on the Willow Tree at the North Unit. I’m loving the ever-building excitement and attention your annual tradition is getting and the competition with other passionate hunters as a result! We will stick with our two for 2025, but always hoping to stumble upon one that remained unfound from a past year as well! Thanks as always for this annual thrill! Can’t wait for my birdhouse to be inhabited come Spring time! And if I do go for another fortune cookie hunt, I gotta locate that damned birds nest, it’s evading me so far and it’s killing me!”

Thanks Adam – glad you and the kids had a great time!!!
And now for that bird’s nest one…

Towards the end of this week’s Lillstreet Throwdown class, the students received their MASTER CHALLENGE. A long-term project for them to work on throughout the session. The goal is for all of them to bring their finished masterpieces to our final class for critique & judging. And you know I love a good theme.. . so each of them had the chance to choose which Fairy Tale they would base their final pieces on. But what are they making?… it was a surprise to them, so I think maybe I’ll keep it a surprise for you too!!! More to come… once upon a time…

This week in my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, the students brought back their “finished” mug… from their first “perfect” prototype cylinder from the first challenge. Always fun to see where they have taken their vision with some trimming, refining & handles!. But then they were tasked with another challenge of throwing a saucer to go along with that mug… similar in design, finish & function. After just 45 minutes, they brought both pieces back to the table for critique & judging. Another fun challenge!

Last night was the kick-off of my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class!! With a great new group of potters ready to take on my silly games, races, projects & challenges!

Last night they started off throwing one “perfectly” mug shaped cylinder in their own style. Only to be followed up by a challenge to throw more cylinders that MATCHED… but not theirs, they had to match everyone else’s!!! Matching pots are tough enough, let alone matching someone else’s shape & style!!! Lots of pots, lots of fun!!! And we’re just getting started…