By ANN-MARIE NEWMAN
annmarie@newschief.com
FROSTPROOF -- It didn't take much arm twisting to convince art students at Frostproof Middle/Senior to stay after school Wednesday, especially when they were promised the chance to play with fire.
About 15 seventh- and eighth -graders gathered outside on school grounds after school to participate in a hands-on art project called "Raku," which is an ancient art form of ceramic firing.
With the supervision of art teacher Gus Morcate, one by one the students learned the ins and outs of using fire to make ceramics. With pizza and soda as refreshments, the only complaint from the youngsters was that a little fire and heat mixed with a hot day can make artwork exhausting.
Morcate, who has been teaching art for 12 years, said he wanted to take his art lesson outside the classroom and teach the entire process of Raku to prove to the students that anyone can do it.
"I wanted to do a project where we were able to do something on a higher level," Morcate said. "It is very hands-on, but I wanted to take the mystery out of Raku and teach the students that it can be mastered, even by students."
According to Morcate, Raku originated from Japan as early as in the 16th century, when Tanaka Chojiro, the son of a brick maker, was the first to use this process of "firing" to make ceramics.
"Tanaka made Raku tea bowls for a tea ceremony in Japan. It was a social event in Japan," Morcate said. "I wanted to do something contemporary, though. So I am teaching the students the American art form or version of Raku."
The actual word "Raku" comes from a Chinese ideogram meaning enjoyment, ease, pleasure and happiness, Morcate said.
"This is what the students have been learning for the past four weeks," he said. "The have seen videos and have been practicing ceramics."
What the students have learned is that the process of Raku is quite simple, though it should only be conducted under the supervision of an experienced adult.
Students learned how to use a pair of long tongs to pull the ceramic art piece from a kiln, which at the time is scalding hot. From there, the ceramics are emptied into a bucket and nestled it in a bed of newspaper.
This then causes the newspaper to ignite, Morcate said, creating a metallic appearance on the surface.
The art piece is then soaked in water. The entire process takes about 30 minutes, according to Raku.
"See, anyone can do it. There's no real mystery," he said. "That's what I wanted to show them."
Seventh-grader Marcynda Knapp thought the whole process was fun, and was even able to spit a few facts or two our about the origin of Raku.
"We've already made baskets out of ceramics," she said. "It's fun, but hot. It started all the way in the 16th century."
"This is a good experience for the students," Morcate added. "And in the end, it taught them that Raku can be mastered."