Working With: Polymer Clay

One of the most unique aspects of We Care Arts is the broad range of mediums that our artists are welcome to create with.  We go beyond simple paint and colored pencils to allow our artists to explore their creativity in ways they might not have even known were possible!  Most often, these new and frequently unusual techniques are introduced at visiting artist classes, when one of our teachers shares one of their personal favorite projects with our artists, allowing them to experiment.

Some of our classes regularly explore different types of products.  Terry Schalnat, our Executive Director, teaches a class that has been known to delve into furniture restoration, soap-making, tile and glass art, and the list goes on!  But one particularly unique class happens every other week.

Two Tuesdays a month, Naomi holds her polymer clay jewelry making class.  Polymer clay, which is actually called polyvinyl chloride, is actually a plastic, not a clay whatsoever, but is referred to as such because it is treated similarly to clay when molding and sculpting it.  Those who work with polymer utilize the same tools as ceramicists, and similar techniques.  The creative potential of these little blocks of ‘clay’ are essentially limitless!

Naomi's class usually makes beads, pendants, and other types of jewelry out of their clay, usually by making sugar beads.  This technique yields large, hollow beads by mixing sugar and water into a paste and making a mold, then forming the clay around it and baking it.  Warm water is then used to melt the sugar, leaving the bead as all that remains.  There is a TON of creative flexibility in this one craft alone, but the potential of polymer clay is such that this class has been itching to branch out into different crafts.

The day I talked to the class, they were making nightlights shaped like little birds sitting in nests.   The adorable birds were shaped over light bulbs and then scored and sculpted to look more realistic and unique.  The nests were formed by braiding or layering strips of clay over one another to achieve the desired effect.  This class has been gradually shifting away from primarily making beads to these more unusual projects, really taking advantage of of the flexible qualities of the polymer.  Essences, such as pearl or glitter can also be mixed in with the clay for an added dimension.  It is a very versatile and playful medium and can be incorporated in projects with other mediums very easily!  Our class has mixed it with glass and metal to make pens and serving utensils, and professional jewelry makers even incorporate finer metals such as silver in their crafting.  

 

Left, right, and below are some of the one of a kind jewelry pieces our artists have created!  If you fall in love with any of them, they are available for purchase at our main store on Wilmington Pike in Kettering, or in our shop at Town and Country on Stroop Rd in Kettering!

 

 Did talk of these fun projects inspire you?  You can purchase polymer clay from most crafting retailers (think Michael's or Jo-Ann) and get started experimenting with this super fun medium!

April is Autism Awareness Month!

In case you hadn’t heard, April is Autism Awareness Month!  According to the Autism Society, Autism Awareness Month is “a nationwide effort to promote autism awareness, inclusion, and self-determination for all, and assure that each person with ASD is provided the opportunity to achieve the highest possible quality of life”.   Autism Awareness Day was officially declared on April 2nd in 2007 as a global initiative to bring awareness and advocacy to the often under-recognized and misunderstood community of autistic individuals.  Since the 1970s however, the Autism Society has been taking it to the next level and dedicating the entire month of April to support inclusivity for those with ASD, as well as to recommit to better understanding ASD.  Many organizations have actively partnered, including Apple with their now-viral video (link HERE) and this is helping the movement gather steam.  

But why is this important?  It seems like there is a day or month for everything now, wacky ‘national’ holidays like “Be Kind to Lawyers Day”, and “Grilled Cheese Day”, both of which are today, by the way (so make sure to give your favorite lawyer a grilled cheese to celebrate).  What difference does seemingly minor recognition actually make?   

We tend to hear about autism quite a bit in the news already, but as a collective issue, a disorder.  People speculate about what causes it, debate treatments and their effectiveness, argue about whether or not vaccines cause it (spoiler alert, THEY DON’T) but rarely are the individuals themselves recognized for what they are, as human beings.  As with most mental illnesses, disorders, and disabilities, the condition becomes the identifier for the afflicted, and the focus shifts from their merits as an individual to their condition and how they can be cured, treated, or managed.   People don’t think to look past the outward symptoms and seek to get to know the person inside.  As human beings, this is our general nature, to generalize and make quick judgments about people.  We meet someone who expressed outward symptoms of a condition and assume that they align with all of the generalized facts we hold about that condition.  It’s an evolved tactic to assist us in processing the constant stimulation we experience in day to day life, but can prove limiting when we allow our immediate perceptions of others to be our only perceptions of them.

For example, when meeting an autistic individual for the first time, we might assume they are incapable of normal interaction or emotion, or any other assumption we might have picked up from watching TV shows like The Big Bang Theory, a terribly inaccurate representation of autism.  Because of this, we might not make an effort to have normal interaction with them, and miss out on recognizing their unique and positive attributes, which they possess just as any other human would.  This is why days (or better yet, months) of recognition are important; they provide the space and stimulus to start conversations about stigmas surrounding conditions like ASD, and learn more about them.  With knowledge comes the confidence to overcome the intimidation that we are sometimes faced with when interacting with someone whose behavior we might not completely understand.  It is incredibly important for us to challenge ourselves to catch ourselves making these generalizations and strive to look past them.   

So what else can we do?  Aside from the above, more introspective practices, you can find opportunities to volunteer to work with people in this community (maybe at an organization like We Care Arts! *hint hint*, or donate to an organization like Autism Society. 

Looking to make a difference in the Dayton area?  HERE is the Autism Society of Dayton’s website and HERE Is their Facebook page.  Browse to find events, information, and all sorts of resources to get you excited about autism advocacy!

Are you not a Daytonian?  That’s OK too! Just take a quick trip over to your favorite search engine and look up your local Autism Society chapter to learn more about programming, advocacy, and ASD in general!

ICYMI: We Care Arts Annual Auction!

Last month, We Care Arts held our annual spring auction.  The auction is the single largest internal fundraiser held by We Care, and this year was no let down.  With over 350 generous guests in attendance, the evening was primed for success from the get go.  This year’s was the highest attendance on record, a massive success for our organization.

Throughout the evening, guests at the Presidential Banquet Center danced to music provided by a DJ, and enjoyed a delicious dinner and drinks.  The main event of the night, the auctions, stimulated great amounts of excitement as guests hope to take home some of the many wonderful donations we received from local sponsors.  Auction items in both the silent and live auctions included projects completed by both our clients and professional artists, one being the beautiful finished Bockrath rug project (more about that collaborative design project

HERE), golf outings at almost every golf course in the Dayton area, deluxe baskets stocked with goodies such as cigars and wine, spa, theater, and restaurant gift cards, all very generously donated by local companies.

 One of the highlights of the auction was receiving donations of around $6,000, more than doubled from last year, solely in bus and Project Mobility passes for our clients, which is a tremendous success.  Many of our clients do not drive, so public transportation is a necessary, but expensive requirement for them to be able to get to We Care and enjoy our programs.   This is consistently the main reason clients are not able to come to We Care, so donations of this nature are supremely and directly beneficial to our clients.  Additionally, many guests volunteered to sponsor clients for the year, paying the cost of their attendance at We Care.

All of us here at We Care would like to extend the most sincere of thank you's to all of our donors and guests, we could not do what we do without your support!  Cheers to another fantastically successful year at We Care Arts!

DIY Hummingbird Feeders

As warm days return and the first flower buds begin to peek up through the soil, many of us here are We Care are starting to plan our gardens.  As most horticulturists will know, a garden can’t flourish without pollinators, and some of the most effective, dainty, and desirable to have in your garden are hummingbirds!  To help entice these little birds into our yards, Diane, our resident queen of upcycling, has brought us yet another project using old bottles; DIY Hummingbird Feeders!

What you’ll need:

Bottles (any size or shape – we used wine bottles, but anything will do!)Feeder attachment (we ordered ours in bulk online)Goo-be-goneRubbing AlcoholPaper towelsAcrylic Paint & BrushesThick wireBeads (optional!)

Getting started:

Diane brought a variety of bottles for our artists to decorate.  Prepping the bottles is very simple!  As we have done with bottles in the past, use Goo-Be-Gone to remove any lingering residue from stripping the labels, wipe them clean with alcohol, dry with a towel, and you’re ready to go!

Before you start, make sure the nozzle of the feeder attachment will fit in the mouth of the bottle.  It would be awful to get the bottle fully painted only to realize your pieces don’t fit together!

Now, time to paint!  From here, feel free to get as creative as you like!  Flowers were the go-to design amongst our artists, but paint whatever you like!  Hummingbirds are drawn to yellow and red, especially red, so keep this in mind when you are planning the design for your bottle. 

*Tip!* Some of our artists found it helpful to flip their bottles upside down and put them in jars or vases (see pictures below) to keep them steady and help remove the possibility of dropping the bottle or smudging the paint, don’t be afraid to try your own techniques to help you with your project.

Here are some works-in-progress:

Finishing up: To complete your bird feeder, wait until the paint dries and wrap your thick wire around the bottle, starting at the neck and winding up to the base.  If you feel inspired to, thread large beads through the wire to add another dimension to you birdfeeder.  Create a loop or hook at the end of the wire, so it can be hung! 

Fill your feeder with homemade nectar, set it out, and wait for the birds to come!