Last week a group of TLLC volunteers headed to Community First! Village for a service opportunity. Volunteering there is always a fun adventure and this time was no exception. Our assignment was at the Art House and we were assured ahead of time that no artistic skill was required!
After gathering at the Welcome Center for a brief introduction to Mobile Loaves and Fishes and an overview of the Community First! Village mission, we made our way over to the Art House where our work assignment was located. Entering the building, we turned directly into the Ceramic Studio where tables were organized with blocks of clay and molds.
The group began to question the need for artistic skill – Valerie, our instructor, quickly assured us that all would be well! She explained we were going to use the molds to make clay tiny houses. The neighbors from the Village that work in the studio prepare these clay houses for sale in the store to support their income. However, this first step of filling the mold is often too difficult for many of them. So Community First! uses volunteers to take clay from the blocks and carefully press it into the molds.
Once the mold is filled with clay, the molded clay is gently pressed out of the mold and a beautiful clay tiny house emerges.
From there, the neighbors who work in the studio, can carry the process forward to completion. This involves preparing the pieces for firing, smoothing out the molded houses, painting and glazing. The sale of these ceramic tiny houses contributes to the neighbor’s monthly income.
Our group of volunteers were quite productive and found that, while no artistic skill was needed, we did have to learn the proper technique to produce a “keeper” house. Our learning curve was quick and we produced many houses for the studio to prepare and sell! We ended our time there with a tour of the Village, seeing highlights all of the recent improvements including some new 3D printed homes.
If you wish to support the neighbors in the ceramic program, the tiny houses and other ceramic pieces can be purchased online at mlf.org
