Spotlighting Two Faculty Artisans with a Passion for Ceramics
Aside from teaching, Middle and Upper School Arts teacher, Ms. Kayley McGonagle, and Director of Experiential Learning and Middle and Upper School History teacher, Dr. Elizabeth Pillsbury, share another passion: ceramics.
Ms. McGonagle has always been an artist. Early on, she was drawn to art making, but stuck mostly with drawing and using watercolors. It wasn’t until sophomore year of high school when Ms. McGonagle took an introductory class in ceramics that she began to explore clay, creating bowls and slab dishes using the wheel. When she came to Riverdale, Ms. McGonagle took classes in ceramics with the intention of learning the basic skills of the art form to apply to her teaching. She reflects, “I’m really grateful in a way…if I hadn’t been forced to learn these [skills], I probably wouldn’t learn certain things…like handbuilding and coil building.” While learning to teach ceramics, Ms. McGonagle gained useful skills, which she could later apply to her own art making.
Dr. Pillsbury, who recalls feeling, “a little bit too afraid to try [ceramics] in highschool,” took her first class after college and immediately loved it. At Riverdale, she developed this passion, taking evening classes led by Riverdale’s art department. By 2019, Dr. Pillsbury had “really deepen[ed] her practice” and transitioned to “making art and not just mugs and bowls.”
For both teachers, ceramics has grown to occupy an important part of their lives. Ms. McGonagle explains, “I really love clay because…it's just one material and there are so many possibilities you can explore…people can make something simple and really complex with the same material.” While Ms. McGonagle engages with all art forms, she adds, “I think [ceramics] is becoming [my main one] because…I’ve had to learn so much about it in the last few years.” As she has spent more time learning, teaching, and practicing ceramics, Ms. McGonagle's confidence in her skills and understanding of the material have grown, along with its importance to her.
For Dr. Pillsbury, ceramics is “transportive.” “Working with your hands and clay is really great,” she explains, “and coming back to the practice grounds me in all areas of my life.” Ceramics has not only given Dr. Pillsbury an opportunity to reflect, but also connected her to the “really lovely community” that she finds at her work space, Greenwich House Pottery. She describes, “it is wonderful to be a part of this really intergenerational community” with “feuds [and friendships] that go back thirty years,” and “with real artists that are engaged in making art for galleries in New York City…and doing really neat work.” It is this tightly-knit space that makes ceramics so special to Dr. Pillsbury. She adds, “when you are really doing [ceramics] at scale, you have to share kilns and share workspaces.” Within this community, Dr. Pillsbury also finds inspiration and support: “You learn, get ideas from each other, you try things that other people are doing, [and] you get suggestions.” Aside from watching other artists, a lot of Dr. Pillsbury’s work is inspired by, “thinking about shapes…and building on a series.”
Ms. McGonagle finds inspiration in nature, plants, and seeing other artists on Instagram, but shares, “I feel like I have so many ideas that I haven’t fully explored yet.” Part of this comes from the need to balance being a teacher with finding the time and energy to make artwork, a challenge that both artists struggle with.
Ms. McGonagle reflects, “I feel like I have devoted a lot of time to learning how to be a teacher” and “I don’t really go home and have the energy to make art.” However, she is working through these challenges and aspires to designate time, space, and energy to pursue her own pieces going forward. She has already completed a handful of commissions thus far.
Dr. Pillsbury adds, “I think that you have to find the time for an art practice and make it a priority.” Given the important role that ceramics has in her life, she explains, “I make the time on weekends and evenings when I can.” This time includes selling her pieces in markets and stores around the nation, developing her website and social media, and attending shows for her work.
Reflecting on ceramics’ role in the art world, Ms. McGonagle shares, “sometimes ceramics has been seen as a craft…almost on the lower tier of fine arts, but there are a lot of people working at a very high level…and I think that’s really cool.” She hopes more people can see ceramics in this light and encourages students to try out the art form, despite how different or difficult it may seem.
While ceramics, especially alongside teaching, comes with its challenges, both Ms. McGonagle and Dr. Pillsbury have produced incredible artwork and have found special communities and experiences through engaging with the practice.
