Student work displayed in Wellesley

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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter

Clever Hand Gallery is a beautiful space, filled with works done by artists all throughout New England. Owned and operated by the members of the cooperative, the gallery has been in operation since 1973. Built from the ground up by members of the community, another way the Gallery extends its hand out to Wellesley is by collaborating with Wellesley High School, showing students’ work annually for the past six years. From April 9 to April 29, works from honors ceramics and metals students were displayed in the front window of the gallery.

“I just walked up and down the streets when I first moved to the high school, looking for different spaces that might want to collaborate with me,” Amie Larson, the high school’s ceramics teacher said. “So we started out with the clay artists, because that’s all I was really teaching. They would come and do a demonstration at the high school to give themselves some publicity and spend some time with students and educate them.” In addition to these courses, students were then allowed to display their work in the front windows of the gallery, located right on Central Street. “We did just ceramics for the first three years, and then we added metals,” Larson explained.

Every year, the students have a show at the Wellesley Public Library, which is just down the street. “We send out a mailing to all students who are in that art show, which is K through 12, and on the bottom of that, we write that we have this show as well … there’s more foot traffic and it helps the parents to come here and then go there,” Larson said. This year, there were 14 ceramics students whose work was displayed, as well as 12 metal students. “It’s our honors classes,” Larson added.

For the students’ final show, they were required to create stop-motion videos of themselves working. “It’s great because people will be able to see the process and not just the final product,” said Larson. The students maintain Instagram accounts where they post their work, as well as work that inspired them. “They’re really active with it!”

Larson has integrated the world of ceramics with the world of technology, creating a new and exciting platform and intersection of art. The Clever Hands display is just one piece in her exciting puzzle.