A lizard-dragon, a multi-colored turtle, a lion with a peacock-feather mane: these are some of the fantastical clay creatures West Leyden students made during their remote-learning ceramics class this fall.
The clay creations are inspired by “alebrijes,” a Mexican art form depicting colorful, mystical animals or hybrid creatures, usually made of cartonería, which is like papier-mache, or wood carving.
Though the art form is associated with the Oaxaca region, the form originated with Mexico City-based artist Pedro Linares, who dreamed that he was chased by fantastic and colorful creatures all shouting the same word: “alebrijes,” according to West Leyden art instructor Caroline Felix.
The idea came to Felix because students couldn’t come to the building to use the kiln — meaning they can’t make anything like a mug or plate that’s safe to use for eating. She thought about having them make animal sculptures with air-dry clay and wanted to incorporate art history.
Since National Hispanic Heritage Month ran Sept. 15-Oct. 15, alebrijes seemed like a great project, although the art form was new to her as an instructor.
“I think it is important not just to study some sort of European traditional art history, but to look at all the different corners of the world,” Felix said.
Students at Leyden High School District 212 started the school year learning remotely, though they are expected to return to a hybrid in-person approach next month.
To learn ceramics, students picked up air-dry clay and tools from the West Leyden campus to use at home. Felix also assigned them to find tools out of ordinary objects from home, like plastic straws to make circle patterns.
Because the students are working from home, rather than a studio, their art pieces are broken more frequently. Pets and little siblings can both be unpredictable, and it can be “disheartening” for students whose pieces are broken, she said.
“I’ve definitely heard a lot of ‘my dog ate my homework’ and it’s true,” Felix said.
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Felix teaches them through video conference, and said it’s challenging to teach art remotely. She misses walking around the classroom, helping students build their structures, and she’s working with new materials.
“Everything needs to be sort of reinvented, so I feel like a first-year teacher all over again…,” Felix said. “I have to reinvent not only what the (art pieces are), but how I’m going to show them to students.”