Student Artists go on Clay Hunt

            There is nothing like the visceral quality of wet clay. The smooth silk of this organic material brings everyone back to his or her childhood. Seven PSU art students experienced that playful feeling on the banks of the Baker River this Sunday, September 22nd. The Art Departments Ceramics Professor Nick Sevigney accompanied the members of Student Art Collective on a two-hour canoeing trip that harvested fifteen gallons of clay from the banks of the Baker River.  This trip was organized by the Student Art Collective. S.A.C is a newly established student organization, and the clay harvesting was their first event of the semester. The group, consisting of Sarah Bengtson, Courtney Minnehan, Hannah Smith, Heather Lindsay, Mike Heitz, Heather Tabor, Molly Shannon, and Nick Sevigney met in front of the Draper Maynard Building. They then departed with canoes to the Smith Bridge off Tenney Mountain Highway in Rumney, NH, a fifteen-minute drive from campus. The weather was partially sunny with large clouds. Even after the rain on Saturday, the river was surprisingly calm. Once settled into the canoes, rented from PSU’s Outdoor Center, they set out on their hunt for thick deposits of clay. The deposits are commonly found on the outer-banks following a bend in the river. After ten minutes of light paddling the group happened upon a large deposit. They subsequently landed their canoes and started inspecting the bank. The clay could be easily identified by the dark slate blue color and its slick texture. Professor Sevigney nearly slipped into the water in his excitement over finding the deposit. Once the shovels and five gallon buckets were unloaded onto the bank they began digging. It didn’t take long to gather the fifteen gallons, approximately four hundred pounds of clay. While digging the group talked about the organic matter found in and around the clay, and how its decay causes an orange tint in those areas. Because of the solidity and nutrient content of the clay bank there was an abundant amount of aquatic plant life attached to the bank. Sevigney talked about how this was a secondary clay deposit that had been gradually washed down river from a primary clay deposit upriver, over hundreds of years. Once the material was loaded back into the boats, the group paddled down stream for an hour. Landing in the back yard of fellow art student Nick Landry on North Main street, the group hauled their canoes and clay up the bank, where it was transported to the ceramics studio in D&M. Overall the trip was relaxing and pleasant, an opportunity rarely afforded on busy homework filled Sundays. The clay will be dried out and screened by the ceramics work-study student, Heather Tabor. Once the clay is reconstituted test fires will be done at different kiln temperatures. Once this processes finished Student Art Collective will host an event where students, art majors and non, are invited to make objects with the locally found clay. Keep an eye out for upcoming event dates.