Nuuskan Island Workshop Teaches Youth How to Take Artistic Inspiration from the Land    

A Canada Council grant will support Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond in sharing knowledge about creating ceramics with clays and glazes from local landscapes.

Turning materials from the Earth into art

Diamond’s project has two phases. In the first phase, he will research and test locally sourced materials, including clays and soils in and around Nuuskan Island, for their potential as ceramic material. This step involves finding and testing clay sources, building and testing a wood-fired raku and propane-fuelled raku kiln from recycled materials, firing the clay to determine its suitability as a material, and investigating, identifying, and testing rocks, plants, seaweed, antlers, seashells, flora, and fauna to see if they could be used in glazes.

Sharing local knowledge to inspire youth

In the second phase of the project, Diamond will run a 10-day ceramics workshop. The goal of the workshop is to provide an experience that will connect students to the region’s land, culture, and archeology. It will bring together a local artist and art teacher, ceramic artist/technician and teacher, geologist, archaeologist, and tallyman, creating a safe and supportive environment for students. Diamond plans to document the process so that others can learn how to create ceramic works from their land.