Ceramicists Think Outside — and Inside — the Box

Describing the new space, Scout Fishkind ’26 said it’s crafted to perfection: “Not only is the studio physically beautiful and perfect for ceramics but also just the whole feeling of the space is more welcoming and homey!” 

The latest project for the class is to create 3D boxes with sliding, locking lids. In addition to crafting functional boxes, upper school visual arts teacher Stephanie Mestyan tasked the students with decorating them with personal narratives on the outside and inside, offering something that will reveal something previously unknown about the artist. 

“A big part of Ceramics II is craftsmanship but also starting to find their voices as ceramicists,” explained Stephanie Mestyan, upper school visual arts teacher. “Each side of the box needs to be activated in some way and it needs to be about the artist’s identity. The students also do a lot of work with underglaze and different underglaze techniques to try to build the story and to build the surface.”

Fishkind is bringing the beauty of the outdoors to her project. “My box is going to have a different type of flower on each of the walls, and my reveal to the inside of the box is going to be a bouquet of flowers composed of a mixture of types from both seasons,” she said. Her goal was to “include the changing of the seasons/flowers because just as this subtle change marks a shift in the weather it also marks a large transition period in my life and each student's life.”

Luca de Salvo ’26, fellow ceramicist and an avid doodler, has enjoyed the creative freedom baked into the assignment: “My inspiration would come from my doodles. I haven’t gotten to the drawing part yet, but when I was sketching out what I wanted, it was really fun.” 

The students’ finished products will be on display at the Garrison Art Center in Garrison, New York, later this year.