Students from LCF, Spain and Germany enjoy wheel-thrown fun at community center ceramics class
Bridging cultural divisions can be dirty work, but on a recent visit to the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge’s ceramics department, local teens and visitors from Villanueva De La Cañada, Spain, rolled up their sleeves and got to it.
In a July 12 two-hour ceramics class — arranged by the center and the nonprofit La Cañada Flintridge Sister Cities Assn. — students tried their hands at wheel-thrown pottery under the instruction of Ceramics Director Miriam Balcazar.
CCLCF Executive Director Maureen Bond said the center became a charter member of the Sister Cities Assn. so it could open its doors, and the experiences therein, to international visitors.
“We wanted to be a part of their trip here,” Bond said. “Now they have a better appreciation of the art and what it takes to build a pot or bowl.”
Balcazar said the lesson was a fun way for the kids to have a hands-on experience together.
“They were laughing with each other and learning something and getting dirty — they really were bonding,” she said.
On Tuesday, visiting Spanish students Daniel Fernandez Multigner and Eva Prieto Perez began the nearly 5,800-mile journey back to their hometown, marking the end of a two-week stay with their host families. German student Conni Backhaus, who traveled separately, returns to native Dusseldorf.
But the fun isn’t over yet. On Friday, La Cañada High School junior Jack Applebaum and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy senior Catherine Condit travel to Villanueva De La Cañada as their erstwhile guests return the host-family favor.
It’s unclear what exciting adventures lie in store for Condit and Applebaum, but if it’s anything like the first two weeks, it’s sure to be just as exhilarating.
Twitter: @SaraCardine
