Summer Sculptors: Pottery camp lets kids mold their own masterpieces
By Asante Green, Staff Writer and
Paul Desmarais, Staff photographer
STAMFORD -- Though his peers were working busily beside him, Thomas Rupprecht was so focused he seemed alone in the Lakeside Pottery ceramic studio last week. He sized up the wet clay he into sections with a pin tool and explained what he planed to sculpt: The Eiffel tower. Keeping his eyes on the project, the 8-year-old said he wanted to re-create the tower after seeing it recently in a movie.
Gustav Eiffel would have been proud. “I’ve only worked with Play-Doh, but this is similar,” said Thomas, one of the 10 participants in last week’s camp. We get to make a lot of things.”
Lakeside Pottery owner Morty Bachar blasted the two-tier tower with a blow torch to make sure it wouldn’t flop over after Thomas finished it. Bachar then set it to dry on top of a drying rack, where other campers placed projects such as masks, coffee mugs and candleholders.
Bachar, and engineer by trade, opened the Newfield Avenue studio in February after leaving a corporate job. He recently started the week long camp to expose children to another form of art and to give back to the community, he said.
“I had been working privately with children who have attention deficit disorder or who have dyslexia, whose parents needed to find activities to keep their mind occupied and they loved it so much that it motivated me to open the studio,” Bachar said.
Bachar said he enjoys visiting local schools to teach ceramics. “The bottom line is their self-esteem goes up when they make something they thought they couldn’t make. To see those kids reaching their full potential is extraordinary.”
He said he plans to donate 10 percent to 15 percent of his profits to charitable causes. Providing free camp to those who can’t afford it is part of his mission. “I think everybody that does well financially …. Should share their wealth with the less fortunate, “bachar said. “I feel very fortunate to be able to do that.” He has donated scholarships to the Stamford Recreation Services, Zion Lutheran Church and the Carl and Dorothy Bennet Cancer Center.
“It’s been the best thing that ever happened to me.” Said Nancy Levinson, who was diagnosed with stage four cancer several years ago. “pottery is extremely therapeutic. When you center on the wheel, you have to be centered yourself. You have to get quit, put all of your attention in the clay; that of itself is a beautiful thing.”
Given the cost of medicalbills. Levison said therapy is an added bonus. “Morty is extremely generous and is really into the community. He wants to assist people in any way he can. He is such a blessing.” The students in the camp learned the fundamental of using pottery equipment such as wheels, glazes and firing. Bachar also offers classes and private lessons for adults.
“it’s really fun and creative working with clay,” said Maudley Clermont, 10. “After the first day of camp I realized mostly all the hardware in my house is made from clay, like the dishes and the bowls. It’s exiting to create something like that from slab of clay.”
Joseph Dominguez, 16, who assists head teacher Sandy Wiener, said he enjoys seeing the children create work they are proud off.
‘I love the way the clay feels between my hands, it’s very relaxing and you can tell the kids are relaxed and having fun,” Dominguez said. “They love it now. At first a lot of the kids where shy, but by the end of the week they are talking to each other and getting to know each other.”
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