Guest Speaker Lu Zhang takes Professor Yamamura’s Introduction to Art History Class on a Tour of the Greenwich House
Fordham Students at the Greenwich House
On April 17th, several of my fellow classmates and I went to the Greenwich House to see rising artist Lu Zhang’s workspace. We saw all kinds of amazing things such as the gas kilns used for firing pottery. There are several fun facts that I learned. One is that the gas kilns are legal even though they are considered a fire hazard in the state of New York. This is because they were installed before the law was enforced. Therefore, they were grandfathered in. Another fun fact is that Greenwich House mixes their own clay and glazes. The only material that is not made on the premises is porcelain.
After getting a tour of the facility, we took a look at Lu’s works in progress. She is currently preparing and experimenting for an exhibition she will participate in October. In this new series, she was working with paper clay, using paper plate as her mold. Hence, we saw two identical paper plates: One was the original; and the other was a copy. Just by glancing you could not tell the difference between the two. It was fascinating that the plate made of paper clay was much lighter than the actual paper plate. We were able to see the notes on her different works and the inspirations behind them.
We also got to see other people’s works since they were all in the same facility. One of the technicians, Pedro, had experimented with certain types of clay to make flowerpots. By putting the original state of clay on the outside of low-fired pottery, he was able to grow plants on the surface of his pots. Because of the low temperature of the firing process, the pot permeates water placed inside, so the plants can grow. I would absolutely recommend going to the Greenwich House to take a look at all the amazing things they have because it is open to the public. I know I will be going back.
Post by Christine Hu (FCLC ’17). She is an International Studies major who looks to use art to better understand international cultures. This review was submitted for Professor Yamamura’s Intro to Art History: Asia core requirement Art History course.