 

PAGE 6 THE GRINNELL SCARLET AND BLACK SEPTEMBER 21,1913

Christiansen Leaves Faculty For A Turn At The Wheel

by Louise Dix

Some people have nighlmares ae
bout being chased by green mons
sters or about tailing olt clitts,
but Beth Christiansen, Grinnellma-
th teacher- turned potter, said she
has “horrible nightmares aboutpots
piling up in the basement and not
being able to Sell any of them ”
Her interest in pottery began when
she took several courses at the
University or lcwa where she ma-
jored in math, She said that her sis-
ter had tried potting so she de-
Cided to try, too. “This was her
tore the craze started going and it
was still possible {or people who
weren't art majors to get into these
things,” she said.
» ”I’ve wanted to get back to pot—
ting ever since," she remarked.
So three years ago, when she thought
that she'd have some time off from
teaching here at the college, sheset
'up a wheel and kiln in herbasement.
But she didn’t get to work with it
as much as she would have liked
because they did need her to teach
that year.

Christiansen said that She teaches

“oil and on” and that she has taught
“anything” dealing with math ex-
cept tor senior courses. This year,
the size or the math departmentwas
increased by “two thirds at a per-
sonsreplacing parttlrne person (me)
with a full time,” she said. "This
is really theiirsltimei'vehad some
free time in terms of Child care
and teaching,” she said as she got
the wheel ready {or throwing.

Her two children, Tanya, S, and
Tasha, 3, are in the tirst grade
and in the day care center res—

pectively. So, she has {our iree
hours 01 time to work.

She makes her pottery to sell.
“There'd be no place to put it it
I didn't, she Stated. She Sells her
pottery to people in the urea and
in the store “Emphasis,” “I hope

Beth christiansen attends to her newly chosenprofession-spoltery making.

to sell at the college bookstore
as soon as I get some more things
made,” she added. .

Her long hair tied back with a
kerchiet, Christiansen sits down
at the wheel and using her hands
to shape the clav as the wheel

swim and Buck photo by Lance Dix

Walker Holds Year’s First Open Forum

by Jessica Oppenheim
The Open Forum meetings, tree
discussions between interested stu-
dents, Dean Walker and other mem-
hers oi the administration, got on
to a slow start with the iirst meet-

ing or the year Wednesday, Sept-
ember 12 in South Lounge.

The number of interested Students
totalled an approximate ten and, by
the and of the 45 minute meeting,
a one- -to one ratio existed between
the Students and the fiveI adminiss
tralors about the late or the music,
theatre and art departments.

students had heard rumors which
said that the maiors ulleredbvthose

three departments were to be done
away with; the music department
being in the greatest jeopardy. The
students, most otwhom atthis meet-
ing had their majors in one or these
departments, also telt that music,
art and theatre were not receiving
their due attention train the adminis-
tration- the firing oi one at the art
teachers being sited,

Dean Walker intormed the students
that such rumors were unwarranted
and the nonrenewal oi the teacher’s
contract was due merely to a lack
of money and the subsequent need
tor priorities.

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and other admissions priorities that
caused some concern at the start
at the school year was brought up.
The student used the article in the
August 31 edition or the Scarlet
and Black which stated that certain
admissions qualitications would be
stressed, among Ihem encourage
ment ot those scholars with a back-
ground iu athletics.

It was stressed, however, by Dean
walker that Grinnell has always
striven to iorm good athletic teams
and that this in no way would lower
the standards of the Admissions De-
partment The Dean did state that
the administration would “do what
we can to gel specially talented stu-
dents to come to Grinnell."

One reason which was given tor
the policy or the Admissions oitice
was the complaint by the trustees
and the president that the student
body as it stands now is too homer
geneous tor a liberal arts school,
even for one the size 01 Grinnell
There is also the concern in the
administration that the number ol‘
students wishing to attend a liberal
arts school or Grinnell‘s type is
dwindling

The concern was not tor the imm-
ediate tuturc but it has been post-
ulated that by the year 1988, there
will he no students tor colleges like
Grinnell, There will, however,be no
strenuous recruiting tactics tnkcn
and no signiticant changes in tho
running or thc Admissions Oliice,

spins, she iorms a small vase

“It looks so easy," she said, smor
othing down the edges," but most
people rind their lirst tew times oi
throwing a pot very trustrating "
Finished with the pot, she removes
it trom the wheel and places it with
the others to dry, She starts on
another piece."

“I make anything really, it sort
oi becomes a game ot what will
sell," Christiansen said. “People's
tastes are very strange, Also 1
will make something that will sell
as long as I like It, too; as long
as it’s oi good quality and in good
taste,” she commented The best
sellers are pig banks with corn
cob noses
She makes all kinds oi vases,
candle holders, cups, and pots, she
even made her own dishes. “I made
them in college and I swore I’d
never do that again,” she recalled.
“But I might with the time and
distance between then and now,”

“It's awiully nice to make things
you know people are going to use,
1 like making the composite things
best where you throw several things
on the wheel and stick them together.
You don’t really know what’s going
to come out,” she said,

As well as pottery, Christiansen
also makes clay beads ior hersister
who weaves “She’s given me quite
a bit ot yarn and I thought it’s
about my turn do do something-as
much as i hate making beads,” She
also makes pendants tor necklaces
and belt buckles
She experiments with ditterent cos
lored clays, designs and glazes.
“There's a lot or variety involved.
It I get tired or throwing, l have
things to glaze and tire. it I get
tired or that I can experiment with
some new technique or glaze. If 1
get tired oi that, i can go hook a
rug or something." she remarked.
“And opening the kiln is always a
big surprise, like Christmas. It
never gets-old."

"There’s really not many jobs
where I can have the ireedom l
have," Christiansen said. “i decide
when I want to do it, how I want to
do it, and what i want to do "

While potting, Christiansen said
she likes to listen to the radio
She listens to Watergate hearings,
state legislature and book club pro»
grams mostly, tor her entertain-
ment. “1 can go on tor a while as
long as a good program is on the
radio and there are no kids pulling
on my hair,” she laughed. "I have
had a sore back lately because I
haven’t thrown tor a while, but l'll
get used to that,” she added,

“My only wish is to have a gas
kiln instead ot an electric one,"
she commented “With a gas kiln,

you can do diiiereut kinds oithingsJ"

The Christiansens went to a camp
in lllinois this past summer. She
and her husband, Robert, who is
also a teacher here and assistant
prolessor or Mathematics, built a
gas kiln and a kiln shed The job
consisted ot “working with your
hands and getting hot and sweaty
trom lugging bricks,” She said that
the kiln shed was built lrom an old
dairy barn “The outside oithe shed
was white wash, the inside was mas
nure “ she said

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“That s the way to learn patience
building an eight root chimney and
trying to get the bricks even,” she
said. it was a very rewarding ex,
perience, but I Only wish that kiln
was in my backyard.”

"I don't think I could be a brick
layer, and lay bricks day after day,
but i would enjoy building a house
with a brick base. There's some—
thing about the whole process which
is very rewarding, Pottery is that
way, too,” Commented Christiansen.

She does a lot more than just
throw pots 0n the wheel all day.
The Christiansens make their own
Wine and root beer. She is also
hooking rugs, and making downparr
kas and sleeping bags tor her Chile
dren.

She also look a senior life saving
class last spring, “It s nice to
push yourself physically until you’re
in shape I haven't been able to do
much physical activity this year
except bicycling with the kids as
round town, ” Chris’tlansen said
She said that She sometimes helps
her husband Correct papers and
the iamily does a lot of hiking
Tasha has been taking live mile
hikes {or a while now, They are
planning some backpacking expedh
tions during spring break this year,
Christiansen slaledi Most 01 their
hikes so far have been “easy one
day hikes " "Of course, we pause
tor M b M breaks, reading a book
breaks and looking at Wildlile
breaks, butwegetthere,"sheadded.

AS for the relation oi mathematics
to her lile, she said that math is
“just one or those things you dritt
into I liked it It was fun and one
ot those things that was easy tor
me."

She continued, “I enjoy math. It’s
like solving a puzzle. it's something
you do and then go lorget it. Ilike
doing pottery because it seems more
integrated with the rest oi my life
than math Is, It tits in a little more
with my liiestylo right now. Thekids
can be playing in clay while I’m
working. Maybe in a few years it
will be diiierent [or me.”

Christiansen said she likes having
her own studio and working in her
Spare time. She doesn’t know it this
is what she wants to stay with. "We
may not be here aiter this year,"
she said, She said that her husband
is getting no tenure Irom the college
”I don’t know that we'll do orwhere
we’ll go to. That’s one reasoniwant
to find out it I like doing pottery
parttimc so I can see what plans
to make," she said, ”I'd also like
to work with stained glass, but may
be alter we decide where we're going
to settle That’s not the klnd OI
stuff you want to haul around the
country, but then, or course, neither
is pottery.“

“Oops, I undercut this,” she said
as the walls of the pot she’d been
working on started to collapse.
“That’s one nlcethingaboutpottery,
it you don't like it, you can smash
it in,” she added, throwing the clay
ott the wheel into a discarded pile
of clay. “It lets Out some irusta-
tions and creates a few, too ”

“I like working with dryer clay,
This clay is beautiful. Whenever
I alter my techniques, the condition
01' the clay makes so much dill—
erence,” she said.

She concluded, “and it Iget tired
or one technique, llearnlhree more
There’s so much you can do, And
when you get tired or it, you can
always teach someone else "

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