Marfa’s
Upcoming
Artists
Story and photographs by
Ellie Meyer-Madrid
“T
hree, two, one” announces
ceramicist Mariah Williams.
An energetic group of sec-
ond grade students suddenly falls silent.
With 14 pairs of eyes intently focused
on her, Mariah holds up an orange-
sized ball of clay. “Today we are mak-
ing pinch pots with handles. What do
we do first?” Her question is answered
by a chorus of “Thumbs up.”
“Then what?”
“Thumbs down,” the enthusiastic
group replies.
4
Cenizo
The young artists are enrolled in the
Marfa Studio of Arts’ after-school pro-
gram that offers free arts enrichment
activities to Marfa’s elementary school-
children throughout the academic
year.
“This fall we have reached first,
second and third graders through
after- school programming,” states
Executive Director Ellie Meyer-
Madrid. “Pending funding, we will
have additional classes and workshops
available at other grade levels this
First Quarter 2015
coming spring.”
This year, the Marfa Studio of Arts’
ceramics program is special in that it is
offered to all third through sixth grade
students through the Studio in the
Elementary School program (known
more familiarly by its acronym,
SITES), as well as the second grade stu-
dents staying after school.
The expertise and commitment of
teaching artist Mariah Williams is a key
factor in ensuring the success of the
ceramics classes. Mariah has been
involved in making pottery since 2005,
when she took her first ceramics class at
Sul Ross State University in Alpine. “I
first fell in love with clay when I began
to throw on the potter’s wheel. This
new tool allowed me to produce func-
tional forms quickly, efficiently and
with an ability to maintain true preci-
sion.” That first course was followed
by many more.
In 2007, Mariah took a leave of
absence from
the studio in continued on page 26