The BirdProject is a very important cause to the Laguna Clay Company. The BP Oil Spill in the Gulf was devastating and we wanted to find a way to give back to the local community. The white ceramic birds inside the soaps are glazed with Laguna Clay Co. blue crackle glaze. We were proud and honored to donate this glaze to Tippy Tippen’s BirdProject. Please enjoy reading and learning about the BirdProject. As always, we would love to hear your thoughts and comments, as well as hear about your personal experiences.
The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster has destroyed and continues to destroy local culture, our environment, and our wildlife. Both the long-term after effects of this disaster and its ultimate reach are yet unknown. BirdProject’s mission is to raise and maintain public awareness of the Oil Spill and to help provide funding for Environmental Cleanup Initiatives and aid for affected wildlife.
BirdProject provides work to the area by teaming exclusively with local artists, suppliers, and manufacturers and building positive partnerships between a range of New Orleans communities. Working with community and education based Operation Reach helps highlight this important issue in the minds of teenagers as well as teaching new skills in both green technologies and entrepreneurial creativity.
BirdProject is manufacturing an exclusive edition of black, bird-shaped glycerin soaps. Each soap contains a white, ceramic bird, made from Louisiana Clay and Laguna Clay Co. glazes, which remains as a keepsake once the outer soap has been washed away. The use of Glycerin – a biodiesel by-product – helps bolster awareness of green energy initiatives while emphasizing smart usage of manufacturing waste.
Through the daily act of washing, you will eventually free the clean, white, ceramic birds inside – potent symbols of restoration and recovery. The soap is shaped to be cradled in your hand and is a powerful representation of all creatures affected by the spill.
The soaps are manufactured from natural, locally sourced ingredients: biodiesel glycerin from Operation Reach, fair trade olive oil, aloe, activated black charcoal, and a light cypress scent – reminiscent of Louisianan bayous.
BirdProject’s production model is highly scalable, enabling cost-effective runs for both local and national retail outlets. 30% of the retail price will be donated directly to the Gulf Restoration network and the IBRRC. Profits will provide funding for follow up products including raising funding/awareness for wetland restoration.
BirdProject is the launch product from, MATTER L3C, a new design company based in New Orleans. About MATTER: Eco-intelligence, creativity, and innovative philanthropy unite at MATTER L3C: an industrial design & consulting studio based in New Orleans, uniquely focused on raising awareness and funding initiatives that advance social change. A portion of all proceeds flow to causes that impact the health, happiness, and sustainability of our communities both locally and for our neighbors around the world. MATTER L3C helps to make the world a better place by creating products and collaborations that matter.
Since my relocation to New Orleans from Brooklyn, NY to help in oil spill cleanup I have had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer for Audubon. This day was amazing in the ability to see so many healthy pelicans in an oil-free natural, habitat and a massive thank you to Lexie Montgomery, the incredible Audubon Volunteer Coordinator and new friend.
“The symbolism of the soap extends beyond its shape. Intentionally black to represent oil, each bird washes away to reveal a white ceramic version inside. “The white ceramic bird represents hope, and is to remain as a symbol of progress and recovery,” Tippens tells Ecouterre. Intentionally black to represent oil, each one washes away to reveal a white ceramic version inside.”
“Symbolically, the soaps represent the washing of a bird whilst simultaneously linking that process to human activity as they wash themselves. A further function of the design is that it has helped raise awareness for a rescue operation at a time when many feel swamped by calls to give to worthy causes. Those trying to achieve similar goals, time to start thinking creatively!”
Objective:Use Laguna Paper Clay to create a collaborative classroom “Clan” Totem Pole, without firing in a kiln.
Presented By:David D. Gilbaugh, and Jennie Koons
Grade Levels: 3 & 4 (Adaptable K-12)
Background Information: The traditional use of Totem Poles is an ancient one held by many cultures around the world. Totems serve as a visual statement and record to commemorate and share the cultural history of a people. Totems come in four types including Crests, History, Legends, and Memorials. (Single lesson plan).
NOTE: Magic Water was mentioned in the CAEA Paper Clay Workshop.
Magic Water, product # IP238-G
Everyone needs some “magic” in their day. Laguna Clay makes Magic Water for the ease of those who do not have a full selection of raw materials in their studio. Use Magic Water to enhance clays ability to bond leather hard to dry clay pieces together and to create Magic mud to mend cracks in bone dry or bisque ware (a small addition of paper to regular clays will also aid in this process).
The City of Mission Viejo’s event, Arts Alive, elevated arts education to a new level while creating a sense of community on April 24, 2010. Janet C. Panozzo, Cha-Rie Tang, Melanie Yarak and I collaborated on a community mural that represents the annual intergenerational Spring Arts Festival. This is the third community mural to be posted along the creek trail, representing another amazing event held at the Oso Viejo Community Park on the Village Green. Everyone was welcome to use Laguna Clay Company’s Creatable Colors to glaze the cuerda seca tiles and bring them to life.
Focus on Art Technique and Art History
A key aspect at this event is to educate the community members on art technique and art history. Education boards, cuerda seca cards and architectural style color guides were important parts of enhancing the experience at our booth in the Ceramic Studio. Participants were invited to explore photos and explanations of the process we go through to create a mural in a day with the education boards. Beginning with a theme, research, and composition to the method of cuerda seca and silk screening the image, the community learned different aspects of design and production. The cuerda seca cards were a user friendly educational tool with the technique and vocabulary for glaze application on cuerda seca tiles. The color guides and plentiful supply of bottle applicators made the booth nearly self-sustainable. Community members thrived! If only we had more chairs…
Creating a Community Mural in One Day
The people who created this community mural ranged in age and experience. Some of the participants have already become skilled from working on the Artes de la Vida 2009 and Pacific Symphony murals. They were familiar with the cuerda seca technique (dry-line) and loved the 20 color palette of vibrant Creatable Colors glazes. For some, this was their first experience in creating the art form, and we were impressed at how so many people took such pride in the traditional work. The young through the elderly held concentration in glazing their tiles with care and newly learned skill. For many, the technique brought them right into the moment. The experience created this day is one to be remembered by many. We came together and created the Arts Alive 2010 mural that will be enjoyed for decades to come.
Creatable Colors Glazes
The products from Laguna Clay Company that made this community mural possible are the Creatable Colors underglazes and bottle applicators. Without these products, participation could be limited to only the highly skilled or well trained. The ease of use and forgiveness of error is what now makes community participation in public art a reality! We have used the Creatable Colors to formulate a palette of over seventy colors. The larger two ounce bottles are more flexible and easier to handle. The range of size in the needle-like applicators was changed depending on the size of the area to be glazed. This allowed for more precision by the participants. Even we discovered new possibilities with Creatable Colors through the creativity of the youth as they created extraordinary effects.
About Arts Alive 2010
The mural represents the Arts Alive 2010 festival so there are several forms of art represented including chalk art, still photography, movies/theater, painting with the Georgia O’Keefe flower and a Diego Rivera mural. Spanish Revival, Craftsman and Frank Lloyd Wright are types of architecture depicted in the mural. Transportation design is seen with the cars and airplanes. Product design is represented with the Green & Green glass lamp and ceramics with the Gladding-McBean cups. The theme of this year’s festival was the 1930’s and 1940’s, so on the left panel of the mural, we have represented what Mission Viejo may have looked like back then with the Saddleback Mountains, orange trees, agriculture and of course the cattle ranching. Surrounding the mural is a link that represents the four mile paper “Chain of Caring” that was touchingly linked together at the festival for Rachel’s Challenge. The four corners of the border include the city logos with a rose, oak leaf, brown bear and red-tailed hawk.
My dad, Joe Koons, ceramic mentor to many, was the inspiration behind these community murals. He had offered workshops like, “Mural in an Hour,” to arts educators and met Dru Maurer, Cultural Services Supervisor, at an arts education conference. He put our team of four artists together and consulted with us to create a series of community murals to enhance the city’s creek trail. In the process, something even more important has been created: a sense of community here in Mission Viejo. A short time after the mural’s completion, our team’s mentor passed away quietly and unexpectedly at home. We soon realized that when he passed away at 11:12 pm on May 4, our mural was in the kiln, transitioning from a fragile state into a material that will last forever. This loving thought caused us to add a line to the mural’s plaque, “Dedicated to Joe Koons at 865 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Ann’s travel experiences around Africa influenced these two workshops. The presentations included all types of realia, jewelry, a headdress, earrings, a pendant, gold, silver, doors, clothing, outfits, and material. We saw photos from Ann’s travels, as well as important how-to videos filmed in Africa. Literature resources were noted as well. Copies of the lessons plans were given to us on CD. Designs for the doors and the garments were given to us along with all of the needed materials for actually creating the art with our own two hands.
While working with Ann, I was able to create several different types of African art using clay. These are several different projects that can be applied depending on grade-level standards.
All Roads Lead to Timbuktu projects included several art forms, including:
1. We used a mold to press clay into and create a pendant of a leaf.
2. We rolled out a piece of clay and stamped the astrological symbols into it to create a tablet.
3. We cut out a shape from aluminum foil and then pressed it and placed it onto the cloth door.
All Roads Lead to Mud explained the art of using clay to create designs on cloth. We applied the mud in two ways: hand painting and stencil. The stencils were made using X-rays. One possible project as Ann showed participants is to use clay and create a puppet and then use this mud-on-cloth technique to create an African-influenced outfit.
Ceramics is a common language spoken around the world. This is why it didn’t surprise me when I walked into Terence Lee’s Hong Kong studio and they were using Laguna’s clay in a workshop. Terence was educated in California in the 1980’s and has been an important part of ceramics education at Hong Kong’s universities. Innovation brought him the idea of how to use the limited space in Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong’s art district, to wine and dine his clients.
A unique experience is offered to people where they can not only participate in a ceramics class and get their hands into clay, but they can also stay for dinner and entertainment. The gallery doubles as a dining area with each place setting uniquely designed by Terence. Interesting to us was that the place setting had two chop sticks, a black pair and a white pair. Why do you think that was? The food was spectacular…17 delicious courses were served, family style.
I highly recommend visiting Terence if you are ever in Hong Kong. He really made us feel at home, even in this metropolis. Until you can get there, visit his website at http//www.gitone.hk
The BirdProject is a very important cause to the Laguna Clay Company. The BP Oil Spill in the Gulf was devastating and we wanted to find a way to give back to the local community. The white ceramic birds inside the soaps are glazed with Laguna Clay Co. blue crackle glaze. We were proud and honored to donate this glaze to Tippy Tippen’s BirdProject. Please enjoy reading and learning about the BirdProject. As always, we would love to hear your thoughts and comments, as well as hear about your personal experiences.
BirdProject is manufacturing an exclusive edition of black, bird-shaped glycerin soaps. Each soap contains a white, ceramic bird, made from Louisiana Clay and Laguna Clay Co. glazes, which remains as a keepsake once the outer soap has been washed away. The use of Glycerin – a biodiesel by-product – helps bolster awareness of green energy initiatives while emphasizing smart usage of manufacturing waste.
The soaps are manufactured from natural, locally sourced ingredients: biodiesel glycerin from Operation Reach, fair trade olive oil, aloe, activated black charcoal, and a light cypress scent – reminiscent of Louisianan bayous.
BirdProject is the launch product from, MATTER L3C, a new design company based in New Orleans. About MATTER: Eco-intelligence, creativity, and innovative philanthropy unite at MATTER L3C: an industrial design & consulting studio based in New Orleans, uniquely focused on raising awareness and funding initiatives that advance social change. A portion of all proceeds flow to causes that impact the health, happiness, and sustainability of our communities both locally and for our neighbors around the world. MATTER L3C helps to make the world a better place by creating products and collaborations that matter.
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