Welcome Totems Thumbnail

Welcome Totems

Students explored the theme of Alice in Wonderland, education, music and Ohlone’s environment by making clay pieces to embellish lamp posts.

Professor Katie Frank's Beginner - Advanced Ceramic Classes, Spring 2013 - present

Inspiration: Books, Ohlone College’s landscape, animals, musical instruments, books, altering scale as seen in the wonders of Alice in Wonderland

Class work: After visiting New Orleans Professor Katie Frank was inspired to utilize the lamp posts here at Ohlone. These projects began around 2013 when students would devise their own themes such as musical instruments, books, or something more abstract such as altering scale as seen here in the wonders of Alice in Wonderland. Students had fun making these and loved adding to the Ohlone environment.

Katie Frank

  • After visiting New Orleans I was inspired to utilize the lamp posts here at Ohlone. Our first semester of lamp post projects was in 2013 or 14 and students would come up with their own themes such as musical instruments, books, or something more abstract such as altering scale as seen in the wonders of Alice in Wonderland. The students had a lot of fun making these and loved adding to the Ohlone Environment. They were the impetus to do more projects like this and to think about a consistent theme.

Jeanne Bauer

  • Colorful Totems welcome you To administration, come on through Fish and birds and landscapes true With imaginative visions too Art in heart, from a student's view.

Nesa Wilson

  • Tim Burton’s movie ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was the inspiration for this totem. I fell in love with the characters in the movie and expressed it through this totem. I made the stacked wonky, organic cups with the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter’s hat, and the connector piece with the white rabbit surrounded by the Mad Hatter’s quotes. My peers went along with the theme and added more. I must have been thinking like the Mad Hatter or was adventurous like Alice to take on such a crazy project in a short time frame but the end-result was worth it. Letting go of my project and sharing it as public art was hard but has been rewarding in the long run. Hope this art brought you a smile today. Thanks for stopping by!

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