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Pottery and the Joy it brings:
A Feel-Good Story.
By Jay F. Tosh, Jr.
Ashley Komara gets the feel of the wheel
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At first she was a little shy upon entering the pottery studio, but once Ashley Komara, 8, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, warmed to her environment; she was a continuous expression of joy as her hands touched the clay.
Ashley has Cerebral Palsy. Keeping Ashley stimulated with activities is a labor of love for Kristy Komara, Ashley's mother. She decided to allow her daughter to give pottery a try.
Ashley visits the pottery studio at Mars Hill College for therapy involving coordination between the brain and hands. Deborah Huff, Ashley's aunt and administrative assistant at the Campus Minister's Office, arranged with Art Instructor Jane Renfroe to let Ashley throw clay on the potter's wheel. ("Throw'' is a term used in pottery.)
Huff and Komara are sisters sharing the meaning of family bonding with the rest of the world. In a busy world, the strength of such a bond allows for the time that Ashley, and others like her, need to better make sense of each day. Ashley has been making pottery for nearly two years now, and shows wonderful improvement with each visit.
Ashley also rides horseback at the Mountin' Hopes Therapeutic Riding Program in North Carolina, as another of her activities.
Every six months, for six years, Ashley went back and forth to the Philadelphia Brain Institute for Children, her caring family learning all they could to best help her. The Institute specialists promote teaching how to compensate for the injured brain, suggesting activity that will stimulate motor coordination. The two hemispheres of her brain are not connected to one another. The specialists' say both sides will never connect, a condition rendering Ashley mentally delayed.
According to Huff, Ashley made "An immediate connection with Jane." Normally, the young girl's hands are clenched into tiny fists. Renfroe introduced Ashley to the clay by putting it into her hands and explaining that it came from the earth. "At first, it was hard to get her to open her hands,'' Huff said, " but once they touched the clay, they opened and relaxed."
Since her fingers are naturally tuned to the clay, and Ashley has created a veteran relationship at the potter's wheel, she has developed a unique mark that serves as her signature. She knows she is finished with the piece when she makes the mark with her finger.
While sitting at the wheel, Ashley is supported by a person who sits behind her. On the other side of the wheel, opposite Ashley, another person helps with her hands. Part of the therapy is how to use the hands, explains Renfroe.
For example, opening the clay (the beginning indentation in the center of the clay) is characteristically done with a person's thumbs, whereas Ashley opens the clay with her forefinger, explained Renfroe. "She responds well to external stimulation," Renfroe said.
In the years that Ashley has been throwing, Renfroe has noticed that the 8-year-old has become more comfortable with the tactile sense of clay. Although Ashley can't speak, she makes sounds when she is with the clay that resemble spurts of released happiness, like sudden tiny laughs mixed with sighs of relief from a work-weary angel.
Erik Johnson, a Mars Hill College freshman and gifted potter, has recently been Ashley's hand-guide while she is at the wheel. Since Ashley has been working with Erik she has learned to put one hand inside the pot as it spins. Erik beams with brotherly pride as he shares his talent. "I feel an opportunity to share my gift with someone who appreciates and is strengthened by it, and she is able to learn."
Renfroe comments on the relationships Ashley develops, not only with the clay, but also with people. Outside interest from Mars Hill College students is particularly exciting to see. She enjoys recognizing the connection Erik makes with Ashley and seeing the experiences they share.
All of those concerned for Ashley's welfare felt that development of her physical body was necessary for the exercise of the 'well' part of her brain. Seeing Ashley's progress, an excited Huff exclaimed, "Her control is more focused and centered when she's working with clay."
Said Renfroe, "There is much to learn from individual stories of people finding meaning and value in experiences, and that helps us discover who we are together as a community.'' After watching Ashley and Erik throw four splendid pots, its not difficult to understand why.
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