National Art Gallery of Pakistan National Council of the Arts ( APP) will display a collection of rare items of pottery by Sheherezade Alam here on May 8. The show entitled ‘I am vessel, I am the vessel maker, I am the clay of the vessel’ will bring exquisite styles of clay pots with glazed outlook in vibrant colours. The collection has been presented with unique curves in the structure. The exhibition will be followed by a 2-week clay workshop to explore the art of pottery by Sheherezade Alam from May 7 to 14 with theoretical and practical sessions for the students and amateur artists entitled ‘Earth Fire Water Air: A Journey with Clay’. Sheherezade Alam made Pakistan’s first female studio potter in early 1970’s and established LAAL, an artists collective, whose mission is to bring cultural and heritage education to young children. According to her, the course is designed to take the participants into the exciting world of pottery. The students will be guided into the 9000 year old living legacy of clay, the Indus Valley Civilisation. The participants will learn to touch, sense and feel the four elements common to human and clay vessel with experience of 7 stages of pottery making through various techniques of hand building and the pottery wheel. The workshop will be an opportunity to explore the creative potential and artistic skills of youngsters with this ancient material. The participants will be given certificates and also exhibit their work at the National Art Gallery to share their creations. Talking to APP, Director General PNCA, Tauqeer Nasir said that PNCA focusses on cultural education of youth in all its programmes to inculcate cultural values among the young generation.
