The Central Coast may host its share of grape stomps, but Cuesta College is giving legs to a different stomp – the Clay Stomp.
“Essentially, we will be mixing 5,000 pounds of clay with our feet,” said Jarred Pfeiffer, Cuesta College’s recently hired ceramics instructor.
On Wednesday, September 25, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., the college’s ceramics program will host the first official Cuesta College Clay Stomp on its San Luis Obispo Campus. The stomp will take place on the grassy area between the Fine Arts building (building 7100) and cafeteria (building 5100) and is expected to include at least 100 participants, including students, faculty, staff and community members. The clay will be used in six ceramics classes over the course of the year.
“Students are accustomed to using pre-mixed, ready to use clay; they don’t realize the work that goes into clay preparation,” said Pfeiffer. “This activity will hopefully result in a new appreciation for the clay.”
For Pfeiffer, clay stomping has personal meaning; his father began clay stomps in Wisconsin in the 1970’s as an affordable and efficient manner of mixing clay. The elder Pfeiffer eventually trademarked the term, and today the activity continues to promote a sense of kinship among participants. As Pfeiffer puts it, clay stomping is simply fun.
“Art is supposed to be fun, and this is a great excuse to get together, get dirty and have a great time while doing something that will prove useful for the entire year in the ceramics program,” he said.
For more information, please contact Jarred Pfeiffer at [email protected].