On The Crust Of The Contemporary Craft Movement: Building a Wood Fired Pizza Oven at Vermont Academy
If you spend a lot of time on Vermont Academy’s campus, you know that our local pizza places make frequent deliveries to campus with stacks of pizza boxes and containers full of various appetizers and condiments. It’s fast, it’s seemingly simple, and it’s instantly gratifying. Dial the phone, place your order, wait, and consume. Sure, it’s great for the busy student who is finishing homework or wants a snack after a long sports practice. This being said, I feel that it lacks consideration and recognition of so many important and meaningful intricacies. There isn’t any acknowledgement to the details and effort that make this pizza arrive at your doorstep. There’s a disconnect between maker and consumer and source and product. I’m not sure if other people share these personal gripes of mine, and I highly doubt that your average high school student has qualms about the origin of their mozzarella sticks. Despite this, as a teacher of a craft-based class, part of my job is to bring these concepts to light and to provide an alternative value system for students to consider.
All of these aspects that are cut out or deceptively hidden from sight are what the backbone of the contemporary craft movement are based upon. Craft gains value through labor, engagement, and an interconnectedness with process. As we progress into the 21st century, systems continue to be streamlined and the distance between the commodities that we use and the products that we consume continues to grow. In an attempt to counteract this, movements such as Slow Food, Fair Trade, and Farm to Table have come to fruition. By introducing this alternative value system into the classroom, I am able to convey the importance of craftsmanship, awareness, and direct involvement. As students begin to slow down and consider their environment, the level of creativity and attention to detail immediately skyrockets. Not only does this improve the work the students are making, but it also enriches the overall process and the classroom’s atmosphere significantly.
It is from this perspective that the Vermont Academy Pizza Oven came to life. To begin, all ten students drew their own rendition of a wood fired pizza oven. They included dimensions, notes on the fabrication of the oven, and details on how it functions. After presenting their ideas to the class, we voted and picked a design, did some editing and reconfiguring, and came up with our finalized blueprint. From here, students were assigned individual tasks. Some pounded out a 30 inch wide, 1 inch thick circular clay slab for the base. Others rolled out four foot long coils and passed them along to the next team that connected and secured them into place. There were designated smoothers, a chimney maker, a “toppings team,” and someone in charge of building the arch. As the teacher, I wandered from station to station giving suggestions and making sure things flowed relatively smoothly. I won’t sugar coat it- it was absolute chaos, but it was incredible to see these ten students form a systematic assembly line that was capable of creating a 250 pound clay oven in roughly seven hours of class time.
After its completion, the Pizza Oven made its debut at VA’s Earth Day Celebration. Our very own Cheese Club and Bread Club provided fresh mozzarella and handmade dough. As the fire was tended and pizza toppings were carefully layered onto freshly tossed dough, the entire concept of this project became clear. Not only was the pizza delicious, but the experience that accompanied it was memorable- filled with laughter, appreciation, curiosity, and a sense of adventure.
Back
All of these aspects that are cut out or deceptively hidden from sight are what the backbone of the contemporary craft movement are based upon. Craft gains value through labor, engagement, and an interconnectedness with process. As we progress into the 21st century, systems continue to be streamlined and the distance between the commodities that we use and the products that we consume continues to grow. In an attempt to counteract this, movements such as Slow Food, Fair Trade, and Farm to Table have come to fruition. By introducing this alternative value system into the classroom, I am able to convey the importance of craftsmanship, awareness, and direct involvement. As students begin to slow down and consider their environment, the level of creativity and attention to detail immediately skyrockets. Not only does this improve the work the students are making, but it also enriches the overall process and the classroom’s atmosphere significantly.
It is from this perspective that the Vermont Academy Pizza Oven came to life. To begin, all ten students drew their own rendition of a wood fired pizza oven. They included dimensions, notes on the fabrication of the oven, and details on how it functions. After presenting their ideas to the class, we voted and picked a design, did some editing and reconfiguring, and came up with our finalized blueprint. From here, students were assigned individual tasks. Some pounded out a 30 inch wide, 1 inch thick circular clay slab for the base. Others rolled out four foot long coils and passed them along to the next team that connected and secured them into place. There were designated smoothers, a chimney maker, a “toppings team,” and someone in charge of building the arch. As the teacher, I wandered from station to station giving suggestions and making sure things flowed relatively smoothly. I won’t sugar coat it- it was absolute chaos, but it was incredible to see these ten students form a systematic assembly line that was capable of creating a 250 pound clay oven in roughly seven hours of class time.
After its completion, the Pizza Oven made its debut at VA’s Earth Day Celebration. Our very own Cheese Club and Bread Club provided fresh mozzarella and handmade dough. As the fire was tended and pizza toppings were carefully layered onto freshly tossed dough, the entire concept of this project became clear. Not only was the pizza delicious, but the experience that accompanied it was memorable- filled with laughter, appreciation, curiosity, and a sense of adventure.
Vermont Academy is a coed college preparatory boarding and day school in southern Vermont, serving grades 9-12 plus a postgraduate year.
