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Apr 16, 2023

Ceramic totem pole sculptures reflect natural beauty of Plymouth

PLYMOUTH – Seniors from the Center for Active Living teamed with seniors and

PLYMOUTH – Seniors from the Center for Active Living teamed with seniors and juniors from neighboring Plymouth North High School to create the latest public art installation in town.

The collaborative project unveiled last week features four totem poles made up of more than 60 unique ceramics beads that celebrate the natural beauty of Plymouth.

Students in Lauren Jezierski's Art in the Community class spearheaded the project, running ceramic workshops for seniors at the Center for Active Living last fall. Starting with lumps of clay and a mission to craft something that reflects local nature, the students and seniors created dozens of elaborate hollow beads that were later piled on top of one another to create the totem poles.

The artists finally got to see their work when the assembled totems were installed outside the front steps of Town Hall Tuesday afternoon.

Amelia Healy Polastri, a senior at Plymouth North who created the frog topping one of the totem poles, had the honor of cutting a ribbon to open the exhibit.

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Many of the artists found inspiration in the town's coastal heritage. Several beads are sculpted in the shape of sea creatures including fish, crabs and snails. Others found their muse in the sky and sculpted birds to reflect the town's nature.

The installation marks the fourth year that students in Jezierski's class have contributed to public art projects in town. In past years, students in the class painted murals on walls at the local skate park and beneath bridges over Town Brook.

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It is the first collaboration between students in the class and seniors from the Center for Active Living, which is located right next to the high school.

Sue Lynch, one of the adult artists, helped Jezierski and her students lead the workshops. A former art teacher, Lynch crafted the bird that tops another of the poles. She said she and others from the Center for Active Living thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with students and look forward to continued collaborations with the school on different art projects.

The totem pole exhibit will remain on display outside of Town Hall into the fall. It will be moved indoors when the weather cools, as the beads cannot withstand extreme cold.