In recognition of Youth Art Month, Baltimore City Public Schools’ Fine Arts Department continues to highlight student creativity and growth through the arts. While the arts are part of learning every day, spring brings a range of opportunities—from exhibits like 10X10: Reflections, curated by Arts Every Day, and FYI!: For Your Inspiration at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), to the Courting Art competition and City Schools’ own Fine Arts Month in May.
As part of an ongoing grant effort with the US-Japan Foundation, City Schools is expanding opportunities for students to engage with cultural and artistic traditions in Japan. This work recently connected with the Office of Wes Moore, which invited collaboration with City Schools’ design programs. At Japan-Maryland Night in Washington, D.C., the Governor’s Office presented Ambassador Shigeo Yamada with a handcrafted ceramic tea bowl, “chawan,” created by a City Schools student—an example of student artistry and the role of arts education in building global understanding.
The tea bowl was designed and formed by a Baltimore Design School middle school student, Fiona Parish, who participated in an after-school ceramics club. Under the guidance of art teacher Stephanie Cafaro-Edwards, students learned traditional hand building techniques and created functional wares that merge personal expression with cultural respect.
The featured bowl was selected for its craftsmanship, balance, and the artist’s thoughtful intention: a piece meant to embody calm, connection, and the beauty of handmade work.
“It felt great to know that somebody really appreciated my artwork enough to be a gift for the Ambassador,” Parish said. “It made me feel great about my skills. Although I wasn't happy with my bowl at the start of the process, at the end I think it looked really, really good.”
Cafaro-Edwards explained, “Creating the Japanese Tea Bowls was a wonderful experience for my Ceramics Club, particularly the 6th-grade students, because they were able to utilize and refine the coil and slab hand-building techniques that we learned last semester in Design Studio I class.”
As part of the learning experience, City Schools Fine Arts Specialist Jessica Chambers introduced students to Japanese calligraphy and the symbolism embedded in written characters. During a school visit, students practiced writing the kanji for “peace” using sumi ink and brush.
“Students were excited to learn about the history and technique from Ms. Chambers, who studied in Japan, and allowed the students to use her own ink and brushes,” Cafaro-Edwards said.
This enrichment helped students understand how ceramics and calligraphy often intersect in traditional Japanese arts and gave deeper meaning to the spirit behind the bowl.
"I really enjoyed the experience of learning how to make Japanese characters, the culture, and the history of Matcha bowls,” said sixth-grader Zya Hooker.
Some pieces from the class were on display during the FYI!: For Your Inspiration exhibit with additional pieces going on exhibit at the City Schools Joyce J. Scott Gallery Walk at our Central Office soon.
“Creating the bowls was really a fun experience and I got to learn how to do Japanese calligraphy,” said seventh-grade student Carrington Brown. “To see my art at the BMA really made my heart happy and made me feel special. I feel like a professional artist having my work in a real gallery.”
You can see some of them, along with other student work that was featured in the FYI!: For Your Inspiration Exhibit, on our website.
Created by City Schools with assistance from AI