The Creation of the Emanuel AME Church Sculpture by John Aaron

“Emanuel AME Church: Tribute to the Emanuel Nine”

Glazed porcelain, mixed media 5’6” x 3’8” x 5” Created at the Thacher School, Ojai, CA 2017 under the Visiting Scholar Program

Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, SC

This porcelain sculpture is a portrait of the Emanuel AME Church; this gallery shows the step by step process of the creation of this memorial that pays tribute to the Church & the Emanuel 9.

How it begins...

Haji porcelain c/5. How it begins...

Tile study- Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, SC

This was the first study I did, a 7" x 6" porcelain tile. The finished work is very similar to this study.

Entrance to the Studio, Thacher School 2017

I learned how to weld in this workshop when I was in high school. Once a wood shop and industrial arts space, it spent its golden years as a ceramic studio before the building was razed in 2019 to build a Creative Arts and Technology Center.

Template drawing for Emanuel AME Church sculpture; 6'9" x 4'2"

This type of drawing, referred to during the Renaissance as a "Cartoon" is the map used to shape the wall relief this will turn into.

Initial Project Specs

Laying out the slabs of clay...

Creating the overall shape

The detailing begins...

More details...

The artist at work

The work is being created at the Ceramics Lab of the Thacher School. Photo: SD Hall

So much to do...

When the task becomes daunting...

No turning back...

Carving the doors...

More and more detail.

The sidewalk forms are fifteen fitted boxes

The care in the little things...

Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, SC

Google Maps image of Mother Emanuel AME Church on Calhoun St Charleston, South Carolina

Over 250 hours of work so far...

The names of the Emanuel 9. The first lettering study for the memorial.

Emanuel AME Church

This porcelain work is composed of more than 75 components that are fitted together on a plywood backing with archival industrial adhesive.

The historical marker for the Emanuel AME Church, Charleston

The historical marker that begins the story...

The rendering for the idea of the finished sculpture

Clay renderings of floral tributes

Signing of the piece

Floral tributes, final detailing before the application of the names.

Emanuel AME Church Sculpture: In drying mode.

Photo by Peggy LaCerra. Taken while the clay mural is drying.

Memorial tributes to the Emanuel 9, Emanuel AME Church, Charleston

The Emanuel 9. RIP.

Say their names. Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Rev. Depayne Middleton Doctor, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons, Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Myra Thompson

The Emanuel Nine

Clay ribbon renderings in tribute to the Emanuel 9

These ribbons were one of the most difficult parts of the piece.

As it dries, it shrinks and separates...

Getting it to dry evenly...

An elaborate puzzle.

Fully loaded kiln, ready to go...

The day this was to be fired, I arrived at campus early that Saturday Aug 5, turned the kiln on and left to let it slowly heat. Up during the course of the day. Late afternoon when I returned, expecting to see it at 600-700 degrees, it was off and floating around 150 degrees. I did not understand the problem when one of the local potters, Michael stopped in to tell me that the school was conducting a power study with their elaborate solar sytem, and the power would be OFF all day. They turned it off about a half hour after I had left that morning! It ultimately made firing the piece safer, as the art was thoroughly dried out from the extra drying time.

1900+ degrees F. in the kiln

A day later as it cools down...

The packed kiln took a day to cool down.

Describing the process of creating the relief and defining the different levels of relief.

Photo: Fred Drennan

Painted tributes before the clear overglaze is applied

Tributes with the clear overglaze.

The kiln is ready...its going to be a long night.

This is the second and final firing of the piece to bring out the final colors.

3:45 am PST

As I watched over the kiln, waiting for it to reach the temperature for the glazes to melt, it took much longer than expected. I would set my alarm every hour so that I didn't oversleep and could monitor the progress. Just before a quarter to four, I was sitting in the dark of the kiln room, staring into the fire, watching Hamilton's "The World's Turned Upside Down (Yorktown)" at the Tonys, when, at the end, they all raised their arms to their sides and belted out the word "Down" as they threw down their arms on the final note, the kiln sitter, at that moment, snapped down, shutting off the kiln... it was both chilling and inspiring.

Done. Cooling down took 36 hours.

I believe ceramics to be the artform most requiring of patience.

The plywood backing had been prepared, cut, shaped and sanded to receive the sculpture.

I use PL Premium construction adhesive to adhere the pieces to the wood. It is said to have a 99 year guarantee. It is fume free and allows for repositioning, unlike most other adhesives used for this sort of work.

Applying the adhesive...

Unbeknownst to me, my constant dedication to completing this work in the abbreviated time I was the Visiting Scholar caused my hands to erupt dermatologically from the relentless immersion in clay, handling the glazes and wood working; doing damage that took three years to repair & restore. I have learned to wear gloves and to no longer behave in a cavalier manner when it comes to material handling. Photo: Dr. Christopher Land

Finishing touches...photo by Dr. Christopher Land

Realized that in this photo, the left thumb was bandaged from the condition that developed from mishandling the specialized adhesive used to attach the sculpture to the plywood backing. The condition persisted despite several physicians’ assistance in treatments and medicines, both pharmaceutical and holistic. Infinitely better now. Always wear gloves when I work now. Thank you to Dr. Centeno for restoring my left hand to its former glory, albeit, fleeting.

Where I’m standing...

Where I’m standing as I finish this sculpture is the exact location where I learned to weld 50 years ago. My own studio was not equipped at the time to handle a piece of this scale. Thank you to Thacher for standing up for Creativity.

Study for the door...