Raising Funds for Art Scholarship – Wanna Help?

I’ll be leading a weekend workshop at Barro Sur clay studio in Todos Santos, Baja Sur in November and I want to open a few spots in my class to some aspiring local artists who might not be able to pay for the class themselves.

Want to help me raise funds for them?

I’d love to raise $400 to cover two spaces in my workshop – this will cover the workshop fees and materials each artist would need to participate. If you’d like to help, you can donate any amount via the online shop here.

Thanks so much for sharing the gift of art with others!


Barro Sur is a full service ceramic studio with hand building and wheel throwing community clay classes in Todos Santos, Baja Sur, Mexico. You can follow them on IG to find out more.

Giving Tuesday!

Giving Tuesday | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureSome of you know that I’ve spent quite a bit of time in post-earthquake Haiti. I’ve collaborated with artists there, brought supplies, like books, solar lights, laptops and art materials to kids in orphanages and schools and I also helped raise funds to purchase 60 goats for a rural community’s livestock program. I have strong friendships from these projects and a deep admiration for those who are still there helping make the country a better place.

Locally, I’ve partnered with the Homeless Garden Project and local schools to help give art supplies and create small community projects that beautify a space or give someone an experience they might not otherwise have. I believe that art has the power to create change and it is my obligation to share my creative talent with others. You can read more about my philanthropic projects here.

A lot of the way that I’ve made these projects happen is through the sale of my ceramic Art Hearts. These sweet little hearts are fun for me to make and give me a break from the seriousness of my sculptures and installations. They are loved by everyone who receives one and each sale makes it possible for me make projects like these happen.

So if you believe in giving on Giving Tuesday, please consider purchasing an Art Heart or two in my online shop or making a donation to your favorite non-profit. If you want to donate to a Haitian organization, I can recommend Haiti Communitere, Ti Kay and Keep Winter’s School Open without hesitation- all of your donations will go directly to support the Haitian communities these groups serve.

Thanks for sharing the love this holiday season!

New Art Hearts Coming Soon!

Here’s a sneak peek at the newest styles of Art Hearts coming to the online shop very soon!

In the meantime, you can still purchase other style hearts in both ornaments and stems, but stock is running low on these styles, so be sure to order soon. And remember that a portion of all Art Heart sales benefit philanthropic art projects, read more here…

New Art Hearts Coming Soon! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureGot a retail shop? Wholesale accounts are welcome, contact Jenni for details…

Need a Gift?

Need a Gift? | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Ceramic Art Hearts are the perfect gift for the loves in your life! Tying up a bouquet of flowers with an art heart on a stem makes a great housewarming gift that they can keep forever. And a portion of all art heart sales are donated to philanthropic art projects locally and abroad.

To order your hearts today:

SHOP NOW

Own a retail store and want start a wholesale account?

Contact Jenni for details…

New Art Hearts Up In The Shop!

Ceramic art hearts are the perfect gift for the loves in your life. Each one is hand-made and uniquely designed by sculptor Jenni Ward. They are available on metal stems to add to a plant or bouquet of flowers or as ornaments with twine loops that can slip over a wine bottle for an easy housewarming gift. Seasonal styles are now available in the online shop and are available for wholesale accounts. Check out the Summer 2016 styles…New Art Hearts Up In The Shop! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Choose from any of our summer 2016 styles when you order:

Wings: Bright red heart with white wings
Seahorses: Turquoise heart with dark seahorse imprint
Coral: Chartreuse toned heart with dark coral imprint
Bubbles: Earth toned heart with bright blue bubble designs
Polka Dots: Brightly colored heart with white dots
SHOP NOW…
A portion of all art heart sales benefit philanthropic arts projects!
NEW! Wholesale accounts welcome, contact Jenni for details!

Art Heart Reminder!

I will have a slew of art hearts available for sale at the Spring Studio Sale  but you don’t have to wait that long to get some art hearts for your loves! Order a bouquet of hearts or heart ornaments from our online shop today!

Art Heart Reminder | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Each heart is individually designed, I will select a style or a bouquet of styles for you when you order. Special requests or color preferences are always welcome but they may take longer to ship depending on our stock. A portion of all art hearts sales benefit philanthropic arts projects, click the link to learn more and thank you for your support!

Clay in the Classroom

One of my students requests a bag of clay from me each year to use in her 3rd grade classroom in an under-served community for a chance to experience clay. Most of these students have never touched clay before. She shows them videos, gives them basic instructions on attaching pieces and the thickness requirements and then lets them get to work creating. This year I got a handwritten thank you note from each student, the general correspondence goes something like this:

Dear Jenni Ward,
Thank you for donating clay to our class. The clay felt squishy. I made a pot. I painted my art red, blue, purple and black. What I liked most was how the clay felt. I am going to give my art to my mom and dad.
Sincerely,
Student

These notes are so adorable and heartwarming but my favorite part is that they drew pictures on the back of them making their pieces or of me or of what they thought my studio and kiln looked like even though we haven’t met and they haven’t been to my studio. I love that an experience so small but so special can bring out so much creativity in each student. Clay donations are funded by the sale of Art Hearts which support philanthropic art projects locally and abroad. Enjoy their drawings…

Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | the dirt | clay in the classroom Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | the dirt | clay in the classroom Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | the dirt | clay in the classroom Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | the dirt | clay in the classroom Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | the dirt | clay in the classroomJenni Ward ceramic sculpture | the dirt | clay in the classroom

 

Art Hearts for your Loves

Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | the dirt | feeling the loveYou really don’t need to wait for Valentine’s Day to give an Art Heart to the ones that you love! But February 14th is just around the corner and ceramic art hearts are the perfect gift for the loves in your life.

Each one is hand-made and uniquely designed by sculptor Jenni Ward and available as an ornament or on a stick. As each heart is individually designed, we will select a style or a bouquet of styles for you when you order. Special requests or color preferences are always welcome but they may take longer to ship depending on our stock.

A portion of all art hearts sales benefit philanthropic arts projects, click the link to learn more and thank you for your support!

Do you feel the love?

Giving Back: A school in Port-au-Prince

Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | projects | HaitiI have been helping with philanthropic projects in Haiti for many years now and have made 6 trips there since the earthquake in January 2010. I have met incredible people, doing incredible things to help the Haitians thrive but one of the most amazing people I have met there is a man named Winter.  He lives in the middle of one of the poorest neighborhoods in Port-Au-Prince and has been working tirelessly for years to provide a free school for the children who live there. He is a firm believer that education is still the best way to improve someone’s lot in life. It has been an honor to know him, visit his school and donate supplies whenever I can.

Winter’s school, named Rajepre, has grown enough over the past few years to now require nine teachers, all of whom have been working for free ever since they began. Not surprisingly, the teachers are not certain they can continue this for one more year, and the school will have to close if they leave for paying jobs. Winter would like to pay each teacher $120 for one month’s work, so it will take $3240 to keep the school running for the rest of this year. (A new plan will be considered for next year.)

My friend Kathy Barbro has organized a Go Fund Me page to Keep Winter’s School Open, please consider donating to this drive as every dollar has the potential to be life changing for a child in Haiti. Thank you for supporting education in Haiti!