Art from the earth: Wild clay harvesting, processing and meaning-making

This article describes the development of an outdoor art therapy system of harvesting, processing and firing hand-collected clay direct from the earth. It centres on the author’s experience of offering wild clay art making to students on an alternative education farm. The wild clay project allowed students to explore themes of transformation, maturation and identity. Case vignettes are provided to illustrate the potential symbolism of students’ clay art. The student examples explore the potential unconscious processes that materialized through the wild clay process and how students were able to express their social identity through clay bead-work. For neurodivergent students, interpersonal relationships were enhanced through a shared experience of nature and clay. The note from the field contextualizes wild clay art through an archaeological and anthropological perspective. It also considers the therapeutic importance of a shared experience of creating with clay in nature for neurodivergent students.