WOMAN: THERE'S SO MUCH INVOLVED IN WORKING WITH CLAY ON SO MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS THAT I FIND IT TOTALLY FASCINATING.

WHEN YOU'RE THROWING, IF YOU'RE REALLY INTO IT, YOU CAN LOSE YOURSELF COMPLETELY, BUT IT ALSO CENTERS YOU INTELLECTUALLY AND EMOTIONALLY SO THAT YOU ARE TOTALLY ONE WITH THE CLAY.

A LADY WHO CAME AND STOOD IN FRONT OF ME AND SAID, "YOU KNOW, I'M NOT REALLY ARTISTIC," AND I LOOKED AT HER AND SAID, "YES, YOU ARE ARTISTIC.

YOU JUST DON'T KNOW IT, YOU HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED IT.

COME AND FEEL A PIECE OF CLAY IN YOUR HANDS AND MOVE IT AROUND AND SEE WHAT THAT DOES.

I THINK YOU MAY CHANGE YOUR MIND."

ANNOUNCER: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS & CULTURE, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, AND THE FRIEDA BERLINSKI FOUNDATION.

STERN: CLAY LITERALLY COMES FROM THE GROUND, AND YOU COULD GO TO THE CREEK BED AND DIG IT OUT YOURSELF.

HULL: YOU'VE GOT MUD IN YOUR HANDS.

YOU'VE GOT THE EARTH IN YOUR HANDS.

THE WHOLE IDEA OF CENTERING IS PARAMOUNT TO CERAMICS.

YOU HAVE THE CLAY THERE.

IT HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN, SO YOU NEED TO COLLABORATE WITH IT.

KAJER: CENTERING IS THE ACT OF TAKING THIS WEIRD BALL OF CLAY AND MAKING IT ONE WITH THIS SPINNING DISC THAT IS THE WHEEL.

AND THAT IS A PROCESS OF RAISING THE CLAY AND THEN PUSHING IT BACK DOWN AND BRINGING IT UP AND PUSHING IT DOWN UNTIL YOU FEEL THAT EVERYTHING IS MOVING AT THE SAME RATE, AT THE SAME PACE, AND IS OF A ONE.

HELEN JEAN TAYLOR: WHEN YOU'RE CENTERING THE CLAY, YOUR WHOLE BODY GOES INTO IT.

HULL: YOU'RE PUSHING DOWN, YOU'RE PUSHING ON THE SIDE.

YOU'RE BALANCING THE WHOLE THING.

SO IT CREATES A BALANCE WITHIN YOUR BODY.

KAJER: YOUR FOCUS MUST BE ON WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN FRONT OF YOU BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOU REALLY WILL BE COURTING DISASTER.

COOPER: IT'S METICULOUS.

IT'S NOT EASY TO GET SOMETHING TO STAND UPRIGHT WHEN IT DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO.

IT'S REALLY A FORM OF FOCUSING.

IT REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING THAT JEAN SAID TO ME WHEN I WAS HAVING A FRUSTRATING DAY.

"I JUST CAN'T CENTER!"

AND JEAN WOULD SAY, "WELL, YEAH, THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT CENTERED, LAURA."

FOR HER, THAT IF I CAN'T GET THE CLAY CENTERED, IT'S BECAUSE I'M NOT CENTERED, RIGHT?

SO WHAT DO I NEED TO INTERNALLY ADJUST IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THAT PLACE?

WHEN I GET TO THAT PERFECT LUMP OF CLAY AND MY HANDS AREN'T MOVING BUT IT'S SPINNING AROUND, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, I AM AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE IN STILLNESS WITH MOVEMENT ALL AROUND ME, I DON'T EVEN NEED TO THROW A BOWL.

IT'S JUST ABOUT THAT.

IT'S A PHYSICAL PLACE THAT THEN IS NOT ONLY INSIDE OF YOU, BUT IT'S ALSO IN YOUR MATERIAL.

HELEN JEAN TAYLOR: WE MOVED TO WINDYRIDGE WHEN I WAS 9 MONTHS OLD.

MY GRANDFATHER, WHO ACTUALLY BUILT THE HOUSE FOR US, HE CAME TO LIVE WITH US.

BEING AN ONLY CHILD, I WAS INCREDIBLY LONELY.

I SPENT A LOT OF TIME BEING RATHER ILL. AND, IN FACT, I MISSED A WHOLE YEAR OF SCHOOL TO RECUPERATE WITH MY MOTHER.

I LIVED ENTIRELY IN MY IMAGINATION.

MY MOTHER HAD BEEN TRAINED AS A HORTICULTURIST AND AGRICULTURALIST.

SHE WAS A INCREDIBLE GARDENER.

WHILE SHE HAD A THOUSAND HEAD OF CHICKEN AND DUCKS-- A TREMENDOUS NUMBER-- BUT MY MOTHER'S ANOTHER STORY.

I WAS LEFT TO WANDER 4 1/2 ACRES FULL OF 32 VARIETIES OF HEATHER.

THE HEATHER WAS SO TALL THAT WHEN I WAS SMALL, YOU COULDN'T SEE ME.

HUGE AZALEA BEDS WITH EVERY COLOR OF AZALEA.

WENT DOWN A HILL, A THOUSAND HEAD OF DAFFODILS.

AND THEY WOULD BE ALL COLORS-- JUST YELLOW AND WHITE AND JUST FABULOUS.

AND THEY HAD THE MOST AMAZING AROMA.

AND SOMETIMES TODAY, I CAN CLOSE MY EYES AND I CAN FEEL THE EARLY-MORNING DEW AND ALSO THE SMELL OF THESE INCREDIBLE LITTLE FLOWERS.

I WOULD PLAY UP THERE.

IN THE WINTERTIME WHEN THERE WAS SNOW EVERYWHERE, I WOULD SEE JACK FROST ON THE WINDOWS.

I COULDN'T WALK IN THE GARDEN AND PLAY, BUT IN THAT, I'D SPEND MY TIME MOSTLY PAINTING.

WHEN I LOOK BACK ON IT NOW, THE EXPERIENCE WITH THE COLORS OF NATURE, WHICH I BECAME PASSIONATELY FOND OF, MY INTEREST IN COLOR GREW.

MY MOTHER WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN, AND FROM MY EARLIEST YEARS, SHE WOULD TEACH ME ABOUT COLOR.

SHE LOVED THE EARLY FRENCH TAPESTRIES, AND THOSE COLORS ARE VERY MUTED AND SO DEEPLY EMOTIONAL THAT I INHERITED ALL OF THAT.

AND WITHOUT REALIZING IT, IT BECAME PART OF MY OWN GLAZING TECHNIQUE.

WHEN I THINK ABOUT MY GLAZING ON POTTERY, THE BASIS OF THAT COLOR WAS REALLY WHAT I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE AS A CHILD PAINTING.

I WAS ABLE TO MARRY COLORS TOGETHER THAT OTHER PEOPLE DIDN'T THINK OF.

STERN: HER CERAMIC WORK IS SO PAINTERLY, AND IT GOES BEYOND THE VESSEL.

YOU KNOW, SHE FOCUSES ON VESSELS, MAKING THESE BEAUTIFUL PLATTERS AND CUPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT REALLY WHAT'S SO MAGICAL IS THAT IDEA OF PAINTING ON THE SURFACE AND USING GLAZES AS A WAY TO EXPRESS HERSELF.

COOPER: WHEN I MET JEAN, IT WAS REALLY CLEAR TO ME THAT SHE WAS AN ARTIST, THAT SHE WAS A PAINTER, AND THAT SHE WAS A PAINTER WHO HAPPENED TO BE WORKING IN CERAMICS.

AND THAT KIND OF CONFOUNDS WHAT SOMETIMES ARE THE BOXES WE GET PUT INTO.

SHE'S IN THE ART CATEGORY, BUT SHE'S ALSO REALLY PLEASANTLY BLURRING ALL OF THOSE BOUNDARIES.

CLAY COMES OUT OF THE EARTH, AND IT HAS ITS OWN NATURE.

THIS IS WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT.

IT'S NEVER JUST HOW DO YOU IMPOSE YOUR WILL ON IT.

IT HAS A WILL, AND YOU HAVE A WILL, RIGHT?

AND SOMEHOW YOU HAVE TO SORT OF COME TOGETHER TO A PLACE WHERE SOMETHING HAPPENS.

THEN IF YOU'RE PAINTING AND YOU'RE GLAZING, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF SORT OF SURPRISES AND ALCHEMY THAT ARE GOING TO COME OUT OF IT.

AND THEN THAT'S THE NATURE OF IT.

THE NATURE OF THE MATERIALS THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH AND THE IDEA OF NATURE IN A PICTORIAL KIND OF WAY, THEY'RE COMING TOGETHER IN JEAN'S WORK.

JEAN TAYLOR: WE MOVED IN HERE, 1969.

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, I HAD A BACKYARD.

WHEN WE TOOK IT OVER, IT WAS NOTHING BUT FRUIT TREES AND GRASS.

MY GRANDSON JULIO DID SOME DRAWINGS OF AN IDEA OF WHAT WE WANTED AND HELPED US DESIGN AND MAKE THE GARDEN JUST FABULOUS.

HULL: GINA'S A GARDENER AT HEART.

SHE GREW UP WITH GARDENS, HER MOTHER WAS A HUGE GARDENER, AND SHE'S FOUND INSPIRATION IN THAT.

I THINK THAT BRINGS HER COLOR IDEAS, IT CONNECTS HER TO THAT INNER PART OF HERSELF.

SHE'S ALWAYS BROUGHT THAT OUT.

I WENT TO SEE HER THE OTHER DAY.

AND THE FIRST THING SHE SAID WAS YOU HAVE TO GO TAKE A TRIP AROUND THE GARDEN.

YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE ZUCCHINI.

YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE PALOVERDE IS BLOOMING.

KAJER: SHE'S BECOME A CALIFORNIAN.

MAYBE SHE CAN'T HAVE THE FORMAL ENGLISH GARDEN OF HER YOUTH, BUT SHE HAS A CALIFORNIA VERSION OF IT.

SHE'S THAT WAY.

SHE CAN TURN IT INTO SOMETHING THAT STILL FEELS HERS AND REMINISCENT OF THOSE THINGS THAT SHE SHARED WITH HER MOTHER WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD.

BUT SHE'S DONE IT HERE IN CALIFORNIA.

JEAN TAYLOR: WHEN I USED TO THROW HERE AT HOME, SITTING IN MY GARAGE WHERE I HAVE MY TINY CORNER STUDIO AND WOULD LOOK DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, SEE BOUGAINVILLEA AND BRANCHES OF TREES, IT'S EASY TO SIT THERE FOR HOURS AND THROW.

IT'S LIKE A MEDITATION.

IN JULY 1939, WE CELEBRATED MY PARENTS' WEDDING ANNIVERSARY WITH PHEASANT AND PEAS AND CHAMPAGNE.

I WAS 12.

ON SEPTEMBER 3, 1939, WE LISTENED TO CHAMBERLAIN DECLARING WAR ON GERMANY.

NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN: THIS MORNING, THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR IN BERLIN HANDED THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT A FINAL NOTE--A STATE OF WAR WOULD EXIST BETWEEN US... TAYLOR: AND MY FATHER, WHO HAD BEEN IN THE FIRST WAR, I CAN REMEMBER HIS BITTERNESS TO BE FIGHTING TWO WARS IN HIS LIFETIME.

AND MY FATHER STARTED THAT VERY DAY WHEN WE GOT HOME TO BUILD THE AIR-RAID SHELTER.

[APPLAUSE] TAYLOR: WE WERE WALKING, AND WE SAW THIS HUGE CROWD GATHERING, SO WE CAME AND JOINED THE CROWD.

AND JUST AS WE DID, CHURCHILL DROVE UP... WINSTON CHURCHILL: THIS WILL BE NO VINDICTIVE TRIUMPH... TAYLOR: AND HE STOOD UP IN THE CAR TO TALK TO THE CROWD.

IT'S QUITE AN EXPERIENCE SEEING HIM AND HEARING THAT FAMOUS VOICE.

CHURCHILL: AND NEVER SHALL WE FAIL IN EXERTION AND RESOLVE.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE] IT HAPPENED TO BE MY FATHER'S BIRTHDAY.

WE HEARD THE BOMBERS COMING.

AND MY FATHER WENT OUTSIDE TO LOOK, AND THERE WERE ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS GOING OFF.

AND HE CAME IN AND SAID, "JEAN, YOU HAVE TO COME SEE THIS."

AND I'LL NEVER FORGET IT.

500 PLANES AND THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS POPPING OFF ENDLESSLY.

[EXPLOSIONS] THE WHOLE OF THE SKY OVER LONDON WAS BLOOD RED.

[AIR-RAID SIREN] AND HE SAID, "THIS IS HITLER'S PRESENT TO ME."

AND I WAS LYING ON MY BED.

AND I HEARD THIS WEIRD SOUND.

AND I PUSHED THE CURTAIN BACK WITH MY FINGER, AND THERE COMING STRAIGHT TOWARDS ME WAS THIS GIGANTIC V-1 ROCKET WITH FLAMES COMING OUT THE BACK AND THE SOUND I HEARD, OF COURSE, WAS THE SOUND OF IT GOING THROUGH THE AIR.

[IMITATES BUZZING] THAT LANDED JUST DOWN THE STREET ON A BLOCK OF FLATS.

IT WAS HORRENDOUS.

THEN SOME DAYS LATER, MY MOTHER AND I WERE TAKEN UP TO LONDON TO DO SOME SHOPPING.

AS WE DROVE, THERE WERE GREAT WATER PIPES FROM THE FIRE ENGINES CRISS-CROSSING THE ROADS, AND PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN BOMBED OUT JUST STANDING AROUND HELPLESSLY.

IT WAS A HORRIBLE SIGHT.

BUT IN A WAY, I'M GLAD I SAW IT BECAUSE YOU NEED TO SEE SCENES LIKE THAT.

WHEN YOU THINK OF THE PEOPLE TODAY IN PLACES LIKE SYRIA, YOU KNOW THE HORROR THEY ARE GOING THROUGH.

AND MORE PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO EXPERIENCE WAR.

AND YOU REALIZE THAT IT'S NOT A WAY OF LIFE.

I NEVER WENT TO A CONCERT, NEVER WENT TO THE THEATER.

NO CONCERTS, NO THEATER, NO MUSEUMS.

NOTHING.

MY FATHER WAS GETTING VERY ANNOYED THAT I WASN'T DOING ANYTHING.

I LEFT SCHOOL, AGED 18.

I WAS FREE TO GO TO COLLEGE.

I WAS IN LOVE WITH THE THEATER.

SO THAT'S WHY I WENT TO THE GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DRAMA.

I HAD STAGE-MANAGED 2 OPERAS WHILE I WAS AT GUILDHALL.

APPLYING TO REPERTORY COMPANIES SEEMED TO ME THE BEST THING TO TRY.

ALL THE ARMY PEOPLE WERE COMING BACK, AND ALL THE REP COMPANIES WERE FORMED WHEN I JUST HAPPENED TO HEAR A RADIO PROGRAM.

WOMAN: ...BRITISH RADIO... TAYLOR: THEY WERE INTERVIEWING PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF THE BBC.

THEY WERE TALKING TO PROGRAM ENGINEERS.

SO I THOUGHT, "HMM, THAT'S LIKE STAGE MANAGING.

I COULD DO THAT."

THAT'S HOW I GOT MY JOB AT THE BBC.

MAN: ...IN STORE FOR YOU FOR THE NEXT HALF AN HOUR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

TAYLOR: I WANTED TO GET OUT THERE AND FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON.

AND WHEN I REALIZED WHAT WAS OUT THERE, OH, MY GOODNESS.

I HAD A BALL.

I HAD MET JIM AT CHRISTMAS 1955 IN AUSTRIA.

WE WERE BOTH INTENSE NATURE LOVERS.

JIM WANTED TO GO ON A CYCLE TRIP ALL ROUND ENGLAND, AND I SAID TO HIM, "IF MY PARENTS KNOW THAT I'M GOING ON A TRIP, AN UNMARRIED WOMAN WITH A YOUNG MAN, THEY WILL HAVE A FIT."

SO HE SAID, "WELL, HOW ABOUT IF WE GOT ENGAGED?"

THAT WAS ALL RIGHT BY ME.

ENDED UP 500 MILES OF CYCLING, AND HERE I WAS A LITTLE OUT OF SHAPE.

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE HAD A TERRIFIC TRIP.

WE SPENT THE NEXT THREE YEARS IN CAÑADA.

KARYN WAS BORN A YEAR LATER.

THEN THEY OFFERED JIM A JOB AS A TRADE COUNSELOR FOR THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT.

IN JUNE, HE CALLED ME AND HE SAID, "GUESS WHAT.

WE'RE GOING TO JOHANNESBURG."

WE SPENT THE NEXT 3 1/2 YEARS IN JOHANNESBURG.

JEANINE HAD BEEN BORN.

SHE WAS REALLY TINY.

APARTHEID WAS IN ABSOLUTE FULL BORE.

A MAID I HAD AT THAT TIME WAS DISCUSSING WITH ME THEIR TERRIBLE POLITICAL SITUATION.

AND SHE TURNED TO ME.

SHE SAID, "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO DO, MA'AM?"

AND I SAID, "WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT," AND SHE LOOKED AT ME IN HORROR.

SHE SAID, "MA'AM, WHAT WOULD I DO THAT FOR?

I DON'T OWN MY OWN HOUSE.

I DON'T OWN MY OWN LAND."

SHE SAID, "ALL I OWN IS THE CLOTHES I STAND UP IN."

AND THAT WAS THE STATE OF DESPERATION.

I HAD BEEN ATTENDING THE COLLEGE IN JOHANNESBURG, DOING CERAMICS WITH A MOST FABULOUS TEACHER.

HE WAS BRITISH, FROM STOKE-ON-TRENT, WHICH IS THE BIG POTTERY TOWN AREA, AND HE WAS A CHEMICAL ENGINEER BY PROFESSION.

HE HAD THE MOST FANTASTIC GLAZES.

HE NEVER LECTURED.

HE HAD A CONVERSATION.

I COULD HEAR HIM IN MY EAR ALL THE TIME WHEN I WAS TEACHING.

HULL: JEAN COMES OUT OF THAT WHOLE TRADITION OF STUDIO POTTERY.

STERN: A STUDIO ARTIST IS SOMEBODY WHO'S TAKING THOSE MEDIUMS AND USING THEM TO CREATE ONE-OF-A-KIND OR, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A SERIES OF ARTWORK.

THEY'RE DOING IT IN A KIND OF PERSONALIZED ENVIRONMENT, SO THEY'RE NOT IN AN INDUSTRIAL SETTING.

YOU KNOW, THEY COULD BE IN THEIR STUDIO.

HULL: STUDIO POTTERY COMES OUT OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT WHERE THERE WAS HAND PUT BACK INTO THE CRAFT, WHICH WAS A REACTION TO THE INDUSTRIAL AGE WHERE CERAMICS WAS JUST MANUFACTURED BY MACHINE.

STUDIO POTTERY WAS DEVELOPED BY BERNARD LEACH.

HE WAS IN JAPAN STUDYING AND WORKING AND WAS KIND OF INFUSED WITH THE JAPANESE WAY OF WORKING WITH CLAY.

SHOJI HAMADA, A JAPANESE CERAMIST, HELPED LEACH START HIS POTTERY IN ST. IVES.

A STUDIO POTTERY MEANS EVERYTHING'S DONE BY THE SAME HAND.

SO IT'S ONE PERSON MIXING THE CLAY, MAKING THE GLAZES, MAKING THE POTTERY, FIRING THE KILN.

YOU DO IT ALL, AND IT BROUGHT IT INTO A SINGULAR STUDIO.

STERN: YOU KNOW, YOU'RE WORKING IN THIS STUDIO ENVIRONMENT THAT YOU'RE CONTROLLING, AND YOU'RE KIND OF WRITING YOUR OWN CHAPTER IN HOW YOU'RE USING THIS MATERIAL.

CERAMICS WAS A HUGE PART OF THAT BECAUSE CERAMICS IS A MATERIAL THAT EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT.

EVERYONE USES IT IN THEIR HOUSE.

HULL: THERE WAS A SHOJI HAMADA SHOW AT USC.

JEAN WAS VERY INFLUENCED BY THAT.

BUT I THINK THE THING THAT, REALLY, SHE LOVED ABOUT IT WAS THE SIMPLICITY OF IT.

IT WASN'T TRYING TO BE ANYTHING ELSE, IT WASN'T TRYING TO BE MORE THAN WHAT IT WAS.

JEAN TAYLOR: WE LEFT SOUTH AFRICA IN 1963.

MY HUSBAND AND I HAD COME TO LOS ANGELES.

THE ARRANGEMENT WAS THAT I WOULD JOIN HIM BACK IN OTTAWA AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, BUT SOMETIME AFTER HE LEFT, I HEARD THAT HE HAD TAKEN HIS SECRETARY WITH HIM.

AND SO I REALIZED THAT OUR MARRIAGE HAD COME TO A CONCLUSION.

I WAS LEFT HERE WITH THE GIRLS, WHO WERE AT THAT TIME EIGHT AND FIVE, VERY YOUNG.

HULL: WHAT SHE WENT THROUGH AFTER THE DIVORCE WAS VERY DIFFICULT.

SHE HAD TWO CHILDREN TO SUPPORT, NO JOB REALLY.

TAYLOR: PSYCHOLOGICALLY HAVING TO DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT MY MARRIAGE HAD NOT BEEN WHAT IT HAD BEEN, I HAD TO PULL MYSELF OUT OF THAT STATE, WHICH WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.

WHEN I HAD TO DECIDE WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO, CERAMICS SEEMED TO ME THE THING THAT MOST APPEALED TO ME.

IT WAS JUST A QUESTION OF FINDING A JOB.

I STARTED TO TEACH AT THE LA CAÑADA YOUTH HOUSE.

WHEN I TOOK OVER THE STUDIO, I HAD TO LITERALLY START FROM SCRATCH.

IT WAS A HUGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME.

I HAD VERY FEW STUDENTS TO BEGIN WITH.

THERE WERE ONLY FIVE WHEELS, AND THEY WERE ALL VERY, VERY OLD.

THE TEACHER WHO WAS OUTGOING, SHE SAID, "I HOPE YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT GLAZES THAN WE DO.

WE'RE KIND OF WORKING IN THE DARK."

I HAD TRIED TEACHING IN LONDON.

IT WAS A DISASTER, BUT NOT GIVING THAT A THOUGHT, I PLUNGED IN.

FOR EXAMPLE, I'D START OFF AT 9:00 IN THE MORNING HERE.

AT 11:00, I WOULD GET IN MY CAR AND DRIVE TO SIERRA MADRE AND START TEACHING THE CLASS TO ADULTS AT 11:30 TILL 2:30.

THEN I'D GET BACK IN MY CAR AND DRIVE BACK HERE FOR A CLASS THAT STARTED AT 3:30 TO THE OLDER CHILDREN.

THEN I'D GET BACK IN THE CAR, DRIVE HOME, PUT A MEAL TOGETHER, PUT IT ON THE TABLE FOR KARYN AND JEANINE, AND THEN GET BACK IN MY CAR WITH MY OWN PLATE AND EAT MY DINNER IN THE CAR TO COME BACK HERE FOR AN EVENING CLASS AT 7:00.

IT WAS A CRAZY LIFE.

WHEN I FIRST STARTED TO TEACH AND WE HAD NO MONEY, LIVING HERE WITH THE GIRLS ALONE WAS TOUGH.

I COULDN'T AFFORD TO DO EXPENSIVE VACATIONS.

SO CALIFORNIA IS THE MOST PERFECT PLACE TO CAMP IN.

UP AND DOWN THE COAST, INTO THE MOUNTAINS.

YOU NAME IT.

YOU HAVE TO FIND PEACE SOMEWHERE.

SO, FOR ME, PEACE IS TO BE FOUND WHERE I BEGAN IN NATURE.

COOPER: I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY APPRECIATED ABOUT THE WAY THAT JEAN TEACHES COMES FROM THAT CORE EXPERIENCE THAT IS ALSO GROUNDED IN MODES OF LEARNING AND CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS LEARNING THAT WE'VE REALLY GOTTEN FAR AWAY FROM.

I GET SAD ABOUT THAT.

SOMETIMES I THINK THAT LEAVING A KID ALONE OUT IN NATURE TO GET DIRTY AND MAKE THINGS IS QUITE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.

I MAY BE AN ARTIST SO THAT I CAN KEEP DOING THAT.

SO, JEAN REPRESENTS SOMETHING, I THINK, THAT'S REALLY A POSSIBILITY WE SHOULDN'T LET GO OF.

JEAN TAYLOR: WHEN I FIRST STARTED TO TEACH, I HAD VERY FEW STUDENTS TO BEGIN WITH.

BY MY SECOND YEAR, I HAD GAINED MOSTLY CHILDREN'S CLASSES, BUT THE ADULT PROGRAM WAS GROWING.

AND BY THE END OF TWO YEARS, I HAD A DECENT ADULT GROUPING.

THEY LITERALLY CHALLENGED ME, BUT THEY WERE ALSO TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL.

I'D BE RACING AROUND BECAUSE I DID ALL THE GLAZE MIXING, ALL THE KILN FIRING, AND ALL THE TEACHING OF ADULTS.

IT WAS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO DO ALL THAT BY MYSELF.

AND WHAT WAS AMAZING-- A STUDENT WOULD COME UP TO ME AND SAY, "JEAN, IS THERE SOMETHING I CAN DO TO HELP YOU?

CAN I MIX A GLAZE FOR YOU?"

I SAID, "YES, I'LL TRAIN YOU."

SO THEY NOT ONLY HELPED ME, BUT THEY HAD A LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN THE PROCESS.

STERN: JEAN CAME ALONG AT A TIME WHEN PEOPLE WERE JUST FEELING THAT BLOOM OF EXPRESSION, THAT SENSE OF CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION.

YOU GET TO DETERMINE WHAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

YOU CAN BE AN ARTIST.

YOU CAN BE A STUDIO ARTIST.

YOU CAN TAKE THIS POTTER'S WHEEL AND YOU CAN MAKE POTTERY.

KAJER: TOOK ME A LITTLE WHILE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS ABOUT, AND IT WAS ABOUT INQUIRY.

YOU KNOW, IF I WANTED TO KNOW HOW TO DO SOMETHING, I ASKED.

COOPER: JEAN IS REALLY DELIGHTED ABOUT INDIVIDUALITY.

EVEN THOUGH I WAS A BEGINNER AND HAD NO SKILLS, SHE FOUND SOMETHING THERE, WHICH SHE DOES WITH EVERYBODY.

McWATTERS: I SO FELL IN LOVE WITH HER THAT I WOULD LIKE, LITERALLY--OK, DON'T TELL ANYONE--I WOULD ARRANGE MY WORK SO THAT I COULD BE HERE FRIDAY MORNINGS.

MARTINEZ: SHE'S ALMOST LIKE A CELEBRITY.

PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT HER WHEN SHE COMES IN, PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS HAPPY TO SEE HER.

TAYLOR: PICTURE A JUG WHERE THE SPOUT AND THE LIP AND THE HANDLE ALL BECOME ONE FLOWING LINE.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] JEAN TAYLOR: MY LIFE AT THAT TIME ESCALATED.

AS THE PROGRAM GREW, THE ONLY SAD PART ABOUT IT WAS IT EFFECTUALLY MADE ME AN ABSENT MOTHER.

AND KARYN WAS 11 YEARS OLD.

SHE SAID TO ME, "MOM, YOU DON'T NEED A BABYSITTER.

I'LL LOOK AFTER JEANINE."

SHE ALSO BECAME A LITTLE MINI-HOUSEWIFE, AND WOULD CLEAN UP THE HOUSE AND FORCED JEANINE TO DO THE SAME THING, WHICH JEANINE HATED.

I'LL NEVER FORGET, ONE TIME I WAS DRIVING HOME, AND THERE WAS A FIRE ENGINE IN FRONT OF ME WITH ITS...WAILING, AND I'M THINKING, SAYING, "PLEASE, DEAR GOD, LET THAT NOT BE MY HOME," BECAUSE I WOULD WORRY ALL THE TIME.

THEY WERE STILL VERY YOUNG.

THEY SURVIVED IT, AND I SURVIVED IT.

MY YOUNGER DAUGHTER JEANINE, WHO WAS BEAUTIFUL, GENTLE, KIND, SHE WAS A CREATIVE SOUL, BUT SHE WAS BIPOLAR.

MY HUSBAND WAS BIPOLAR, AS WAS HIS MOTHER AND POSSIBLY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY.

HE WAS TOTALLY FUNCTIONAL OUT IN THE BUSINESS WORLD.

JEANINE, ON THE OTHER HAND, WAS TOTALLY INCAPABLE OF DOING THAT.

SHE WAS EXTREMELY GIFTED.

SHE WAS ARTISTIC.

SHE COULD SEW, SHE COULD PAINT, SHE MADE LITTLE THINGS IN CLAY.

HER PASSION WAS SMALL THINGS.

WHILE KARYN WAS UP AT SANTA CRUZ, JEANINE FOLLOWED HER UP THERE AND WENT TO COLLEGE, BUT SHE COULDN'T COMPLETE IT.

SHE CAME BACK HOME.

WE SENT HER TO NEW YORK TO STUDY DANCING.

AGAIN, SHE COULDN'T COMPLETE IT.

SO HERE WAS THIS TALENTED BUT DEEPLY EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED PERSON.

A LADY WALKED INTO THE STUDIO ONE DAY WITH A CIGARETTE IN ONE HAND AND A LARGE PLASTIC CUP WITH A STRAW IN THE OTHER.

AND SHE HAD NEVER TOUCHED CLAY IN HER LIFE.

I GAVE HER CLAY TO WORK WITH.

AT THE END OF A SEMESTER, SHE CAME TO PICK UP HER CERAMIC WORK, AND SHE SAID TO ME, "JEAN, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE.

MY DOCTOR SENT ME TO YOU."

SHE HAD THIS TREMENDOUS NEED TO DO SOMETHING VERY PACIFIC, CALMING, AND DEMANDING HER WHOLE PHYSICAL ATTENTION.

SO PSYCHOLOGICALLY, IT WAS IMPORTANT.

IT WAS THE REASON WHY SO MANY STUDENTS FOUND A SORT OF PEACE THERE.

STERN: A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME HOW ESSENTIAL THIS HAS BEEN FOR THEM TO COME HERE AND TO OPEN THAT FRESH BAG OF CLAY AND SINK THEIR HANDS INTO IT.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE CONTROL OVER.

KAJER: GERALDY, ONE OF OUR INSTRUCTORS, LOST HIS FATHER TO COVID.

GERALDY MARTINEZ: LITERALLY, THE DAY AFTER MY DAD PASSED, I WENT TO THE STUDIO.

IT'S THERAPEUTIC.

SO GOING THROUGH SUCH A DIFFICULT TIME, IT WAS KIND OF NICE TO JUST GO AWAY AND FOCUS ON SOMETHING ELSE.

AND SO I JUST STARTED MAKING STUFF AND TRYING TO-- IT JUST HELPED ME KIND OF DEAL WITH EVERYTHING, JUST GET AWAY FROM EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY THE ENVIRONMENT, YOU KNOW.

AT HOME, OBVIOUSLY, WHEN SOMEONE--ONCE YOU LOSE SOMEBODY, IT'S JUST-- IT'S NOT THE SAME.

SO IT GAVE ME SOMEWHERE TO GO, SOMETHING TO DO, AND JUST HELPED ME DEAL WITH EVERYTHING.

STERN: WHEN YOU'RE CREATING SOMETHING IN THE STUDIO LIKE THIS, IT'S GOING TO GO IN A KILN.

IT'S GOING TO GET FIRED AT 2,000 DEGREES, AND IT'S GOING TO COME OUT A GLASSY, SHINY, BEAUTIFUL SURFACE ON THIS OBJECT THAT YOU MADE, AND THAT OBJECT'S GOING TO BE HERE FOREVER.

YOU'RE MAKING SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL, AND IT REALLY DOES MATTER.

HULL: CLAY IS JUST A VERY COMMUNAL DISCIPLINE.

IT DOES SHOW HOW WONDERFUL A COMMUNITY CAN BE, AND JEAN REALLY NURTURED THIS COMMUNITY FROM THE GROUND UP.

JEAN TAYLOR: PEOPLE FROM THE JET PROPULSION LAB IN PASADENA, WHO ARE HIGHLY-TRAINED, WORKING IN A VERY HIGHLY STRUCTURED FIELD, THEY NEEDED SOMETHING TO BRING IT ALL DOWN TO A CALM LEVEL.

McWATTERS: AT WORK, I HAVE TO BE AT THE TOP OF MY GAME.

YOU KNOW, MY INTELLECTUAL, MY EXPERIENCE, MY KNOWLEDGE, MY WORKING IN LARGE, COMPLEX TEAMS.

JEAN TAYLOR: AND THESE PEOPLE-- SCIENTISTS--ATTACH TO MATTERS OF GEOLOGY AND THE EARTH, SO WORKING WITH CLAY WAS A COMPLETELY NATURAL THING.

I FOUND I COULD APPEAL TO THOSE PEOPLE IN WAYS ONE WOULDN'T HAVE IMAGINED.

McWATTERS: SO, I COME HERE, AND I COULD BE A CHILD, YOU KNOW, COVERED WITH MUD, WEARING A T-SHIRT, MAKING DECISIONS THAT NOBODY SHOULD CARE ABOUT.

THAT'S WHAT ATTRACTED ME TO THIS.

IT REALLY IS JUST THAT ONE AREA OF MY LIFE WHERE THERE'S NO CONSEQUENCES.

TAYLOR: THAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR THEM HELPED ME ALSO TO GROW.

THEIR NEEDS PROMPTED ME TO MOVE FORWARD ARTISTICALLY.

ALL THAT HAS EDUCATED MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE SPIRITUALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY, AND FINALLY, IN THE ABILITY TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE THROUGH CLAY.

STERN: IN ORDER TO INNOVATE IN THIS MEDIUM, YOU KIND OF TAKE WHAT'S THERE AND YOU FIND YOUR VOICE.

IN ORDER TO WORK WITH CERAMICS AND REALLY DEDICATE YOUR LIFE TO IT AND UNDERSTAND IT, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THAT SCIENCE.

JEAN HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING ABOUT GLAZES, ABOUT CHEMICALS, ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF CLAY.

SHE BROUGHT THAT TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER STUDIO BY CREATING ALL THESE FANTASTICAL COLORS IN GLAZE.

McWATTERS: I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT ACTUALLY SO MUCH EXISTS IN JEAN, TOO, IS THIS CROSS BETWEEN THE SCIENCE OF GLAZING AND THE ART OF IT.

SHE WAS BOTH.

MARTINEZ: ONE OF THE BIGGEST IMPACTS IS IN HER GLAZING.

HER GLAZE COMBINATIONS, HOW SHE GLAZES, YOU KNOW.

STERN: AND WHAT'S DIFFICULT ABOUT HIGH-FIRE CERAMICS IS THE HOTTER YOU GET, ALL THOSE MAGICAL COLORS, THEY WANT TO BURN AWAY.

JEAN DEVELOPED A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF GLAZES THAT WORK WITH HIGH-FIRE CERAMICS, AND SOME INCREDIBLE COLORS--REDS AND PURPLES AND GREENS AND BLUES.

COOPER: WHEN WE'RE GLAZING, WE ALL GO BACK TO THIS BOOK THAT SHE HAS WHERE SHE'S GOT ALL THESE RECIPES.

STERN: HER REAL SPECIALTY WAS IN MIXING THOSE COLORS TOGETHER AND FINDING THE SECONDARY HUES.

COOPER: PUT THESE THREE THINGS TOGETHER ON RAW SPOT, AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS.

PUT THEM TOGETHER ON PORCELAIN, AND THAT HAPPENS.

JEAN TAYLOR: MY WORK I BEGAN TO VIEW DIFFERENTLY, AND I LOOKED FOR A MORE ABSTRACT WAY OF GLAZING.

THE THING THAT MATTERED MORE TO ME THAN ANYTHING WAS NATURE.

ROSENMAN: A PLATE THAT SHE WOULD THROW IS JUST A CANVAS READY FOR ONE OF HER LANDSCAPES.

SHE'S NOT PAINTING REALISM.

SHE'S PAINTING THE EMOTION.

MORE SENSES ARE TRIGGERED WHEN YOU LOOK AT HER WORK.

SHE'S ALMOST LIKE AN EMPATH.

YOU KNOWS, SHE'S PAINTING THE FEELING OF WHAT YOU WOULD GET FROM NATURE.

COOPER: WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOMETHING WITH A HORIZON LINE, THERE'S ALWAYS A KIND OF SETTLING INTO IT.

THOSE BEAUTIFUL PLATES, I THINK OF THEM AS BEING ROTHKO-ESQUE.

I MEAN, THEY'RE LANDSCAPES BUT THEY ARE ABSTRACTIONS.

AND LIKE HIM, SHE'S KIND OF ABSORBED THAT.

JEAN TAYLOR: THESE LITTLE PLATES, I LOOK AT EACH ONE AS A POSSIBLE LANDSCAPE BUT IN A VERY SIMPLIFIED FORM.

I'M CREATING A MOOD RATHER THAN ANYTHING THAT IS DIRECT AND UNDERSTANDABLE.

JUST UNDER, OVER LEFT, EVER SO SLIGHTLY UNDER THE RED.

AND I TRULY DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT COLOR WILL TURN OUT TO BE BECAUSE SOMETIMES I CAN MAKE A VERY EDUCATED GUESS.

BUT THERE'S ALWAYS A FACTOR THAT IS OUTSIDE OF ME, AND THAT IS THE KILN.

IT'S LIKE A SUNSET.

YOU NEVER KNOW QUITE HOW THE LIGHT IS GOING TO AFFECT THE LAND YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU.

IT CAN CHANGE RADICALLY.

KAJER: WE ALL SORT OF BESEECH THE KILN GOD WHEN THINGS GO IN BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RESULT'S GOING TO BE.

COOPER: ONCE THE CLAY GOES INTO THE KILN, IT'S UP TO THAT FIRING AND HOW YOU PUT THE GLAZE ON.

IT'S A GLASS, THEN IT MELTS, AND YOU DON'T GET TO GO IN THERE AND GO, "OH, NO, NO!

STOP."

[CHUCKLES] YOU GET THINGS THAT RUN, YOU GET THINGS THAT CRACK, AND THEN YOU GET THINGS THAT COME OUT GORGEOUS.

JEAN TAYLOR: KILNS ARE AFFECTED IN DIFFERENT WAYS, ACCORDING TO HOW THE WEATHER IS, HOW THE INDIVIDUAL WHO'S FIRING THE KILN CHANGES THE NATURE OF THE FIRING IN SOME SUBTLE WAY.

IT MAY TOTALLY ALTER MY GLAZE AWAY FROM ANYTHING THAT I COULD HAVE IMAGINED.

AND SOMEHOW THAT DOESN'T BOTHER ME.

COOPER: THE KILN GODS.

I PRAY TO THE KILN GODS, YES!

HA HA!

BECAUSE WHO KNOWS?

JEAN TAYLOR: THESE AREAS OF GLAZE I GLAZED FIRST.

COOPER: WHEN JEAN WAS TEACHING, WE WOULD ALL LINE UP WITH THE THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THE KILN.

JEAN TAYLOR: SHE'S USED SOME IRON WHERE THE DESIGN IS... COOPER: AND SHE CAN ALWAYS DO DETECTIVE WORK.

JEAN TAYLOR: LONG BEACH BLUE, I THINK... ROSENMAN: THINGS GO IN THE KILN.

IT COMES BACK OUT.

EVERY TIME IT GOES IN, IT'S A CIRCULAR DIALOGUE.

IT COMES OUT TO ME.

I CAN SEE WHAT THE RESULTS ARE.

I CAN SEE WHAT MY CHALLENGES WERE, WHAT THE SUCCESSES WERE, THE FAILURES, AND THEN I TAKE THAT KNOWLEDGE, AND I DO IT AGAIN.

KAJER: THE COMMUNITY COMES FROM SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL HAS COME OUT OF THE KILN, AND THE QUICK DISCUSSION TO THE WHOLE ROOM ABOUT HOW A GLAZE WAS ACCOMPLISHED.

JEAN TAYLOR: THIS IS ALL THE DIFFERENT WHITES WE HAVE, WHITE SHINO, WHICH WHERE IT'S THIN, IT'S GONE WITH THE RED... KAJER: THERE WAS ALWAYS THESE KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING IN STUDIO.

JEAN TAYLOR: HERE AGAIN, THAT'S NOT MY MOST FAVORITE GLAZE, AND FOR THIS REASON: YOU SEE IT'S NICE COLOR HERE, BUT THEN HERE, IT TOTALLY DISAPPEARS.

IT'S LIKE WALKING INTO YOUR GARDEN OR INTO A FIELD OR ON A MOUNTAIN.

THE WEATHER CHANGES.

IT'S SUDDENLY BLOWING LIKE HECK, OR IT'S RAINING CATS AND DOGS.

IT'S GOING TO ALTER EVERYTHING.

YOU HAVE TO TAKE WHAT NATURE OFFERS YOU.

YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CERTAIN STATE OF MIND.

JEANINE HAD THREE MANIC ATTACKS.

SHE LOOKED ABSOLUTELY APPALLING.

SHE SAID, "YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO TRY AND STARVE YOURSELF TO DEATH?"

SO SHE WAS NOT EATING, HER COLOR WAS TERRIBLE.

AND I COULDN'T IMAGINE HOW SHE WAS FEELING.

I WENT DOWN TO THE HOUSE TO PICK HER UP.

WE'RE DRIVING AROUND ENDLESSLY, AND SHE KEPT MAKING ME GO BACK TO THE ARROYO, WHICH IS A WALKWAY WITH TREES AND A HUGE BRIDGE OVER IT, AND SHE GOT OUT.

AND I SAID, "I'LL WAIT HERE TILL YOU'LL GET BACK."

AND SHE SAID, "NO, LEAVE ME.

I'LL CALL YOU WHEN I AM READY."

I SAID, "JEANINE, YOU DON'T HAVE A CELL PHONE ON YOU.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CALL ME?"

AND SHE JUST SAID, "MOM, I'LL FIND A WAY OF REACHING YOU."

AND SHE WAS ADAMANT, SLAMMED THE CAR DOOR, AND STARTED TO WALK AWAY.

AND SHE TURNED BACK TO LOOK AT ME.

SHE WAS, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE ANGRY.

BUT THE LOOK SHE GAVE ME WAS QUITE DEFINITE.

AND I THOUGHT, "WELL, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO HERE?

DO I JUST SIT HERE?

HOW DO I KNOW SHE'LL COME BACK HERE IN THE MOOD SHE'S IN?

ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN."

SO I DROVE HOME.

I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW, AND THERE WAS THE POLICE COMING UP THE DRIVEWAY.

AND I WENT TO THE DOOR, AND HE ASKED ME IF I HAD A DAUGHTER CALLED JEANINE.

AND I SAID, "YES."

WE SAT DOWN, AND THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD JUST FOUND HER.

SHE TOOK HER OWN LIFE.

SHE HAD JUMPED FROM THE BRIDGE.

SHE WAS SO DETERMINED TO DO WHAT SHE INTENDED TO DO.

IT WOULDN'T HAVE MATTERED.

EVEN IF YOU HAD BEEN ABLE TO STOP IT THAT DAY, IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED SOONER OR LATER, WHICH IS A TRAGEDY.

IT WAS '84.

AND THAT'S A TERRIBLE SHOCK.

AND FOR ALL FAMILIES WHO ARE FACED WITH ANY KIND OF MENTAL DISORDER, THE STRAIN ON THE FAMILY IS ENORMOUS.

IT JUST GRADUALLY ERODES THE FAMILY STRUCTURE.

WE ALL SUFFERED, AND TO REBUILD FROM THAT POINT WAS INCREDIBLY HARD.

SOMEHOW YOU LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT, WHICH IS DIFFICULT, BUT THERE'S NO OTHER WAY.

BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP GOING, YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT, YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT.

THE PERSON WHO HAD THE GRIT AND WAS THE GLUE WAS MY OLDER DAUGHTER.

SHE HAS AN ENORMOUSLY STRONG CHARACTER, AND SHE WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT ME.

I COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT ALONE.

CAN YOU REACH THE SPONGE FOR ME, KARYN?

KARYN: THIS ONE OR THIS ONE?

JEAN TAYLOR: THAT DEEP EXPERIENCE ONLY HEIGHTENED WHAT WAS ALREADY WITHIN ME, THE NEED TO HELP PEOPLE THROUGH CLAY TO FIND A CENTER.

CLAY, YOU WALK ON IT EVERY DAY.

IT'S THE STUFF THAT WE GROW PLANTS IN, AND THE PLANTS GO INTO THE POTS, AND THE POTS THAT WE HAVE MADE COOK THOSE PLANTS, OR WE SERVE THE FOOD UP IN THOSE POTS.

AND SO THERE'S THIS CIRCLE OF CLAY, CLAY WHICH WE ARE BORN OF AND WHICH WE GO BACK TO WHEN WE DIE.

IT IS A COMPLETE CIRCLE.

AND THAT INTEREST AND FEELING FOR CLAY HAS DEEPLY INFLUENCED HOW I APPROACH CLAY WITH MY STUDENTS.

I USED TO TELL STUDENTS IT'S A LIFE BUILDER, A LIFE-LEARNING EXPERIENCE BECAUSE YOU REQUIRE PATIENCE, YOU REQUIRE TO HAVE A PHILOSOPHY AND A DISCIPLINE.

IF YOU HAVE THOSE THREE THINGS IN YOUR INNER BEING, YOU'RE SET FOR LIFE.

[MUSIC ON SOUNDTRACK] HULL: I THINK THE ARTS ARE HEALING IN THAT THEY PULL YOU INTO WHO YOU ARE.

YOU CAN'T REALLY CREATE UNLESS YOU'RE YOU.

AND A LOT OF TIMES, TRAGEDY TAKES US OUTSIDE OF OURSELVES.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT CREATIVITY THAT BRINGS YOU IN AND ALLOWS YOU TO SETTLE AND CALM YOURSELF WITHIN YOURSELF.

AND THAT IS, I THINK, PART OF THE HEALING PROCESS OF IT.

JEAN TAYLOR: RIGHT.

[LAUGHTER] JEAN TAYLOR: I WAS TEACHING PEOPLE FROM ALL KINDS OF WALKS OF LIFE WITH ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT NEEDS, AND I WAS VERY AWARE THAT WHEN PEOPLE CAME TO CLASS, THEY OFTENTIMES CARRIED WITH THEM PERSONAL ISSUES OF THEIR OWN, WHICH THEY NEEDED TO ADDRESS.

THE INCLUSION OF ART INTO THEIR LIFE HELPED THEM DO THAT.

McWATTERS: IT IS HEALING.

IT IS VERY--IT COMPENSATES.

IT COMPENSATES FOR ALL THAT STRESS.

TAYLOR: I HAD BELONGED AT THIS CHURCH IN ENGLAND TO A YOUTH GROUP CALLED KOINONIA, A WORLD THAT MEANS "SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIP" IN GREEK.

AND THAT MEMORY OF THAT CHURCH EXPERIENCE, ALTHOUGH IT WAS BASED IN RELIGION, IT WAS WHAT IT DID TO YOU IN TERMS OF YOUR INNER SELF, YOUR OWN PEACE OF MIND.

IN THE STUDIO, I WANTED TO RECREATE THAT TO GIVE PEOPLE A SENSE OF SOLITUDE OR RELAXATION THAT THEY NEEDED.

AND THE RESULT OF THAT WAS THAT PEOPLE FORM FRIENDSHIPS.

HULL: YOU ALMOST CAN'T BE IN CERAMICS UNLESS YOU'RE IN A COMMUNITY.

JEAN TAYLOR: I ELABORATED ON THAT BY HAVING DAYS WHEN WE WOULD MEET TOGETHER TO COOK CHICKENS IN THE KILN.

I'D PUT A LAYER WITH ROSEMARY AROUND THE CHICKEN WITH SEASONING AND THEN A LAYER OF CLAY AND PUT THEM IN THE KILN AND BAKED THEM.

THAT WAS ENORMOUS FUN.

AND IT CREATED THIS GREAT SENSE OF COMPANIONSHIP WITHIN THE GROUP, WHICH IN TURN, PAID BACK TO ME INVALUABLE.

THE WHOLE ATMOSPHERE OF THE GROUP GREW TREMENDOUSLY.

I GAVE UP THE DIRECTORSHIP, AND I CONCENTRATED ON TEACHING, AND THEN GRADUALLY, IT WHITTLED DOWN TO TWO CLASSES A WEEK ON A FRIDAY.

AND MY FRIDAY GROUP BECAME SOME OF MY VERY BEST FRIENDS.

AT 91, YOU START SEARCHING YOUR LIFE--WHAT IT HAS MEANT, AND I'VE HAD AN EXTREMELY VARIED LIFE.

I'VE MADE MANY, MANY MISTAKES IN MY LIFE, AND I'VE HAD TO PULL MYSELF UP PSYCHOLOGICALLY.

CERAMICS WAS INDEED MY SALVATION.

GROUP: ♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR JEAN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ♪ [APPLAUSE] TAYLOR: ALL THROUGH 50 YEARS OF TEACHING, WHICH HAS BEEN SUCH A JOY AND A PRIVILEGE TO TEACH THAT LONG IN THE SAME PLACE.

AND FOR THAT, I HAVE TO SAY A TREMENDOUS THANK YOU.

IT MATTERS DEEPLY TO ME THAT THE STUDIO CLASSROOM SHOULD NOT BE JUST A PLACE OF LEARNING BUT THAT IT SHOULD BE A PLACE OF COMMUNITY, TOO.

WORKING TOGETHER IS ALWAYS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.

AND THAT'S WHAT I WANTED MOST, WAS PEOPLE NOT ONLY TO LEARN BUT TO ENJOY.

ROSENMAN: JEAN HAS MADE THIS STUDIO THE SAFE PLACE TO WORK AND COME HERE AND ALMOST COME FOR HEALING.

COOPER: JEAN IS MY GLAZE GURU.

HULL: I MEAN, TO ME, GO OUT AND FIND YOUR JEAN.

ANNOUNCER: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS & CULTURE, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, AND THE FRIEDA BERLINSKI FOUNDATION.