With the assistance of intern Timothy Voges, student at the Hogeschool van de Kunsten, in building the totem, 280 x 55 x 55 centimeters.
Ellen Spijkstra has constructed the totem called Through the Years for the sculpture route, which symbolizes the growth of a palm tree; with good and bad years. For many years Spijkstra has taught numerous students the secrets of technology, materials and design in the ceramic field. Since she stopped teaching and organizing workshops, for which the most famous ceramists from the world loved to come to Curaçao, she can spend more time participating in exhibitions and art residencies in faraway places such as South Korea and China, cradles of ceramic art.