By Age Group
Private Lessons
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- Register for a Workshop
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- Click on the activation link in the email and... Voila! You're good to go!
Ceramics 15 Events
Other Mediums 7 Events
Short Term Resident Artist Series: Facing Togetherness
Stories and myths invite us to explore meaning and build a sense of belonging. In this 4 day class we will explore the potential of narrative sculpture to build connection with our world. Kirsten will guide students to build a ¾ life size head using a coil method. Kirsten emphasizes individual attention to help each student achieve their artistic vision. She will break down anatomy and proportion in an easy step-by-step approach with handouts that can be taken home for later reference. We will then narratively embellish the head to express personal themes of kinship with the human and natural world. Kirsten will talk through how students can seamlessly incorporate mixed media after firing
Class Meets: April 2nd, 3rd, 8th, and 10th
Experiencing the Process of Making
In this class we will deeply explore the process of making functional pots. How do we get from that ball of clay to the imagined perfect pasta bowl? We will discuss and delve into the process of taking an idea to the tangible final product by discovering the proper steps from design through execution. Through of a process of discussions, demonstrations and making both on and off the wheel, we will turn ideas into real pots!
Let’s put some Bling on your ceramic thing!
During this 3 day workshop, participants will make a plaster mold of low relief buttons and found objects that will then be used as “Sprigs”. The button sprigs along with low relief flowers and leaf forms will then be applied to various slab-built forms including- an oval casserole dish, a cup, and a plate form. Creating visually rich designed functional forms.
Resident Artist Series: June Beginner Potter’s Wheel
June Beginner Potter’s Wheel: Using the potter’s wheel to make functional objects can be a very rewarding experience. This class will cover the basics of working on the potter’s wheel. If you have never tried this before, please expect some difficulty in the initial stages. The focus will be to learn centering and then to pull shapes such as bowls (ex. berry bowls, soup bowls, colander, cereal bowls, etc) and cylinders (ex. Mugs, tumblers, sippers – based on the learning curve). The second week of class will be trimming and practicing more shapes. Glazing will take place the final week. Some experience may be necessary.
June 4th, 6th, 11th, and 13th
Internal Fire
This one week workshop will allow participants the opportunity to engage deeply with the firing process, exploring their own desire to understand this element of the ceramic process. We will focus on the details and choices to consider when using a soda kiln as a primary tool for finishing your work. Participants will bring bisque ware to be glazed and fired, and will participate in the entire process including loading, firing, and especially unloading of the kiln.
Inner Secrets
Our ancestors all had stories and secrets; some are passed down through the generations and others are kept hidden forever. Often, it’s the secrets of the heart that are kept under wraps. Let’s create a sculpture that tells a story of those secrets, either current day or past! All skill levels welcome as we create a bust (male or female) in this three day workshop.
Awareness of Legacies - Mindful Reflections: Exploring Legacies, Deepening Connections
I had an inheritance from my father,
It was the moon and the sun.
And though I roam all over the world,
The spending of it’s never done.
― Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls
Through mindfulness we become more aware of influences in our lives including those that we have taken in from others. As we become more conscious of these gifts and challenges, we can more effectively choose whether and how to express them. To begin the series, we will engage in mindfulness practices exploring our personal legacies and how these inheritances have contributed to our lives. We will then practice slow art applying awareness-based skills to viewing the works of two generations of glassblowers.
Resident Artist Series: Christmas in July using the Slab Machine
Christmas in July using the Slab Machine - All the basics you need to know about using the slab machine to make a Christmas house or two. Glaze the 2nd week of class.
Class Meets:
July 9th, 11th, 16th, and 18th
Trays All Kinds of Ways
If you want to learn how to make all kinds of different serving trays and unique dishes, then this is the class for you!
We will cover a variety of hand building techniques such as slab construction, coiling, pinching, carving and cutting to give you the skills to make any kind of tray that you can dream up.
This class will include both daily demonstrations and hands-on instruction in a fun and supportive environment that will help you unlock your hand building potential.
Inner Reflections - Mindful Reflections: Exploring Legacies, Deepening Connections
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.
– Carl Jung
Communication skills are, in part, a legacy from our families and transform or strengthen through non-judgmental awareness and self-compassion. Honest communication with others is based upon acceptance, curiosity, and openness. As we strengthen our ability to bring deep listening to our own experiences, we enhance our capacity to be present with and available to others, to nature, and to artistic works. After learning brief, self-listening skills, we will become aware of our sensations, thoughts, and feelings as we view artists’ images.
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Visit: 323 Franklin Road
Highlands, NC 28741 (Map It)
Call: 828-526-4949 (Main)
828-787-2892 (Ceramics Studio)
Funded in part by a grant from South Arts
in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.