CLAY FALL SHORT SESSION
SEPTEMBER 24 – 29, 2023 (four studio days)
Jeff Shapiro
Expressive Clay: Pushing into the Unknown

Students in this workshop will step out of their comfort zones and find new approaches to loosening up in the studio to make pieces with character that are challenging yet rewarding. We’ll encourage soft and loose throwing, soft and loose trimming, and manipulating clay with an attitude of abandonment: sprezzatura! Once we’ve established the basics of materials, tools, and processes, the focus will be on learning how to let go. Bring an open mind, a sense of curiosity, and a desire to take risks. Techniques will include throwing, trimming, slab building, and solid clay forming. Bisque-fire only. Intermediate level: basic clay skills required. Upper clay studio.

Studio artist; teaching: Penland, Greenwich House Pottery (NYC), Peters Valley (NJ), Gaya (Bali, Indonesia), La Meridiana (Italy); collections: Carlo Zauli Museum (Italy), Museum of Fine Arts Boston, The Brooklyn Museum (NYC), Fuller Craft Museum (MA); representation: Lucy Lacoste Gallery (MA), Capazza Gallery (France), Kakiden Gallery (Japan). 

jeffshapiroceramics.com | @jeffshapiro62

Regular enrollment begins May 1.

CLAY FALL CONCENTRATION (six weeks)
October 1 – November 10, 2023
Dan Finnegan
Good Pots for Good Food

This workshop will celebrate the connection between ceramics and food and how creating finely crafted pottery enhances everyday rituals. From cups and mugs to lidded pots and cooking vessels, we’ll explore a wide range of useful pots for the kitchen and the table. We’ll use Starworks North Carolina stoneware, fire both the salt and wood kilns, and use a variety of slips and glazes, even trying some raw glazing! Students will make lots of pots but will fire only their best. The emphasis will be on improving skills and adding personality to your work. Mostly wheelthrowing with some handbuilding. All levels. Upper clay studio. 

Studio potter; trained at Winchcombe Pottery (UK); teaching: Museum of Mankind (UK), Savannah College of Art and Design (GA), Scottish Potters Association (UK), Penland, and other venues in the US, UK, and Czech Republic; representation: Schaller Gallery (MI); founder of LibertyTown Arts Workshop (VA); curator of Pottery on the Hill (DC). 

danfinneganpottery.com | @dan_finnegan_pottery

Regular enrollment will begin on May 1.

Clay Spring Concentration
March 3 – April 26, 2024 (8 Weeks)

Cynthia Bringle
Basics and Beyond

This workshop will be about starting from where you are and getting to the next stop along the way. Whatever your level of experience, it’s always good to review and learn more ways to make handles that function, lids that fit, and pitchers that pour. We’ll do lots of work on forms and options for decoration, including brushwork, glazes, and carving. We’ll work with stoneware, and together we’ll load and fire various kilns. Studio and gallery visits will give you a chance to see different approaches to pottery, studio set-up, and ways of selling. Guest instructor Julie Wiggins will add her perspective by leading the workshop for one week. The ability to center clay and pull a 6-inch cylinder will be helpful, but the workshop is open to all levels. Upper clay studio.

Studio potter and workshop teacher; teaching: Arrowmont (TN), Anderson Ranch (CO), Campbell Folk School (NC), Penland; fellow and trustee emeritus of the American Craft Council, North Carolina Award for Fine Arts, honorary doctorate from Memphis College of Art; collections: Mint Museum (NC), High Museum (GA), Gregg Museum (NC), Fuller Craft Museum (MA), Asheville Museum of Art (NC).

cynthiabringlepottery.com | @cynthiabringle

Scholarship application deadline is August 15.
Regular enrollment begins October 2.

Clay–Spring Short Session
April 28 – May 3, 2024 (4-studio days)

Liz Zlot Summerfield
Developing Depth with Handbuilt Slab Pots

This workshop will demystify working with soft slabs and offer the essential components for creating unique slab-built pots. Students will begin with simple functional forms and expand to include components such as lids, feet, and spouts. Surface techniques will include stamping, slip trailing, and stenciling in conjunction with terra sigillata, underglaze, and glaze. Students can expect to leave with many new skills, several unfired pots, and a set of finished tiles fired at low-fire and mid-fire temperatures. This workshop will provide one-on-one interaction in a supportive, positive environment where experimentation is encouraged and individual development is nurtured. All levels. Lower clay studio.

Studio artist; teaching: Mars Hill University (NC), Penland, Arrowmont (TN), Idyllwild Art Center (CA), Double Island Studio (NC); representation: Clay AKAR (IA), Schaller Gallery (MI), Penland Gallery; collections: Mint Museum (NC), Ceramics Monthly; publications: Beginners Guide to Hand Building, Terra Sigillata: Contemporary Techniques, A Studio Handbook; DVD: Hand Built Forms with Soft Slabs.

lzspottery.com | @lizzlotsummerfield

Scholarship application deadline is August 15.
Regular enrollment begins October 2.