Programs of Study

Become a potter! Students will receive inspiration and direction from instructors and talented peers, as well as focused, one-on-one instruction. Both hand-building and wheel throwing techniques will be covered to create functional and decorative pieces in response to individual goals set by students. Intermediate and advanced students can expand their abilities by altering their forms, using surface decoration, and carving or sculptural methods to enhance their work. The clay studio is well equipped with nine high quality electric wheels, a slab roller, a hydraulic extruder, two electric kilns, a raku kiln, a pit-fire kiln, and a stoneware "reduction" kiln. In addition, there are over 100 possible glaze, underglaze, and slip combinations to pair with various kilns. Your imagination is the limit!

This workshop is a multi-layered, exploratory, educational and expressive experience. Lessons provide participants with confidence-building technical skills and portfolio level foundational projects while emphasizing experimentation and self-expression. The development of ideas is stressed using mixed media, from charcoal and graphite, to water based paints, collage and found objects. Participants are exposed to many drawing scenarios that are both observation and imagination based. Observation goes beyond the still life and short field trips are included to explore drawing in the field. We draw from the live model as well. The class also makes a trip to a local museum to look at classic and contemporary artworks as a group and we provide slide shows for further exposure to artworks. There is something for every young artist in this workshop, and we aim to provide as many two dimensional creative experiences as we can in each two week session.

Expand your understanding of the visual and technical elements of photography. The creative aspects of photography, critical to expressing your world view, are a vital component of this studio. You will explore composition, choosing a subject (landscape, street photography, portraits, architecture) and working with special effects (high contrast, hand coloring sepia toning). These visual decisions will be accompanied by an emphasis on the technical foundation that underlies all effective photography: darkroom techniques, printing, principles of film exposure, and camera operation. Historical and contemporary photographs will give you further insight into the art of seeing. Studio time will include extensive darkroom work, demonstrations, and shooting assignments.

The two week summer textiles program examines both the artistic and socio-economic life-cycle of a garment. Students will not only have the opportunity to design and create their own garment/creation, they will also get a broader view of the global textile market. The class will move from 2-d design into 3-d: starting with dyeing and shibori (a highly controlled Japanese resist-dye process similar to tie dye), then adding patterns and images through silk-screening and finishing the session by using the fabrics they have designed/ printed to sew a functional garment or object. Class conversations focus on the social, economic and ecological implications of fashion-based culture and how each student can start their own revolution by using their ingenuity to redesign their wardrobe. Although the class is based around garments, individual students are always encouraged to use their new skills to make other things: stuffed animals, non-functional art pieces, etc. The more creative the better! This is a great class for anyone who loves color, imagery, patterns and thinking outside the box.

The versatility of metal as a medium for jewelry, vessels, and small sculpture is boundless. It is both malleable and rigid, which allows it to be manipulated freely and last forever. This studio will examine the working properties of non-ferrous metals such as silver, brass and copper. We will cover a wide range of fabrication techniques including surface design, cutting, soldering, riveting, simple forging and forming, stone setting, metal inlay, and the chemical coloring of metal. This course offers students the unique opportunity to develop a broad-based foundation in metalsmithing with an emphasis throughout the summer on designing objects of personal meaning.

Glassblowing is a fascinating medium. Molten glass has been blown and formed into works of art for at least 2300 years. In our glass studio you will experience all the facets of this ancient art form from the creative to the technical. The glass studio is equipped with a 120 pound furnace, 3 annealing ovens and 3 glory holes. In the process of working with hot glass you will be involved with casting, slumping, sculpting and cold-working, as well as glassblowing.

There will be a strong emphasis on developing basic skills, but you will also be encouraged and given the opportunity to experiment with historical as well as contemporary techniques as you develop proficiency in the medium. In the course of the program you can expect to produce such classic forms as vessels and stemware, as well as more non-traditional pieces. The hot shop is an exciting place to be, whether you’re working on a piece yourself or just watching the action!

Flameworking is an exciting and evolving art form that builds on world-renowned Venetian glass techniques. Colorful glass rods and glass tubing are melted and manipulated with a torch fueled by oxygen and propane, allowing the artist endless creative freedom. This course will teach you the basic techniques you will need to make hundreds of objects: from beads, pendants and marbles to hollow forms and even intricate glass sculpture.

This fast-paced medium allows great flexibility in forming the glass by allowing you to control the torch's flame right in front of you. This class is designed for any student, beginner as well as more experienced, who is eager to become competent in the exciting medium of flameworking.

Have you ever wanted to tame raging heat? To bend hard steel to your will? To create rugged sculpture that will surely stand the test of time? Our welding studio is equipped to give you all these skills and more. Learn to weld, cut, drill, grind, forge and otherwise shape our most abundant element. The course allows for a comfortable balance between assigned and self-designed projects. When working with steel, the only limit to your aesthetic is your imagination. New this year, welding will be offered both sessions!