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Adult Workshops

Mudflat's workshops cover a broad range of topics for everyone from beginner to advanced students. They're a great opportunity to gather with students and clay artists from Mudflat and elsewhere to explore a variety of ceramic art, try your hand at new techniques, or meet visiting artists.

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If the workshop you would like to join is full, please contact us to be added to a waitlist

Winter 2025 Adult Workshop Descriptions

Soda Firing 

Learn about soda firing, an alternative to Mudflat’s regular high fire reduction and oxidation kiln firings. This workshop includes an orientation meeting that will discuss clay bodies, best forms to make, application of flashing slips, texture considerations, glaze choice and glazing tips, plus what happens in a soda kiln during the firing. Mudflat’s tech staff will wad, load, fire and unload the kiln.Limited to 10 people for each section

Skill level: Not recommended for beginning students.

 

Winter #1

Orientation: Wednesday, January 8, 6-7 pm

Firing: Thursday, February 20

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Winter #2

Orientation: Wednesday, February 26, 6-7 pm

Firing: Thursday, April 10

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Tuition: $200, Subscribers $150, Includes one 25-lb clay

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Layered Surface Decoration

In this hands-on workshop, Noni Armony will demonstrate a variety of ways to decorate wet clay pieces by layering colored slips and underglazes. We will use brushes, sponges, stencils, stamps, ribs and trailing bottles to apply layers of colors and textures to enhance small slab plates or tiles. Explore this technique to decorate your own forms; workshop will include discussion of glaze options for completing your work.

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Saturday, January 18, 2-4:30 pm

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​Tuition: $50, Subscribers $45

Silicone Moldmaking

In this one-day hands-on workshop with Corran Shrimpton, students will learn how to create a silicone mold of an object of their choosing**. You will leave this workshop with a flexible, strong and durable mold that can be used to recreate your original object for years to come. Corran will demonstrate how to use a slab-pressing method with your new mold to create copies in clay.

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** The object students should bring should be a NON-porous object to make a mold of. This could be an object you sculpted, but no bisqueware. Leather hard or vitrified clay is okay. This could be a found object- but no fabric or absorbent material. In both cases, the object shouldn’t have long/thin parts (for example, a strawberry works, but the leaves would not be successful). Students are encouraged to bring an object with some complexity- the benefit of doing a silicone mold is that undercuts are not a problem; a mold of a simple sphere for example, could be made with just plaster. Object must be no larger than 10" in any direction.

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Sunday, February 2, 10 am - 4 pm 

Tuition: $150, subscribers tuition: $135

Altering Thrown Forms

Eliane Medina will showcase methods for transforming wheel-thrown shapes into functional pieces that are not necessarily round. The workshop will cover different techniques such as darting, creating bottomless forms, assembling multiple parts, and incorporating sculptural elements to help you start modifying your clay creations. Although primarily a demonstration session, there might be some brief hands-on activities included.

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Saturday, March 1, 1-4pm 

Tuition: $50, subscribers tuition: $45

Exercising a Creative Voice on the Wheel
Visiting Artist workshop with Chris Archer

In this demo workshop, Chris Archer will lead a demonstration-based workshop focused on techniques and strategies for finding one’s creative voice in the process of designing and making on the potter’s wheel.  Chris will share how he develops ideas through creative play exercises to create thoughtful, complex, and engaging forms.  He will also offer strategies in using various advanced throwing and altering techniques paired with a personal design approach in which various components of material and process inform each other more effectively and pave the way for more personal and mature work.  

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Tuition: $100, subscribers $75

Hands In Clay Sundays

Join us for a Handbuilding Workshop!

Participate in a unique workshop led by Kate Kuligowski, where you will have the opportunity to craft your own project. During this class, participants will be taught the process of designing their personalized ceramic creations. You will get to decorate your pieces and select glazes for each one. Your finished work will be ready for pickup 3-4 weeks after the workshop concludes. All levels welcome. Choose from 2 different sections:

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Make your Own Pet Bowls

Sunday February 9, 1-3 pm 

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Make Your Own Sushi Trays

Sunday March 16, 1-3 pm

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Tuition: $50, subscribers tuition: $45

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Register for a Workshop

  • Soda Firing Workshop #1
    Soda Firing Workshop #1
    Sold Out
    Wed, Jan 08
    Somerville
    Jan 08, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Jan 08, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Winter Semester 2025
  • Layered Surface Decoration
    Layered Surface Decoration
    Sold Out
    Sat, Jan 18
    Somerville
    Jan 18, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Jan 18, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    With Noni Armony
  • Silicone Moldmaking
    Silicone Moldmaking
    Sold Out
    Sun, Feb 02
    Somerville
    Feb 02, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Feb 02, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    With Corran Shrimpton
  • Make Your Own Pet Food Bowls
    Make Your Own Pet Food Bowls
    Membership Offer
    Sun, Feb 09
    Somerville
    Feb 09, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Feb 09, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Come try handbuilding & make a fun project!
  • Soda Firing Workshop #2
    Soda Firing Workshop #2
    Sold Out
    Wed, Feb 26
    Somerville
    Feb 26, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Feb 26, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Winter Semester 2025
  • Altering Thrown Forms
    Altering Thrown Forms
    Membership Offer
    Sat, Mar 01
    Somerville
    Mar 01, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Mar 01, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    With Eliane Medina
  • Make your own Sushi Tray
    Make your own Sushi Tray
    Membership Offer
    Sun, Mar 16
    Somerville
    Mar 16, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Mar 16, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Come try handbuilding & make a fun project!
  • Exercising a Creative Voice on the Wheel
    Exercising a Creative Voice on the Wheel
    Sold Out
    Sat, Apr 05
    Somerville
    Apr 05, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    Apr 05, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
    Somerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
    With Chris Archer
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