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.
If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please contact us
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Fall 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. Students are eligible to enroll in one Soda workshop per semester but can add themselves to the waitlist for the other workshop should more space become available.
Skill level: Not recommended for beginning students.
Fall #1
Orientation: Wednesday, Sept 10, 6-7 pm
Firing: Thursday, Oct 23
Fall #2
Orientation: Wednesday, Oct 29, 6-7 pm
Firing: Thursday, Dec 11
Tuition: $250, Subscribers $200, Includes one 25-lb clay
Altering Thrown Forms with Elaine Medina
Eliane will demonstrate ways to alter wheel thrown forms to create functional, but not round, pieces. Various techniques will be shown for darting, bottomless forms, combining multiple parts, and adding sculptural elements, that can all be used to alter your clay work.
Participants will be able to try out some of these techniques on their own pieces; bring your tools and 2-3 recently thrown pieces - soft leather hard is best.
Saturday, October 4 10 am - 4 pm
Tuition: $200, Subscribers $150
Moving the Clay towards Healing the Heart : A Grief and Healing workshop for Adults
Grief and loss are universal and each of us has a unique journey through this emotional landscape. Art making of any kind can be very helpful in healing from loss. Clay in particular can be a powerful medium, as the experience of working with it can be transformative, both figuratively and literally. As one moves the clay they are also moving with the grief, transforming it slowly, creating an object of representation that has meaning. You will have the opportunity to do this with other people in the workshop who are on their own grief journey.
Using handbuilding techniques and underglaze colors, we will each create a decorated tile that will honor your loved one. We will start with exercises to develop our ideas for imagery for our tiles, and afterwards can share our results as a group. Open to all, no clay experience required.
Emily Newmann, LICSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and ceramist. She has been working with people who are grieving for over twenty-five years.
Thursday, October 9, 6:30-9:30 pm
Tuition: $100, subscribers $75
Creating Memory Clay Tiles of Loved Ones for Teens Who Are Grieving (ages 13-15)
Do you ever feel like you are alone in your grief?
Maybe your friends don’t get what it means to lose a parent or sibling?
Or that your life has totally changed in ways you can’t even talk about?
Ever want to just be with other teenagers going through a similar loss?
This workshop will give you an opportunity to be with other teens your age to make a memory tile of your loved one. We will start with exercises to develop our ideas for imagery for our tiles. Then using handbuilding techniques and underglaze colors, we will each create a decorated tile. Afterwards we can share what we have made with the group.
Emily Newmann, LICSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and ceramist. She has been working with teenagers and people who are grieving for over twenty-five years. She brings empathy and a sense of humor to her work. She is a mom of teenagers and loves how smart, whimsical and funny teens are even when they experience hard times. Emily believes blending therapy with art is hugely healing.
Thursday, October 23 4-6:30 pm
Tuition: $75
Making Mini Houses with Amy Sullivan
Make a tiny slab-built stoneware house, 2 to 6" tall. Amy will demonstrate how she creates her little houses, sharing tips on slab rolling, angle cutting, scratching and attaching coils, and decorating with slips and underglazes. She will provide a variety of templates and cutters, as well as stamps for windows & doors. Make anything from a mini-Christmas house to a canal house shaker, or a tealight house, or a clay cottage container, or a brownstone vase! Skill Level: All Levels
Saturday, November 1, 1-4 pm
Tuition: $100, Subscribers $75
Holiday Ornament Making Workshops with Kristie Simonó
Join us for a fun, hands-on experience where you'll design and craft your very own holiday clay ornaments! In this one-day workshop, Kristie will walk you through the process of handbuilding unique ceramic ornaments using clay slabs, cookie cutters, templates, and printed images. You'll have the opportunity to create up to five personalized ornaments, adding your own artistic touch with underglaze colors to make each piece truly one-of-a-kind.
Whether you're crafting for your tree, as a gift, or simply for the joy of making, this workshop is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. All pieces will be fired and ready for pickup 4 weeks after the workshop. This workshop is for all skill levels.
This workshop consists of two sessions. The first session is restricted to adults 18 and older. The second session welcomes families with children ages 5 and up, with all children requiring adult supervision.
Adults: Saturday Nov 8, 11 am-12 pm
Tuition: $20; subscribers $15
Families (kids 5+): Saturday Nov 8, 1-2 pm
Tuition: Adults: $20 (subscribers $15) ; Children 5-17 years old: $15