Workshops - Where do I start?

In my limited experience, ceramics workshops fall into one of two categories: 1. The Friday night slide show and talk with all day Saturday demonstrations or, 2. The week-long hands-on event.

I'm sure there are other kinds but those are typical. The first type is easier to produce because you only have to provide clay and equipment for one person. You can pack as many people in as can comfortably fit into the room and see the artist work.

You have to have an artist of a certain stature to attract people to the second type because they usually involve a pretty hefty fee to attend.

In either case, the institution usually pays the artist's transportation and gives him or her a place to stay, meals, etc.. There may also be an honorarium and an opportunity for the artist to sell work at the event.

North harris County Community College near Houston, Texas is a good model for you. I haven't kept up with them lately, but they used to bring in some pretty big guns for the weekend-type workshops and always had a full house. You might call the instructor there, and get a few tips.

Some artists I've enjoyed at two-day workshops are: Linda Arbuckle, David Hendley, Don Reitz and Brad Schweiger. But of course, there are plenty of others.

workshi>Our ceramics department (2-year community college) is in the planning

Henry, thank you for the information. I hope there will be more of it forthcoming from others as well. It doesn't mean I don't value what you've offered, because I do - at this point, though, what I'm looking for is some direction to get us started.

What we're proposing is to offer the workshops ourselves - our Community Education department suffered greatly a couple of years ago when we lost the director of the program - these planned offerings are part of a push to rebuild something that's sorely needed for our community. This is why we're looking for basic information.

There's a great interest for what we do and the demand for instruction is growing. Small workshops may be just the ticket for us right now. Later on down the road we may be in a position to provide more high-profile events - just not yet.

No matter what happens, it's going to be an interesting ride.....

Take care and thanks again,

Lori

Perhaps there is some mileage in involving your potential customers in the formation of this project; when the people who are going to benefit from it are engaged in its formation, you often get twice as much effort and impetus going for it. Also sourcing tools etc. can make use of contacts known to those within the group.

Steve Bath UK

In article , Lori writes

Gentlemen,

This is valuable advice - and, it's greatly appreciated.

I agree with you Steve, about including the potential customers in the formation of the project - this would give them a vested interest in it and pretty much guarantee that it would go. (And, provide a great deal of satisfaction once it's a reality.)

Fortunately, that's already happened, in spite of ourselves. As I explained in an off-list message to another member of this group, we've offered raku as part of the regular curriculum, but due to the small size of our staffing it's been a big struggle. Thus the decision to pull it from the regular line-up and present it as a workshop. The demand is there - we just have to figure out how to get it done.......

Because I've cross-posted this request to both ClayArt and the Naked Raku group on Yahoo!, I've been receiving incredible bits and pieces of advice from some very unexpected areas - and look forward to any more that may appear.

I LOVE the tip about the colored cards - this will definitely be a part of the process. What a simple way of dealing.

Take care,

Lori

There are so many different types of workshops you can have that it is difficult to know where to start.

Have a raku party - make up and bisque a lot of small tea cups ahead of time. Then work on how to play with oxides and glazes. Immediate gratification for folks and a big attention getter.

Along the same lines - have a tile making event. Roll out the tiles, cut them and have them ready to stamp, 'color' with underglazing and oxides. Have them do at least one tile for the studio so that you can make a table or wall hanging to celebrate the event.

Hand building is another one that gives immediate gratification. I actually find hand building much harder than throwing but for anyone just beginning and working on very standard pieces (collect plastic 'plates' that meat comes in and use them as a form to drop and slab of clay on to make a sushi plate for example) it is a great way to start out.

Do a day of making a bird house. They can stamp them and put on oxides for decoration then pick them up the next week after they have been fired.

Do a day of making a 3 footed pitcher out of a slab (make cylinder from slab, pinch bottom together to give yourself 3 feet, make a handle out of a long cylinder and pull out the lip or add a lip from cut slab). You can bisque fire, glaze them all in clear and again have them ready to be picked up the next week.

You can certainly have a workshop on how to make up glazes (or make up a new glaze), how to fire a kiln, how to build a small outdoor kiln, etc. but your audience is going to be smaller and you are probably preaching to the converted at this level. Good luck!

Very clever Steve, great way to solve that problem - we have had people wanting to leave early, refire their pots, they use any excuse to get an extra one in the kiln. We will keep that one in mind for next time!

Regards

Dave

Ah, dkat - these are all excellent suggestions! As we're also working on junior workshops (the kids have to have some fun, too!!!), these would make for some interesting projects - especially the birdhouses. Thank you so much!

We had considered a pit-firing workshop for the youngsters - now it's going to be tough to decide - maybe a playday with one or two projects? Tough call. :-)

Best,

Lori

I will post others that come up in our studio if I think you will find them interesting. I mostly wanted to add that when I'm too tired to pot but want to play I grab small bits of clay, roll them into balls (giant marble sizes), look for interesting things around the house to push into them or just with a tools carve in flower shapes or chinese looking letters, etc. I bisque fire them to be used as stamps. Maybe 50% end up being successful but they are almost free and they are great to have around to give immediate gratification to those just entering the world of clay.

Would love to hear what you find successful with your workshops. We can also use ideas.

Donna