Top2012 Pottery Classes & Workshops in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
If you purchased a Groupon for 2 one-hour sessions for 2 people, please call or email us with availability. As of January and February, our best times to try are Mondays: mid-afternoon; Wednesdays: late-afternoon; Fridays: all day; Saturdays: late-afternoon thru closing; and if none of those work for you, we can come in on a Sunday starting after Superbowl Sunday
January 24 - Wheel 1 Section 04
January 24 - Wheel 1 Section 05 - Class is fully enrolled (Wait List is Full)
January 28 - 545 Pawtucket Avenue, Building Happenings: Domus Luti (2nd Floor) "Seconds Sale" - Postponed to 28th due to snow!
January 30 - Handbuilding 1 Section 52
February 6 - Open Studio Section 46
February 7 - Open Studio Section 47
February 29 - Handbuilding 2 Section 07 ***NEW*** Instructor
March 12 - Open Studio Section 48
March 19 - Wheel 1 Section 06 - Class is fully enrolled (Wait List is Full)
March 20 - Open Studio Section 49
March 20 - Handbuilding 1 Section 53
March 20 - Open Studio Section 50
April 5 - Gloworm Section 20
April 18 - Open Studio Section 51
April 22 - Raku Workshop Section 41
April 23 - Wheel 1 Section 07 - Class is fully enrolled
April 26 - Gloworm Section 21
May 1 - Wheel 1 Section 08
May 1 - Open Studio Section 52
May 1 - Handbuilding 1 Section 54
May 14 - Open Studio Section 53
May 20 - University of Rhode Island Commencement Ceremony - Congratuations Kris!
May 23 - Wheel 1 Section 09
May 24 - Wheel 1 Section 10
May 24 - Wheel 1 Section 11
May 24 - Wheel 1 Section 12
May 26 & May 28 - Studio Closed for Memorial Day Weekend
June 2 & June 3 - Studio Sale Sat 10am-7pm & Sun 12pm-5pm
Ongoing - Portfolio Slides for High School Students - Call for scheduling
Ongoing - Private Lessons - Call for scheduling
Handbuilding 1 - 6 Weeks - $170
If you are interested in working with clay but have little or no experience then this is the course for you. During this 6-week class students will gain a foundation in the hand forming process and the basics involved with glazing your own work. From pinch to slab to coil, this class gets you started. This class includes bisque and glaze (Δ6 oxidation) firing of pieces made in class. Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: John Mitchell
Section 52 Monday 3:30pm - 6pm January 30 - March 5
Section 53 Tuesday 3:30pm - 6pm March 20 - April 24
Section 54 Tuesday 7pm - 9:30pm May 1 - June 5
Wheel 1 - 8 Weeks - $200
If you are interested in working with clay on the potter's wheel but have little or no experience then this is the course for you. During this 8-week class students will gain a foundation in the wheel forming process and the basics involved with glazing your own work. From cups to bowls to vases, this class gets you started. This class includes bisque and glaze (Δ6 oxidation) firing of pieces made in class. Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: John Mitchell
Section 04 Tuesday 12pm - 2:30pm January 24 - March 13
Section 05 is full (Waiting list is full) Tuesday 7pm - 9:30pm January 24 - March 13
Section 06 is full (Waiting list is full) Monday 7pm - 9:30pm March 19 - May 7
Section 07 is full Monday 3:30pm - 6pm April 23 - June 18 (no class Memorial Day May 28)
Section 08 Tuesday 12pm - 2:30pm May 1 - June 19
Section 09 Wednesday 7pm - 9:30pm May 23 - July 18 (No Class Independence Day July 4)
Section 10 Thursday 12pm - 2:30pm May 24 - July 12
Section 11 Thursday 3:30pm - 6pm May 24 - July 12
Section 12 Thursday 7pm - 9:30pm May 24 - July 12
Handbuilding 2 - 6 Weeks - $170
Continue with your handbuilding studies with this 6-week class. Fine tune your pinch, coil & slab skills. Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: John Fazzino
Section 07 Wednesday 7pm - 9:30pm February 29 - April 4
Wheel Games & Exercises - 6 Weeks - $170
This 6-week class emphasizes fun & practice. Through the use of technical exercises and group games you will further your understanding of the wheel throwing process. Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: John Mitchell
No Sections Currently Scheduled
Wheel 2 - 6 Weeks - $170
For students who have completed Wheel 1 or equivalent, this class shows many techniques to modifying your pots during and after the throwing process. A fairly aggressive syllabus, we cover faceting, throwing feet, carving feet, applied feet, cut & paste, paddling, lids, spouts and throwing larger with coil & throw and slab & throw. This class includes bisque and glaze (Δ05 oxidation or Δ6 oxidation) firing of pieces made in class. Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: John Mitchell
No Sections Currently Scheduled
"Gloworm" Loading & Firing - 2 Days - $250
Have you always wanted to participate in one of those week long wood kiln firings? Well, Tom has quickened the process. After just a few hours of firing, your pots can have that five-day firing look. Join Tom in the loading and firing of one of his famous "gloworm" kilns. In this two-day workshop, participants will load and fire a high fire fiber wood kiln. You can come by and watch the fun at Thomas Ladd Pottery, 352 High Street, Wakefield, RI 02879 (401) 782-0050
Instructor: Thomas Ladd
Section 20 (Tentative Timeline) Loading starts 9-10am Thursday morning April 5, Firing to take place Friday April 6 starting around 2pm, Unloading is usually around 3pm and will be on Saturday April 7
Section 21 (Tentative Timeline) Loading starts 9-10am Thursday morning April 26, Firing to take place Friday April 27 starting around 2pm, Unloading is usually around 3pm and will be on Sunday April 29
Raku Firing Workshop - 1 Day - $95
Up to 4 participants will assist in firing their own pots in our trash can raku kilns. Bring your bisque fired pieces ready for glazing. Basic raku glazes will be provided.
Instructor: John Mitchell
Section 41 Sunday 12pm - 4pm April 22 (Rain Date Sunday, May 6)
Soda Firing - 2 Days - $180
Up to 6 participants will assist in the loading and firing of Thomas Ladd's soda kiln. See how your pieces look soda fired and learn about how to fire with the soda glazing process. If you have never tried this before we strongly recommend it. Kiln is fired to Δ10 with varying amounts of reduction. Fee includes Δ10 glazes to be applied inside and possibly outside of your work.
Instructor: Thomas Ladd
No Sections Currently Scheduled.
Clay Drum Making - 6 Weeks - $170
In this class, students will design and build their own clay drums. Using historical reference and imagination, the class will explore the percussive and acoustic possibilities of the simple clay drum. The class will cover topics such as: drum head material, firing styles and effective drum shape. John will demonstrate several building techniques designed to cover all skill levels. This class includes bisque and glaze (Δ05 oxidation or Δ6 oxidation) firing of pieces made in class. Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: John Mitchell
No Sections Currently Scheduled.
In Depth Slab Building - 6 Weeks - $170
Anna provides tips and tricks for working with slabs. This six-week course is designed for intermediate hand-builders that are looking to refine their skills. The main focus of this class will be on construction. This class includes bisque and glaze (Δ05 oxidation, Δ6 oxidation or Δ10 reduction) firing of pieces made in class. Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: Anna Galloway Highsmith
No Sections Currently Scheduled
Clay Lamps - 6 Weeks - $170
In this class, students will design and build their own clay lamps. Students will explore the lamp as focal point and functional object. The class will cover topics such as: hardware and wiring, lamp styles and shade selection. John will demonstrate several building techniques designed to cover all skill levels. This class includes bisque and glaze (Δ6 oxidation) firing of pieces made in class. Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: John Mitchell
No Sections Currently Scheduled
Making a Child's Tea Set - 8 Weeks - $200
Make your own family heirloom! In this adult class, you can improve your handbuilding skills while creating a one of a kind toy tea set for your kids and grandkids. You'll make an 11-piece play tea set in time for the holidays. The finished product will be food-safe, non-toxic, lead-free, and sturdy enough for a careful four-year-old to play with. Clay experience is helpful but not required. The teacher, Anna Galloway Highsmith, went to RISD, teaches handbuilding around Rhode Island, and has a studio in Pawtucket. Her work can be seen on her website: www.smallcraftadvisory.org Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: Anna Galloway Highsmith
No Sections Currently Scheduled
Open Studio - 6 Weeks - $170
This six-week course is for students who have taken Pottery/Wheel or Handbuilding 1 and need to work on their skills. This course provides students with the opportunity to continue at a beginner's level and to work toward more refined products. Experienced participants may also learn more advanced wheel-throwing or handbuilding techniques. This class includes bisque and glaze (Δ05 oxidation or Δ6 oxidation) firing of pieces made in class. Ages 16 and up.
Instructor: John Mitchell
Section 46 Monday 7pm - 9:30pm February 6 - March 12
Section 47 Tuesday 3:30pm - 6pm February 7 - March 13
Section 48 Monday 3:30pm - 6pm March 12 - April 16
Section 49 Tuesday 12pm - 2:30pm March 20 - April 24
Section 50 Tuesday 7pm - 9:30pm March 20 - April 24
Section 51 Wednesday 7pm - 9:30pm April 11 - May 16
Section 52 Tuesday 3:30pm - 6pm May 1 - June 5
Section 53 Monday 7pm - 9:30pm May 14 - June 25 (No Class Memorial Day May 28)
Clay Stamp Making - 1 Session - $20
Enjoy learning how to make stamps out of clay.
Instructor: John Mitchell
No Sections Currently Scheduled.
Clay Whistles - 2 Sessions - $35
Enjoy learning how to make whistles out of clay.
Instructor: Norma Anderson
Section 04 Wednesday 1pm - 3pm October 12 and October 26 (No class October 19)
Colored Slip Decoration - 1 Session - $35
Enjoy learning how to work with colored slips.
Instructor: Thomas Ladd
No Sections Currently Scheduled
Big Clay Day - 1 Session - No Charge
Come and play with us or just come to watch. We spin the wheel to determine the weight (10-20 lbs.), allow all our contestants to declare their 1 tool (not including a sponge, sorry torches and heat guns are not allowed) and then we tell them whether we are throwing for height or width. Always fun and usually our defending champion shows up to defend their title. We have had many winners from professionals to beginners. Bring your clay or you risk having to use our reclaim which may not be in very good shape.
Mediator: Alternates between John Mitchell & Kris Pedersen
No Sections Currently Scheduled
Jason Fong (Current Champion) & Leslie Schuster
Bowl Fundraiser - 6 Weeks - No Charge
We love to contribute bowls to fundraisers. If you would like to contribute bowls as well, come on down on our throwing, trimming and glazing days and help us make lots of bowls. We provide the clay and firing, just bring your tools and a smile! We are asked by many organizations for bowl donations and the more we can give, the better we feel about it.
Come on down and help us help others!
We've changed our Bowl Fundraiser - Now it's a 6-week session with critiques on what makes a better bowl. All clay, glaze and firing still included. But this new session comes complete with practice time. Still NO CHARGE!!! Take advantage of this great offer. Session sizes are limited so register for this one early. Wheel throwing skills are a prerequisite to this session.
Instructor: John Mitchell
No Sections Currently Scheduled
Pinch Pot & a Movie - 1 Night - No Charge
For those of you who know John & Kris, you'll understand this event. We love to watch movies in our studio. We would have a pinch pot & a movie night unofficially at our old studio often and we decided to add it to our schedule so that anyone interested could come by and join us. If you usually throw on the wheel, it's very liberating to be forced to handbuild. We do not require pinch pots, but we do require handbuilding only (since our studio is not equipped with the Shimpo Whisper wheels, wheel throwing would be too loud to watch a movie to). Just bring your tools and clay (and a movie if you'd like). We vote on a movie once everyone is there and if it's around a meal time, we might even order in (okay, so just about every time we have dinner from Not Just Snacks on Hope Street). It is delicious and the movies are usually funny. Ages 18 & up only.
Come by and have fun!
No Sections Currently Scheduled
2011 Summer Demonstration Series (with a side of fries) - 2 Hours - $5 Fee (All Proceeds go to Rhode Island Special Olympics)
We completed the series and raised some money for RI Special Olympics - Thank you to all of our demonstrators and attendees. It was a great summer! Please let us know what you want to see next summer.
2011 - We started the summer demo series last year. We had three great demos, so we decided to expand it. This year, we're offering nine demonstrations by a variety of artists that we are lucky enough to call our friends. I bet your thinking, "Five bucks, there's got to be some kind of catch." Well it's just our way of helping the clay community get together and raise a little money for a great organization. Join us at the studio for some demonstrations by fantastic local artists. We give you our word, it will be worth five bucks. And just to seal the deal, John's frying up sweet potato fries for all who attend. What more can we do? You can't get blood from a stone. Ages 14 & up only.
Handbuilt Lidded Vessels with Anna Highsmith- Saturday 1pm - 3pm June 11 - Now that she's throwing pots, we've asked her to demo her handbuilt lidded vessels (mostly to makes sure she doesn't forget how to do them). Check out the pictures from last summer's surface decoration demonstration on Facebook. She does fantastic work.
Glazing with Jason Fong - Monday 1pm - 3pm June 20 - If you have ever asked the question "how did Jason glaze that?" Well here's your chance to get the straight "Fong." Check out the pictures from last summer's altering forms demonstration on Facebook.
Colored Slip Application with Tom Ladd - Wednesday 7pm - 9pm June 29 - The last time Tom did this demo for us was over five years ago and people still ask about it. It's one of our favorites and we've begged him to do it again.
Large Scale Throwing & Multi-Piece Forms with Lee Segal - Monday 7pm - 9pm July 11- Lee's shop "All Fired Up" on Thames Street in Newport is a destination for many summer visitors. Lee's appearance "off island" in mid July speaks volumes to the quality of the fries.
Sgrafitto with Akiko Omori - Wednesday 1pm - 3pm July 20 - Akiko first debuted her demonstration abilities last summer when at the last minute she took over for John's clay stamp making (he had shoulder surgery and could not go on). Her furoshiki (Japanese fabric folding) is still being talked about (check out the pictures on our Facebook page). Now she's going to share with us her carving techniques. If you've ever seen her pots, you won't want to miss seeing how she makes them.
Fancy Feet with Charlene Carpenzano - Monday 1pm - 3pm July 25 - Charlene is just one of the best demonstrators we've had at Dew Claw. Fancy feet was a multi-week class over 6 years ago and we're still telling people how great it was. Now we've asked her to cram it all into two hours all the while watching spectators eat fries.
Large Garden Planters with John Fazzino - Saturday 1pm - 3pm August 6 - After the winter we've had how can you resist anything that uses the word "garden." Having the demonstration in mid-August almost guarantees there'll be no snow. John's great and we've had him demo for us before (again, many years ago). Don't miss this one, it will have you working MUCH bigger than you normally work.
The Unknown Workshop with Jon Craven - Wednesday 7pm - 9pm August 17 - Don't miss the first demo performed by our intern - even we don't know what he'll do!
Clay Stamp Making with John Mitchell - Saturday 1pm - 3pm August 20 - What can we say about John. Stamps, stamps, it ain't just stamps. He's a constant demonstrator and teacher here at Dew Claw and yet his material is never old. Come by just to see what he'll say next.
Portfolio Slides for High School Students - 3 Hour Session - $135 + $40 Material Fee
Having good slides is one of the fastest ways to enhance the quality of your portfolio. This three-hour session is intended for high school students planning to assemble a portfolio for submission to college or art school. Students will learn how to shoot professional slides of their own three dimensional work. Each student will receive 5 slides of each item (up to 7 items). Ages 15 and up. Additional charges may apply for more than seven items or more than five slides of each item.
Instructor: John Mitchell
Call for private scheduling (Sunday morning, afternoon, evening and Friday evening availabilities). Appointments are limited so schedule early.
National Portfolio Review Day 2009: www.portfolioday.net; W. Hartford, CT Saturday October 3 12pm-4pm; Boston, MA Sunday October 4 12pm-4pm
Private Lessons - $35 Per Hour
Just need a little help with something or want to take a class but you have an alternating schedule? Call and schedule a private lesson with any of our instructors. 1.5 Hour minimum for non-wheel work; 2 Hour minimum for wheel instruction.
Call for private scheduling, please specify instructor preference.
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