Posts tagged Ceramics
The Infinite School at Haystack
The Infinite School at Haystack

Started in 2019 by Julia Haft-Candell, The Infinite School is an in-person experimental space for ceramic education outside of the institution. Core values of The Infinite School include demystifying the ceramic process; facilitating empowered communities of artists; quality art education outside of traditional institutions; building new ceramic histories; and embracing failure.

For this workshop, The Infinite School will travel to Haystack, offering this experimental space on the East Coast for the first time. As a group, through trial and error, we will demystify aspects of the ceramic medium such as building big, glaze mixing, and multiple firing, question ideas of mastery and genius, and rebel against the rules you've been taught about ceramics. All levels welcome.

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Session 1Molly FlaniganCeramics, Julia Haft-Candell
Not Winging It: Calculated Uncertainty
Not Winging It: Calculated Uncertainty

The focus of this workshop is to investigate the relationship between intention, control, and unpredictability. We will go through strategies for planning, designing, and breaking down simple surfaces both in analog and digital formats. This workshop can be a place to try your hand at 3D modeling, 2D illustration, or simply become more comfortable with a tape measure and ruler. We will work through techniques for surface pattern in both greenware and bisqueware, with the workshop ending in a soda firing. The objective of this journey is to find the intersection between the intentional and the unplanned, allowing yourself only at the end to loosen the practiced authority over the work you produce and permitting the firing to take on a portion of that ownership. The first half of this workshop will be about calculated steps, while the second half will be about embracing uncertainty and welcoming the potential that exists beyond control. Previous ceramic skills required: ability to create basic shapes either by wheel-throwing or handbuilding without assistance. This workshop will only cover what happens after your piece is in its leather hard stage.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganCeramics, Sarah Hussaini
One Tough B*tch
One Tough B*tch

Porcelain is one tough b*tch, as this material can be both fragile and resilient and can tell powerful stories. This workshop will disentangle personal and historical histories to find empowerment through handbuilt porcelain vessels, adornment, documentation, and performance-based works. We will explore how ceramic pots share the language descriptors of the body—lip, neck, shoulder, and foot while our physical body keeps the score. Basic clay and handbuilding experience required.

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Session 3Molly FlaniganCeramics, Jennifer Ling Datchuk
Exploring Native Materials
Exploring Native Materials

In this workshop we will focus on using locally sourced native materials in our pots. We will work on the wheel to make pitchers, cups, jars, and teapots, and expose the character of the clay by cutting, faceting, and slipping pots. Students are encouraged to bring samples of rocks, shales, and clays that are local to them. We will process these materials and make simple glaze blends to fire along with our pots in the reduction and soda kilns. Please note that we will not be sourcing materials from the Haystack campus to preserve the delicate habitat. All levels welcome.

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Session 4Molly FlaniganCeramics, Nathan Willever
Pour & Slip: Experiments in Plaster Mold Making & Slip Casting
Pour & Slip: Experiments in Plaster Mold Making & Slip Casting

Come explore the language of repetition and familiarity through plaster mold making and slip casting. Whether you sculpt a new form or use a found object that has inherited language, see how material transformation changes the narrative of an object. We will discuss the history of kitsch, plaster mold making techniques, and best practices for casting porcelain slip. A basic understanding of the clay process is extremely helpful. All levels welcome.

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Session 5Molly FlaniganCeramics, Victoria Ashley Shaheen
Signs, Symbols, & Marks: Discover Your Surface Pattern Design Language
Signs, Symbols, & Marks: Discover Your Surface Pattern Design Language

This workshop focuses on surface pattern design, emphasizing various pictorial designs from global cultures to develop a symbolic language reflecting individual creative expression. Through demonstrations, students will learn various approaches to creating a library of patterns using surface design techniques, including stamping, inlay, carving, and resist techniques. This workshop aims for students to find their visual vocabulary through pattern design. All levels welcome.

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Session 6Molly FlaniganCeramics, Malene Djenaba Barnett