Ceramics

In 1966, American raku ceramicist Paul Soldner selected the site for what is now Anderson Ranch Arts Center, forming the foundation for a thriving ceramics program. Then and now, Anderson Ranch is a place where students exchange ideas and examine ceramic art and pottery-making techniques. It has always been a place where seminal moments of growth happen in an artist’s creative and critical thinking. Here, both beginning and emerging artists gain strong fundamental support, while established artists achieve new perspectives and advance their techniques.

The Ranch Ceramics team provides support, feedback and technical problem solving, giving each artist the freedom to experiment and grow. Our primary focus is on personal advancement through a process of creative discovery. We also offer community engagement through events like our Locals’ Clubs “Circle of Fire” where artists engage with the Ranch outside of the workshop setting.

The Soldner Ceramics Center makes up more than 10,000 square feet in three buildings. The Lyeth/Lyon kiln building is equipped with gas, electric, soda and wood kilns for both oxidation and reduction firings at all temperature ranges. The Ranch offers three wood kilns, four gas reduction kilns, one soda kiln and eleven high-temperature electric kilns.

Anderson Ranch is happy to extend a 20% tuition discount* in summer one- or two-week adult workshops for NCECA members. Please register online and then email reg@andersonranch.org with your membership information and we will make the adjustment once you are in the system. You are also welcome to call 970-924-5089 to register. *Please note that the NCECA discount does not apply to The Center / Advanced Mentored Studies program, nor can it be combined with any other discount, scholarship or special offer. 

Joanne Seongweon Lee

Studio Coordinator, Ceramics

Originally from South Korea, Joanne Seongweon Lee received her BFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University with a concentration in Ceramics in 2015. After graduation, she moved back to South Korea for an Artist in Residence program at the Korea Ceramic Foundation: Icheon Cerapia. She completed an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2019 and achieved the Franz Rising Start Project Scholarship: Outstanding Performance in Porcelain Design in that same year. After graduating, she finished her Residency at Sonoma Ceramics in Sonoma, California. In 2021, Joanne taught numerous Ceramics courses for various levels at the James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Learn More

Anderson Ranch Campus

Upcoming Workshops

  • I

    Level I

    Students are new to ceramics and have no formal training.

  • II

    Level II

    Students have a basic understanding of forming techniques, such as throwing and hand building. Students have taken one or two ceramics classes or workshops.

Jun 3 - 14, 2024
9AM - 5PM

Path into Practice: Wheel Throwing and the Creative Process

Yutaka Kawahito

Tuition $1,450
Code C0101-24

This beginner-friendly workshop focuses on developing basic and intermediate wheel throwing, surface treatment, and firing skills, aligning them with key elements of the creative process. Covering the basic skills of centering, throwing off the hump, and teapot assembly, the course meets individual participants where they are, giving them new perspectives to broaden their creative horizons. Sources of inspiration and personal creative growth accompany skill building through discussions about observation, time, energy, and focus. Daily demonstration, sketching, practice, and assessment help students expand their practices. This course aligns the how and why in service of fresh directions and an open mind.

Learn More

  • O

    Open to All

    Students of any skill and knowledge level.

Jun 3 - 7, 2024
9AM - 5PM

Explorations in Kiln-Formed Glass and Ceramics

Kelly Witmer

Tuition $1,200
Code C0102-24

This one-week workshop delves into the process of combining ceramic and glass in a technique known as slumping. Gravity and heat from a kiln shapes sheet glass into a mold. Simple commercial molds are available for this process, usually to produce a dish, bowl, or vase form, but here students take this process in a different direction, making sculptural objects by including the ceramic “mold” as part of the finished work. Students create ceramic forms and experiment with several glass firings to truly understand the stages of glass as it melts in the kiln, gaining the knowledge to develop this technique within their own practice.

Learn More

  • II

    Level II

    Students have a basic understanding of forming techniques, such as throwing and hand building. Students have taken one or two ceramics classes or workshops.

  • III

    Level III

    Students have significant experience with clay forming techniques, such as throwing, hand building and modeling. Students are comfortable with ceramics equipment, such as wheels, extruders and slab rollers. Students are self­-starting with some formal training and have taken a minimum of three classes or workshops.

Jun 10 - 21, 2024
9AM - 5PM

Building with Clay and Steel

Trey Hill

Tuition $1,600
Code S0203-24

Investigate new materials and approaches to building sculpture in this two-week exploratory workshop. Students discover innovative ways to combine different materials, creating dynamic mixed-media sculptures. This workshop experiments with adding different materials to students’ work—such as clay, steel, and found objects—while considering how each adds formal information and intensified content. This rigorous studio environment gives access to a variety of new materials and fresh ways of approaching students’ studio practice. The workshop is open to students working in any media who are looking to try something different and add new skills to their toolbox.

Learn More

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Tell us what you're interested in!