Digital Fabrication

This rigorous, engaging, printmaking workshop explores color monoprint and woodcut processes using hand and laser-cut stencils and blocks to create one-of-a-kind and editioned prints. We begin with observational studies from the natural world and explore monotype with stencils and multiple plates. We then use the laser cutter to cut woodblocks and combine these puzzle block prints with hand carved marks, alternating between structure and improvisation. This back-and-forth serves as the format for the course as we combine multiple matrices in many ways.

This hybrid, two-part class explores the handbuilding methods an artist can use to compose dynamic sculptural and installation compositions with clay and mixed-media resources. Week one is spent in the ceramic studio exploring ways to build small objects and components for larger work, with emphasis on conceptual ideas and non-traditional methods of fabrication. Week two shifts to the sculpture studio to explore additional form-building methods using urethane and epoxy resins, sculptural adhesive putties, paint, pigments, and found objects. Students will have access to plastic printers to generate objects for finished assembly or for plaster mold making at a later date.

This three-year mentorship program supports ceramic artists in deepening their practice and expanding their professional portfolios through guided mentorship within an immersive studio-research environment. Participants receive individualized support, dedicated studio time, and critical dialogue while working independently within a collaborative community of peers. The program emphasizes conceptual development, craftsmanship, experimentation, and interdisciplinary approaches. Over its course, artists refine their practice, develop innovative methods, and complete a capstone project that reflects their artistic growth while exploring clay's unique capacity to shape ideas, narratives, personal histories, and identities in transformative ways. In-Person Sessions at Anderson Ranch: August 10 - 21, 2026 August 9 - 20, 2027 August 7 - 18, 2028 Participants engage in a two-week in-person residency at Anderson Ranch (one each of the three consecutive summers), complemented by ongoing virtual engagement throughout the program. Each year includes two personalized one-on-one mentorship sessions via Zoom and a virtual group critique held in January. The program's final online Zoom meeting will be in April 2028, followed by the final on-campus two-week-long session in summer 2028. The final in-person session on campus culminates with a capstone exhibition in Anderson Ranch's Patton-Malott Gallery. Tuition is listed per year. Lodging and meals are additional. To Apply: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with a deadline of February 28, 2026. To apply, please complete the 2026 Advanced Mentored Studies Online Application. A non-refundable deposit of $650 per workshop is required to reserve a space for an adult. Questions? For more information about the next session of the Advanced Mentored Studies Program, please contact: Betsy Alwin, Artistic Director of Ceramics and Expanded Media, [email protected].