This workshop explores reverse thinking between mold and cast, treating the mold as an evolving work of art itself. Beginning with plaster prototyping, mold-making, and slip-casting, students discover plaster's versatility as both medium and tool. Not a traditional mold-making workshop, the course encourages students to move beyond convention, treating mold-making not only as a method for producing identical multiples but also as a generative process. By engaging the interplay between form and its inverse, the workshop expands the scope of slip-casting, revealing mold-making's potential for invention and new formal possibilities.

This inventive and exciting workshop, open to woodworking students of all levels, introduces participants to hand tool carving, power carving, and machine use. Through creating a wood sculpture of an animal form, students explore an array of carving techniques while considering surface detail, form, gesture, and balance.

Artists explore creative reuse as a powerful strategy for art-making, transforming everyday objects and discarded materials into assemblages, sculptures, and installations that tell new stories. By researching the history, use, and disposal of common objects, we consider the environmental impact of extractive practices and overconsumption—and reimagine how waste becomes a source of renewal. Through the process of salvaging and repurposing materials, artists experiment with ways to infuse their work with personal meaning, cultural resonance, and ecological awareness. The course includes group critiques, individual feedback, and ample studio time for hands-on exploration.

Engage in innovation and meaningful design in this workshop that focuses on clarifying an artist’s voice through a sculptural approach to furniture-making. We ideate, design, build, and discuss how to develop personal styles and details. Annie gives demonstrations in intermediate joinery, carving, shaping, and other techniques that respond to each student’s direction. Time is spent learning to articulate ideas to others and sharing feedback in a nurturing community of makers. Whether refining work in progress or starting a new body of work, this workshop is for anyone who wants to build their skill base, make meaningful furniture, and have a whole lot of fun creating it!

This workshop explores the expressive power of the human form in sculpture. Using oil-based clay on armatures, we learn how to construct a figure to scale, creating sketches and developing dynamic compositions. Participants learn and practice keen observational skills as they work with a live model. Each individual student works at their own pace with instructor guidance to build their confidence and find their voice. We take some time to photograph the sculptures at the end of the workshop, learning how to document three-dimensional work properly for portfolios and proposals. Students leave with at least one model figure.

The Studio Sessions at Anderson Ranch provide artists the opportunity to work on independent projects while receiving mentoring and critique sessions with Anderson Ranch artistic staff and interns. Each participant receives an assigned studio space, orientation, and access to equipment, as well as some group demonstrations and / or critiques. This program affords artists the experience enjoyed by national and international artists who access our state-of-the-art studios. Participants may expand their practices, take artistic risks, try new media or complete works for exhibition. *Studios are open 24 hours a day with limited use of equipment due to safety requirements. The machine rooms are only available when monitored – weekdays 9 AM-5 PM. Evening monitoring hours are Mondays – Thursdays, 7 – 9 PM. IMPORTANT DETAILS: Students will be responsible for all material costs associated with their projects. TO APPLY: Applicants must submit project proposals or portfolios for approval. Contact Betsy Alwin, Artistic Director of Ceramics and Expanded Media, to apply: [email protected]

Discover the magic of flame-working in this hands-on glass sculpture workshop. Participants learn to use a torch to melt borosilicate glass rods into both 2D and 3D networked sculptures, guided by the instructor and a team of expert flame workers. The workshop begins with clear glass to build a foundational understanding of the torch and how glass behaves when heated and manipulated. Once comfortable with the basics, participants may choose to work with colored glass. Through hands-on guidance, students develop the skills to create intricate, networked glass forms while exploring the material’s unique properties and expressive potential. Clear glass will be provided to students. A link to purchase colors will be provided in advance so students may bring their selected materials to the workshop.

This basic mold-making workshop focuses on plaster piece molds for slip and press-mold casting. Students are guided through the technical aspects of design of an object for casting, development of a plaster mold, and methods of casting. Discussion and demonstration give insight to how artists use this practice to create a catalog of forms and objects to use again and again in their work. Participants come away with knowledge of best practices, functioning piece molds, and a bisqued cast form.

Learn how to make sculptures that can withstand the test of time in this experimental workshop that joins steel, substrate, concrete, paper, and other coatings. Participants bend and weld steel armatures and structures–the bones of a sculpture–that can support surface materials that are textured, colorful, and durable. We concentrate on basic metalworking skills, covering techniques for problem-solving toward specialized forms. Students learn basic metal forming, bending, welding, and how to mix and apply various surface materials. The workshop integrates technical proficiency with experimental approaches that introduce unique textures and exciting new possibilities for durable and tactile sculpture.

In this hands-on workshop, students use the Fab Lab’s laser cutter and CNC router to translate personal imagery and visual ideas into hybrid works that combine digital precision with analog expression. Pushing two-dimensional painting onto three-3 dimensional surfaces creates a dynamic sense of wall power, and lets us explore painting as an object through individual experimentation. Incorporating physical elements, and painting on a variety of substrates and collage develops a sense of physicality, space, and texture. Painters and sculptors alike are invited to step outside of the rectangular picture plane, developing a deeper understanding of material relationships and the sculptural potential of the painted surface.

Experience the power of hot metal casting in this two-week intensive workshop covering the entire process of creating a cast metal sculpture. Students start by learning how to create wax forms to be transformed into bronze or aluminum, then are guided through the highly technical process of creating the ceramic shell mold, the burn-out process, and casting hot metal. Participants also explore the green sand-casting technique for quick-casting possibilities. Students come away with the knowledge, vocabulary, and an understanding of cast metal’s place in contemporary art practice. This workshop is ideal for anyone who has never cast metal before and for those who wish to brush-up on their skills.

Discover the versatility of steel in this mixed-media workshop exploring contemporary sculpture. Open to all experience levels, this course demonstrates how mastering a new process can unlock unimagined aesthetic possibilities. Beginners will learn fundamental techniques to cut, shape, and join steel, discovering the metal's ability to appear everything from aggressive and durable to delicate and organic. Experienced Artists new to sculpture will learn to translate their ideas into 3D compositions, practicing how to “draw in space” and ensure structural coherence from every angle. Seasoned Sculptors can push their boundaries by integrating steel with contrasting materials like wood, leather, cloth, or paper. Instruction is tailored through individual critiques, technical demonstrations, and group visual analysis. Whether you stick to traditional metalwork or experiment with mixed media, you are encouraged to work at the pace and style that best suits your interests.

The Studio Sessions at Anderson Ranch provide artists the opportunity to work on independent projects while receiving mentoring and critique sessions with Anderson Ranch artistic staff and interns. Each participant receives an assigned studio space, orientation, and access to equipment, as well as some group demonstrations and / or critiques. This program affords artists the experience enjoyed by national and international artists who access our state-of-the-art studios. Participants may expand their practices, take artistic risks, try new media or complete works for exhibition. *Studios are open 24 hours a day with limited use of machine room equipment due to safety requirements. The machine rooms are only available when monitored – weekdays 9 AM-5 PM. Evening monitoring hours are two nights a week, 7 – 9 PM. IMPORTANT DETAILS: Students will be responsible for all material costs associated with their projects. TO APPLY: Applicants must submit project proposals or portfolios for approval. Contact Betsy Alwin, Artistic Director of Ceramics and Expanded Media, to apply.

The Studio Sessions at Anderson Ranch provide artists the opportunity to work on independent projects while receiving mentoring and critique sessions with Anderson Ranch artistic staff and interns. Each participant receives an assigned studio space, orientation, and access to equipment, as well as some group demonstrations and / or critiques. This program affords artists the experience enjoyed by national and international artists who access our state-of-the-art studios. Participants may expand their practices, take artistic risks, try new media or complete works for exhibition. *Studios are open 24 hours a day with limited use of machine room equipment due to safety requirements. The machine rooms are only available when monitored – weekdays 9 AM-5 PM. Evening monitoring hours are two nights a week, 7 – 9 PM. IMPORTANT DETAILS: Students will be responsible for all material costs associated with their projects. TO APPLY: Applicants must submit project proposals or portfolios for approval. Contact Betsy Alwin, Artistic Director of Ceramics and Expanded Media, to apply.