Ceramics
Code: C1112-26
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P
Portfolio Review Required
Students have advanced skills and knowledge of the ceramics field. Students are highly motivated, have a minimum of five years experience in the field and have a portfolio of their artwork. Typical students are academics and professional artists.
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AMS
Advanced Mentored Studies
Advanced Mentored Studies: Centering a Ceramic Studio Practice Through Material and Meaning
Aug 10 - 21, 2026
9AM - 5PM
Tuition: $3,000.00
Course Fee: $590.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
Concept
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:
- Aug 10 – 21, 2026
- Aug 9 – 20, 2027
- Aug 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 16, 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].
Faculty
Audrey An
Audrey An’s creative research explores the application of digital technologies to ceramics through the lens of convergence-cultural, technological, and interdisciplinary. She holds an MFA from Penn State and a BFA from Alfred University and has recently participated in long-term residency at the Ceramics Program, Office for the Arts at Harvard.
Shoji Satake
Shoji Satake, a Japanese-born American artist, is a professor in the Ceramics department at RISD. Prior to joining RISD, he held the Bernard Schultz Endowed Professor of Art position at West Virginia University, where he also served as the area coordinator for the ceramics program for 17 years. Currently he is president of the Board of Directors for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and a member of the International Academy of Ceramics.
Shoji Satake, Girl Power
Tuition: $3,000.00
Course Fee: $590.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
Workshop Details
Workshop Supplies
For general information about studio access, shipping, and more, please visit our info page.
If you have any questions regarding your supplies for your workshop, please contact Joanne Seongweon Lee, [email protected].
Provided by Anderson Ranch
Equipment
- 3D Clay printer
- 3D PLA printer
- Laser cutter
- Apple mac
- Backing board
- Banding wheel
- Blender
- Clamps
- Electric kilns
- Extruder
- Laser printer
- Lenovo computer
- Lenovo laptops
- Rolling pin
- Silk screen
- Slab roller
- Squeegee
- Wheel
Supplies
- Casting slip
- Emulsion remover
- Emulsions
- Newsprint
- Plaster
- Tape**
- The clay allowance is 125 pounds for this two-week workshop. Only the clays and glazes chosen for the workshop will be available for use, which are predetermined by the instructor. Please do not bring additional clay from your studio.
- Tissue transer paper
- Transparencies
- Underglazes
What you need to bring
Required Tools and Supplies
- Apron and/or towel**
- Basic ceramics tools that will be used for plaster**
- Favorite ceramics tools from your home studio
- Laptops
- Respirator/N-99 dust masks**
- Sketchbook/Notebook**
- Spatula
- Basic pottery tools**
Optional Tools and Supplies
- panel wood*
- Light colored T-shirt for screen printing**
- Packing materials**
* Available for purchase in the studio.
** Available to purchase at the Anderson Ranch ArtWorks Store for 10% off. The store aims to stock comparable items, though specific products from the supply list may vary based on inventory.
Learn more about shipping supplies and artwork to and from the Ranch in the Student Handbook.
Lodging & Meals
Housing is limited and includes shared and private lodging options. Reservations will be managed on a first-come, first-served basis. The earlier you reserve housing, the better your chance of receiving your preferred option. Please note: Workshop costs do not include accommodations.
NEW: Course fees includes a welcome dinner and lunches. In our effort to foster a stronger sense of community and accessibility at Anderson Ranch, we include the welcome dinner and all lunches as part of course fees for summer workshop students. Our hope is that this adjustment will encourage all students to come together to share meals and engage in meaningful conversations. The Ranch Café Meal Plan, which is included with Room and Board fees, strives to provide healthy, creative meals that will nourish your artistic creativity. Learn more.
We have established a Business Safety Plan with added layers of precaution that prioritize the health and safety of our staff, students, faculty and guests while continuing to provide you with the Anderson Ranch experience that you know and enjoy.
Ceramics
In 1966, American 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 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.
The Soldner Ceramics Center makes up more than 10,000 square feet in three buildings with 3 studio spaces and 1 kiln yard; Soldner Studio, Long Studio, Sorenson Studio and Lyeth/Lyon Kiln Building. Soldner and Long studios are used for wheel-throwing, hand-building, or general ceramics creativity. Sorenson studio is equipped with five PotterBot 3d clay printers. The Lyeth/Lyon kiln building is equipped with gas, electric, soda and wood kilns for both oxidation and reduction firing at all temperature ranges. The Ranch offers three wood kilns including a gas/wood hybrid kiln, three gas reduction kilns, one soda kiln and eleven high-temperature electric kilns.
Don’t know where to start? View the skill levels for ceramics workshops.
Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a historic, rustic campus that features gravel pathways and uneven terrain that may pose challenges for individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. We strive to provide accommodations to ensure all guests can access and enjoy our programs and facilities. With advance notice, our staff can offer personalized assistance and coordinate access to studios and campus spaces. For questions or to request an accommodation, please contact us at (970) 923-3181 or [email protected].
Anderson Ranch is happy to extend a 20% tuition discount for summer one- or two-week adult ceramics workshops for NCECA members at the student membership level or above. Please email [email protected] with your NCECA membership information prior to registering and we will send you a promo code to complete registration with your discount applied. You are also welcome to call 970-924-5089 to register after verifying your membership with us. **Please note, this discount must be approved prior to registering and cannot be applied retroactively. NCECA discount does not apply to Advanced Mentored Studies programs or Destination Workshops, nor can it be combined with any other discount, scholarship or special offer.
Scholarships, College Credit & Discounts
Making Art Accessible
Applications for scholarship support are encouraged. Specific scholarships are funded by Ranch supporters, either through endowed funds or special gifts.
Many colleges and universities offer college credit for workshops taken at Anderson Ranch. Discounts are available for students and teachers.
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