Ceramics
Code: ZSC0101-27
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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.
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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.
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IV
Level IV
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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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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S
Studio Session
January Studio Sessions: Ceramics
Jan 4 - 29, 2027
9 AM - 5 PM
Tuition: $5,200.00
Course Fee: $605.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
NEW: Tuition includes the welcome dinner and daily lunch
Registration Information
Concept
Anderson Ranch’s January Studio Sessions 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 morning 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 and on weekends for students enrolled in multiple weeks, with limited use of equipment due to safety requirements.
IMPORTANT DETAILS: Students will be responsible for all material costs associated with their projects. Participants will have access to the studios on weekends up to Friday, January 29th. There are no staff hours or kiln-firing on weekends. Private dorm rooms are available at Anderson Ranch for one, two, three, or four weeks for an additional fee; click here to view January 2027 lodging options. Breakfasts and dinners are included in the dorm fee. Lunches are included in the studio fees.
TO APPLY: Applicants must submit project proposals or portfolios for approval. Contact Betsy Alwin to apply: [email protected]
Media & Techniques
Certain clay bodies and glazes are available through the studio. Please do not bring your own clay unless it is new, labeled and boxed. Materials, techniques, glazing and firings are project-dependent and subject to availability. Staff work with participants individually in advance to accommodate proposed projects and plan for their session needs.
Faculty
Joanne Seongweon Lee
Studio Coordinator, Ceramics
Originally from South Korea, Joanne Seongweon Lee received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and was awarded the Franz Rising Star Project Scholarship: Outstanding Performance in Porcelain Design. Lee attended residencies at the Korea Ceramics Foundation, Icheon Cerapia in Korea, and at Sonoma Ceramics in Sonoma, CA. Formerly an instructor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA,she is currently ceramics coordinator at Anderson Ranch Arts Center.
Tuition: $5,200.00
Course Fee: $605.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
NEW: Tuition includes the welcome dinner and daily lunch
Registration Information
Workshop Details
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
Ceramics Studio at Anderson Ranch, Aspen / Snowmass
The ceramics studio at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, located in Snowmass Village near Aspen, Colorado, is a fully equipped professional ceramics studio designed to support immersive workshops and advanced studio practice. The facility offers dedicated workspaces, high-quality kilns, glazing areas, and technical infrastructure for artists working in clay across a range of processes and firing methods.
Interested in enrolling? Explore the full schedule of Ceramics Workshops at Anderson Ranch.
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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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.
-
IV
Level IV
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.
Aug 10 - 21, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Piecing it Together: Slab Building with Clay Fabric
Samantha Briegel
Tuition $1,795
Code C1113-26
Learn innovative slab surface treatment techniques in this dynamic workshop that combines hand-building, textured decoration, underglaze screen-printing, and particularly the process of building textured slab-molds using fabric and plaster. Students design and create their own cast textured clay slabs, transforming them into sculptures or functional wares, and explore a technique for applying underglaze color patterns with EZ screens—a technique that can be done easily in a home studio. We learn the art of creating templates and stencils for printing onto clay slab surfaces, and come away from the workshop with plaster texture molds, screenprinted stencils, and several finished works. The workshop is ideal for students who are skilled in slab building functional pottery and want to invigorate their practices with new surface techniques.
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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
Aug 10 - 21, 2026
9AM - 5PM
Advanced Mentored Studies: Centering a Ceramic Studio Practice Through Material and Meaning
Audrey An, Shoji Satake
Tuition $3,000
Code C1112-26
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].
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O
Open to All
Students of any skill and knowledge level.
Aug 24 - 28, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Nerikomi Clay Techniques
Joanne Seongweon Lee
Tuition $1,300
Code C1320-26
In this intensive one-week workshop, students discover the possibilities of combining differently colored clays. We explore the Nerikomi method, a Japanese ceramic art technique that involves building intricate patterns by combining and laminating different clays, and learn how to hand-form functional and sculptural objects through a variety of patterning and building techniques.