Ceramics
Patterns of Kinship: Connecting to Ancestry Through Surface Design in Clay
with Malene Barnett
| Open to All
Malene Barnett, Memories of Home
Malene Barnett, Memories of Home
Code: C1215-25
Aug 18 - 22, 2025Past
9AM-5PM
Upcoming Workshops in Ceramics
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January Studio Sessions: Ceramics
Jan 4 - 29, 2027
-
Advanced Mentored Studies: Centering a Ceramic Studio Practice Through Material and Meaning
Aug 9 - 20, 2027
Discover the Workshop
This immersive surface pattern workshop explores the deep connections between heritage, identity, and design. Inspired by Barnett’s book, Crafted Kinship, this class guides students through creating meaningful patterns rooted in their ancestry and cultural history. Through hands-on work in clay, students uncover symbols, stories, and motifs passed down through generations, transforming them into a personal visual language. Together, students draw inspiration from personal experiences and subjects of interest, using surface design to honor and celebrate our collective creative heritage. Perfect for makers seeking to infuse their work with cultural significance.
Media & Techniques
Clay, slips, underglaze, pottery tools, designing, hand-building, slip transfer, carving, discussion, low-fire
“At AMACO Brent we believe that creativity should be nurtured and accessible to everyone. That’s why we’re proud to donate materials to support the incredible workshops at Anderson Ranch Arts Center.
Anderson Ranch offers workshops for artists of all ages a chance to explore, experiment, and express themselves through hands-on learning with clay. We’re honored to help provide the tools that make those experiences possible—and excited to see what the participants create!
Here’s to workshops full of inspiration, imagination, and art.”
Meet Your Faculty
Malene Barnett
Malene Djenaba Barnett is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, textile surface designer, and author of Crafted Kinship. Her work reflects her African Caribbean heritage, blending ceramics, textiles, and mark-making to explore ancestral legacy, identity, and diasporic traditions. Through exhibitions and residencies, Barnett’s art challenges conventional narratives, celebrating Black creativity and cultural resilience.
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].
What You Need to Bring
Required Tools & Supplies
- Apron and/or Towel**
- Basic Pottery Tools**
- Carving Tools/Loop Tools**
- Favorite Pottery Tools From Your Home Studio
- Images of Inspiration
- Pencil**
- Ruler**
- Serrate Ribs**
- Sketchbook/Notebook**
- Sponge**
- Variety of Brushes**
- Various Ribs**
- X-Acto Knife**
Optional Tools & Supplies
- Cone 6 Commercial Glazes. Students are welcome to bring their own.
- Mason Stains. Anderson Ranch will provide a limited amount of Mason Stains. Students are welcome to bring their own.
- Packing Materials**
- Scissors**
- Underglazes. Anderson Ranch will provide a limited amount of underglazes. Students are welcome to bring their own.
* 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.
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.
Getting to the Ranch, local transportation, and amenities in and around Snowmass Village.
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.
Studio access, shipping, campus policies, and other information for workshop participants.
Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please read the workshop description carefully to make sure the workshop is appropriate for your skill level. You must be at least 18 years old to attend an adult workshop.
Payment: A deposit of $650 per workshop is required to reserve a space (with or without housing). The balance of tuition, studio and registration fees, and housing is due 60 days prior to the start of your first workshop and is automatically charged to the credit card used for the deposit.
Cancellations: With at least 60 days’ notice, we will refund your payments less a cancellation fee of $250 per workshop. Cancellations made within 60 days of the start of your workshop will result in a full forfeiture. Housing cancellations follow the same 60-day notice, less $200 per week of housing reserved.
Transfers to another workshop or housing option are possible, space permitting, with at least 60 days’ notice and a $25 transfer fee.
Ceramics
January Studio Sessions: Ceramics
with Joanne Seongweon Lee
Jan 4 - 29, 2027 · 9AM - 5PM
Total: $5,200 · Intermediate - Advanced
Portfolio Review Required
Full
Ceramics
Advanced Mentored Studies: Centering a Ceramic Studio Practice Through Material and Meaning
with Audrey An, Shoji Satake
Aug 9 - 20, 2027 · 9AM - 5PM
Total: $3,000
Portfolio Review Required
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.