Ceramics
Code: C1320-22
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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.
Understanding Soda Firing
Aug 29 - Sep 9, 2022
9AM-5PM
Concept
This class provides students with the rare and exciting opportunity to learn about and participate in the loading and firing of soda kilns. For the first of the two firings, participants are asked to bring 10 to 15 bisqueware pieces that are loaded on the second day of the workshop. Work is then made, slipped and bisqued for the second firing, which takes place during the second week of the workshop. Throughout the two-week session, two kilns are strategically loaded, fired to cone ten in a reduced atmosphere and oxidation cooled. Demonstrations of particular forms are discussed in terms of how they pair and react with the results of the soda firing process. Emphasis is placed on exploring the effects of slips, glazes and granitic inclusions in the clay and how they interact with the atmosphere inside the soda kiln.
Media
Wheel-throwing, hand-building, stoneware, slip, glazes, soda firing to cone 10
Supply ListFaculty
Stuart Gair
Stuart Gair received a history degree from Ohio University and completed an MFA from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Stuart has spent time making work and teaching at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT, Harvard University, and Colorado Mountain College in Aspen. Currently he lives in Athens, OH where he is a professor at Ohio University and makes work at his home studio.
Stuart Gair, Globe
Join Waitlist for Understanding Soda Firing
Thank you for your interest in the waitlist. When space in a workshop or program becomes available, registration will open on the website. Everyone on the waitlist will be emailed to alert them of the opening. This ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to register for the workshop or program.
Ceramics
In 1966, American raku 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-making 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. We also offer community engagement through events like our Locals’ Clubs “Circle of Fire” where artists engage with the Ranch outside of the workshop setting.
The Soldner Ceramics Center makes up more than 10,000 square feet in three buildings. The Lyeth/Lyon kiln building is equipped with gas, electric, soda and wood kilns for both oxidation and reduction firings at all temperature ranges. The Ranch offers three wood kilns, four gas reduction kilns, one soda kiln and eleven high-temperature electric kilns.
Anderson Ranch is happy to extend a 20% tuition discount* in summer one- or two-week adult workshops for NCECA members. Please register online and then email reg@andersonranch.org with your membership information and we will make the adjustment once you are in the system. You are also welcome to call 970-924-5089 to register. *Please note that the NCECA discount does not apply to The Center / Advanced Mentored Studies program, nor can it be combined with any other discount, scholarship or special offer.
Workshop Details
Supply List
Many of the items you'll need are available in the ArtWorks Store. Please click "View Full Supply List" to see a comprehensive list of items you'll need for this workshop.
Ceramic Glazing Brushes & Tools
Ceramic Tool Kit
Notebook
Variety of ribs
Writing Utensil
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.
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.
The Ranch Café meal plan that is included with Room and Board fees strives to provide healthy, creative meals that will nourish your artistic creativity. The meal plan includes 5 days of continental breakfasts that will include a hot offering, 5 lunches with a selection of offerings, and 5 dinners.
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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I
Level I
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II
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This beginner-friendly workshop focuses on developing basic and intermediate wheel throwing, surface treatment, and firing skills, aligning them with key elements of the creative process. Covering the basic skills of centering, throwing off the hump, and teapot assembly, the course meets individual participants where they are, giving them new perspectives to broaden their creative horizons. Sources of inspiration and personal creative growth accompany skill building through discussions about observation, time, energy, and focus. Daily demonstration, sketching, practice, and assessment help students expand their practices. This course aligns the how and why in service of fresh directions and an open mind.
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O
Open to All
Students of any skill and knowledge level.
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Explorations in Kiln-Formed Glass and Ceramics
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Code C0102-24
This one-week workshop delves into the process of combining ceramic and glass in a technique known as slumping. Gravity and heat from a kiln shapes sheet glass into a mold. Simple commercial molds are available for this process, usually to produce a dish, bowl, or vase form, but here students take this process in a different direction, making sculptural objects by including the ceramic “mold” as part of the finished work. Students create ceramic forms and experiment with several glass firings to truly understand the stages of glass as it melts in the kiln, gaining the knowledge to develop this technique within their own practice.
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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.
-
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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Building with Clay and Steel
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