Adult Workshops
Mudflat's workshops cover a broad range of topics for everyone from beginner to advanced students. They're a great opportunity to gather with students and clay artists from Mudflat and elsewhere to explore a variety of ceramic art, try your hand at new techniques, or meet visiting artists.
If the workshop you would like to join is full, please contact us to be added to a waitlist
Winter 2025 Adult Workshop Descriptions
Soda Firing
Learn about soda firing, an alternative to Mudflat’s regular high fire reduction and oxidation kiln firings. This workshop includes an orientation meeting that will discuss clay bodies, best forms to make, application of flashing slips, texture considerations, glaze choice and glazing tips, plus what happens in a soda kiln during the firing. Mudflat’s tech staff will wad, load, fire and unload the kiln.Limited to 10 people for each section
Skill level: Not recommended for beginning students.
Winter #1
Orientation: Wednesday, January 8, 6-7 pm
Firing: Thursday, February 20
Winter #2
Orientation: Wednesday, February 26, 6-7 pm
Firing: Thursday, April 10
Tuition: $200, Subscribers $150, Includes one 25-lb clay
Layered Surface Decoration
In this hands-on workshop, Noni Armony will demonstrate a variety of ways to decorate wet clay pieces by layering colored slips and underglazes. We will use brushes, sponges, stencils, stamps, ribs and trailing bottles to apply layers of colors and textures to enhance small slab plates or tiles. Explore this technique to decorate your own forms; workshop will include discussion of glaze options for completing your work.
Saturday, January 18, 2-4:30 pm
Tuition: $50, Subscribers $45
Silicone Moldmaking
In this one-day hands-on workshop with Corran Shrimpton, students will learn how to create a silicone mold of an object of their choosing**. You will leave this workshop with a flexible, strong and durable mold that can be used to recreate your original object for years to come. Corran will demonstrate how to use a slab-pressing method with your new mold to create copies in clay.
** The object students should bring should be a NON-porous object to make a mold of. This could be an object you sculpted, but no bisqueware. Leather hard or vitrified clay is okay. This could be a found object- but no fabric or absorbent material. In both cases, the object shouldn’t have long/thin parts (for example, a strawberry works, but the leaves would not be successful). Students are encouraged to bring an object with some complexity- the benefit of doing a silicone mold is that undercuts are not a problem; a mold of a simple sphere for example, could be made with just plaster. Object must be no larger than 10" in any direction.
Sunday, February 2, 10 am - 4 pm
Tuition: $150, subscribers tuition: $135
Altering Thrown Forms
Eliane Medina will showcase methods for transforming wheel-thrown shapes into functional pieces that are not necessarily round. The workshop will cover different techniques such as darting, creating bottomless forms, assembling multiple parts, and incorporating sculptural elements to help you start modifying your clay creations. Although primarily a demonstration session, there might be some brief hands-on activities included.
Saturday, March 1, 1-4pm
Tuition: $50, subscribers tuition: $45
Exercising a Creative Voice on the Wheel
Visiting Artist workshop with Chris Archer
In this demo workshop, Chris Archer will lead a demonstration-based workshop focused on techniques and strategies for finding one’s creative voice in the process of designing and making on the potter’s wheel. Chris will share how he develops ideas through creative play exercises to create thoughtful, complex, and engaging forms. He will also offer strategies in using various advanced throwing and altering techniques paired with a personal design approach in which various components of material and process inform each other more effectively and pave the way for more personal and mature work.
Tuition: $100, subscribers $75
Hands In Clay Sundays
Join us for a Handbuilding Workshop!
Participate in a unique workshop led by Kate Kuligowski, where you will have the opportunity to craft your own project. During this class, participants will be taught the process of designing their personalized ceramic creations. You will get to decorate your pieces and select glazes for each one. Your finished work will be ready for pickup 3-4 weeks after the workshop concludes. All levels welcome. Choose from 2 different sections:
Make your Own Pet Bowls
Sunday February 9, 1-3 pm
Make Your Own Sushi Trays
Sunday March 16, 1-3 pm
Tuition: $50, subscribers tuition: $45
Register for a Workshop
Sold OutWed, Jan 08SomervilleJan 08, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PMSomerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Sold OutSat, Jan 18SomervilleJan 18, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PMSomerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Sold OutSun, Feb 02SomervilleFeb 02, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSomerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Sold OutSun, Feb 09SomervilleFeb 09, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PMSomerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Sold OutWed, Feb 26SomervilleFeb 26, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PMSomerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Sold OutSat, Mar 01SomervilleMar 01, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PMSomerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Membership OfferSun, Mar 16SomervilleMar 16, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PMSomerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Sold OutSat, Apr 05SomervilleApr 05, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSomerville, 81 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145, USA