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Date: January 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27 | Feb 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17
Times: Monday & Wednesday evenings 5:30p -7:00pm
Level: All
Membership Price: $360 (Members can use code MEMBERS10 upon checkout to receive 10% off)
Note: One bag cone 5/6 clay is included with workshop fee.
Workshop Description:
This class will cover the basics of ceramic wheel throwing functional objects – think bowls, cups, and small vases. Students will be supported as they throw, trim, and glaze their work.
Students can expect hands-on instruction that will evolve as students' skill and comfort level improves. Students will be able to add their desired flair to works with demonstrations on handle making and simple manipulations, to achieve interesting shapes and surfaces.
About the Instructor:
Alyson Brandes is a Mexican-American artist using clay to explore identity through cultural preservation. In 2020 she received her BA in Art History from Chapman University and was awarded with a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship at the American Museum of Ceramic Art. Her work was featured in Getty Magazine’s Spring 2024 edition, where she discussed her Mesoamerican influence and Mexican heritage. Curatorial projects include Elemental Encounters, a two-person show of ceramics and textiles. She has shown in group shows with Maker House Santa Barbara, Arvia Projects, Wolford House and the Infinite School. Her modular sculpture, titled Chicano Pinto Union II, became part of the Chicano Park Museum’s permanent collection in late 2025. Alyson has appreciated expanding her ceramic community through residency programs with Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and Salmon Creek Farm, and was most recently a short-term resident at Cider Creek Collective. She is currently an Artist-in-Residence at the Mendocino Art Center.
Required Materials:
Beginner's ceramic tool kit, Instructor recommends the: Kemper Pottery Tool Kit.
Needle tool
Angled stick tool
Round sponge
Metal and/or wooden tool
Wire tool
Pear shaped ribbon tool
Double ended ribbon tool
Optional Materials:
Apron and hand towel