Intro to clay – Hand Building Jan 2025

What to expect...

The objective of the "Introduction to Clay - Hand building" course is to introduce participants to clay as material to build functional and decorative pieces with focus on different hand-building techniques. This is a class of eight participants guided by an instructor. In the first two sessions, you will learn the basis for constructing vessels, practice the construction of fundamental forms while using different techniques, such as slabs, pinch pots, and coil construction. You will also learn about different alternatives to create and add handles and textures to your pieces. The third session is devoted to color decoration and glazing of the bisqued pieces (that is, dipping or brushing your vessels with liquid composed of different minerals that, when heated to a high temperature, transform into a colorful, glass-like surface). At the end of the last session, your creations will be ready to go in the kiln for the final firing (glaze). The glazes that we provide for your use will make the pots waterproof and food safe. There is no limit on how many pieces can be made during this course, provided all your pieces are trimmed and glazed during the allotted time and can be safely fired (pieces that do not meet the minimum requirements will not be fired). The finished pieces will be ready for pick-up 2-3 weeks after the workshop. Time commitment: One session per week, 3 hours each spread over 3 non-consecutive weeks. In total, 9 hours of studio time spread over 4 weeks. o Session 1: 20-Jan-2025 (Monday from 18:00 to 21:00) o Session 2: 27-Jan-2025 (Monday from 18:00 to 21:00) o Session 3: 10-Feb-2025 (Monday from 18:00 to 21:00) Location: Ceramics Collective Basel - Spalentorweg 7, 4051 Basel Price: CHF 400 (all materials and firing of your pieces are included) Who is this course for? Adults (age 16+) who are total beginners and curious about this craft. Willingness to get your hands dirty. This course is the perfect stepping stone if you are looking for a new hobby as after the course you will be qualified to join our studio during the regular Open Studio sessions to continue practicing and develop your own creative projects. If you would like to make something with clay but you’re not sure if you can commit to all three weeks of this course, then we recommend joining one of our shorter beginners' workshops.