Ceramics Courses
Courses
We offer courses on ceramic arts for adults of all skill levels over three terms per year. Registration is open to anyone over the age of 18 unless otherwise noted.
Preview our Spring 2027 courses, sorted by level
Use these definitions of experience level as a guideline to select a Ceramics Program course that best suits your level of experience.
Our Spring 2027 registration lottery will open November 16 - 19. Please visit our Registration Policies page for detailed instructions about our registration process and important dates. Sign up for our email newsletter to receive updates & reminders on this and future registration periods.
Beginner-Intermediate courses
Basics and Challenges on Mondays
Beginner - Intermediate
Meets Mondays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm, January 25 - April 12, 2027
Instructor: Brandon VanWormer
Through demonstrations, individual critiques, and extensive hands-on practice, students will learn the fundamentals of wheel throwing, hand...
Basics and Challenges on Thursdays
Beginner - Intermediate
Meets Thursdays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm, January 28 - April 15, 2027
Instructor: Katie Bosley Sabin
Through demonstrations, individual critiques, and extensive hands-on practice, students will learn the fundamentals of wheel throwing, hand...
Basics and Challenges on Tuesdays
Beginner - Intermediate
Meets Tuesdays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm, January 26 - April 13, 2027
Instructor: Kyle Johns
Through demonstrations, individual critiques, and extensive hands-on practice, students will learn the fundamentals of wheel throwing, hand building...
Introduction to Wheel Throwing - Saturdays
Beginner - Intermediate
Meets Saturdays, 10:00am - 1:00pm, January 30 - April 24, 2027
Instructor: Adriana Sousa Estrella
This course uses the potter’s wheel as a tool for making functional pottery, as well as introducing ways the wheel can be used to create...
Introduction to Wheel Throwing - Wednesdays
Beginner - Intermediate
Meets Wednesdays, 10:00am – 1:00pm, January 27 - April 14, 2027
Instructor: Sarah Carroll
This course uses the potter’s wheel as a tool for making functional pottery, as well as introducing ways the wheel can be used to create closed...
Molds and Multiples
Beginner - Intermediate
Meets Tuesdays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm, January 26 - April 20, 2027
Instructor: Forrest Sincoff Gard
Expand your knowledge of basic plaster mold-making for press-molding and slip-casting. Mold-making is an efficient method for quickly...
Beginner-Advanced courses (All Levels)
Looking at Animals
Beginner - Advanced
Meets Wednesdays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm, January 27 - April 14, 2027
Instructor: Mary Kenny
Whether you want to make a sculpture of an animal, add animal features on a thrown pot, or draw, paint, or carve the image of an animal, this class is...
Slab Lab
Beginner - Advanced
Meets Tuesdays, 10:00am - 1:00pm, January 26 - April 13, 2027
Instructor: Joanna Mark
Concentrating on the use of slabs, this class will explore the techniques of using slump and hump molds, pinch and dart methods, and flexible slab...
Intermediate-Advanced courses
⚠️Please carefully review our definitions of experience levels for courses to ensure that you are qualified to take an intermediate-advanced course. We reserve the right to drop participants who have registered for courses they do not have the skills to meaningfully participate in.
Choices & Challenges – What if? Why not?
Intermediate – Advanced
Meets Thursdays, 10:00am – 1:00pm, January 28 - April 22, 2027
Instructor: Tom Hubbard
Spend the semester exploring new directions in your studio practice. In this class, students respond to weekly prompts, selecting a making method...
Combined Methods
Intermediate - Advanced
Meets Wednesdays , 6:30pm - 9:30pm , January 27 - April 21, 2027
Instructor: Adriana Sousa Estrella
This course, intended for Intermediate-Advanced students, encourages students to challenge their interest in the ceramic medium...
Cut, Fold, Build: Advanced Handbuilding Inspired by Paper Cutting and Nature
Intermediate - Advanced
Meets Tuesdays, 1:00pm - 4:00pm, January 26 - April 13, 2027
Instructor: Chenlu Hou
This advanced handbuilding course explores the relationship between two-dimensional imagery and three-dimensional form through paper cutting and...
Digital Clay
Intermediate - Advanced
Meets Wednesdays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm, January 27 - April 21, 2027
Instructor: Nik Putnam
This course offers a broad exploration of how digital tools can be applied to ceramic studio practice, with a focus on collaboration between hand...
From Idea to Objects – All Things Handbuilding
Intermediate - Advanced
Meets Wednesdays, 10:00am - 1:00pm, January 27 - April 21, 2027
Instructor: Kyungmin Park
Push the possibilities of handbuilding while developing your individual artistic voice. Designed for students with prior handbuilding experience...
Shape Shifting with Soda
Intermediate - Advanced
Meets Tuesdays, 10:00am - 1:00pm, January 26 - April 13, 2027
Instructor: Paul Wisotzky
This class, intended for intermediate to advanced students, will focus on using various forms of altering to create functional pots that all start...
Simple to Sublime
Intermediate - Advanced
Meets Fridays, 10:00am - 1:00pm, January 29 - April 16, 2027
Instructor: Denny McLaughlin
From simple functional forms to exquisitely decorated vessels, the possibilities are endless for creating exquisite as well as useful forms...
The Human/Animal Narrative
Intermediate - Advanced
Meets Thursdays, 10:00am - 1:00pm , January 28 - April 15, 2027
Instructor: Claudia Olds Goldie
In this Intermediate-Advanced class, students will learn to capture the unique connection between people and animals. Focus will be on...
Understanding Glazes with Studio Access
Intermediate - Advanced
Meets Mondays, 6:30pm - 9:30pm, January 25 - April 12, 2027
Instructor: Matthew Katz
Understanding Glazes is an intensive ten-week online lecture-based study combined with fourteen weeks of access to the Ceramics Program Materials...
Wheel Intensive
Intermediate - Advanced
Meets Mondays, 10:00am - 1:00pm, January 25 - April 14, 2027
Instructor: Steve Murphy
Focusing on the wheel, this class for Intermediate Advanced potters will explore size, form, refinement, trimming for perfect feet, and surface...
Spring 2027 online-only course
Advanced Experimental Photography on Clay - Online Course
Intermediate to Advanced
Meets Wednesdays, 6:30pm - 8:30pm, January 27 - April 21, 2027 via Zoom
Instructor: Anne Eder
Registration for this online-only course opens December 1.
Are you someone who enjoys combining art and science? If so, this course may be...
Spring 2027 Workshop
Chandra DeBuse Visiting Artist Workshop
April 10 & 11, 2027
10am-5pm each day
All levels welcome
Registration for this workshop opens December 1.
Beginning with the sketchbook as a springboard, Chandra DeBuse will share how she develops ideas for functional form and surface through drawing, digital...
| Course | Harvard Undergraduate | Harvard Graduate | Adult Community | TAP Regular | TAP Long Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basics & Challenges (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Choices and Challenges (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Combined Methods (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Cut, Fold, Build (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Digital Clay (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
From Idea to Objects (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Independent Study (14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Intro to Wheel – Wednesdays (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Intro to Wheel – Saturdays (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Looking at Animals (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Molds and Multiples (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Shape Shifting w/ Soda (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Simple to Sublime (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Slab Lab (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Understanding Glazes (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Wheel Intensive (12cl/14wks) | $150 | $555 | $1,195 | $580 | $540 |
Online Course (12 classes) | $25 | $575 | $575 | $40 | $0 |
Visit our Opportunities for Artists page to learn more about the following programs:
- Scholarships
- Clay With Neighbors for Allston Brighton residents
- Technical Training program
- Artist In Residence opportunity
- Independent Study Program
- Registration Policies
- Definition of Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced experience levels for courses
- Workshops and Visiting Artist Events - registration is open on a space-available basis throughout the year
- Scholarship information - Scholarship applications are due before registration begins.
Questions on course content, health and safety and facility questions? Please email Kathy King at kking@fas.harvard.edu.
Questions on registration procedures and pricing? Please email Ji Eun Kim at jikim@fas.harvard.edu