Handbuilding Challenges

Session:  June 2– July 21 (8 classes)
Day/Time: Wednesdays, 6:30 – 8:30pm ET
Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Instructor: Ruth Easterbrook

Course Description: Are you ready to test your hand-building skills to the next level? Building off established skills we will work on craft, form, and exploring some of the possibilities of combining hand-building techniques. These projects will be longer and take more patience and planning to follow through. Ruth will share and lead conversations looking at historical and contemporary pots to learn from and inspire.

In the first part of the class, we will focus on building bisque molds, stamps, and other tools that will make your handbuilt pots uniquely yours. Ruth will share her personal multi-step process of making a ring-mold, hump mold, and then using them together to make a butter dish. Most of the first few classes will be dedicated to making the molds themselves. These take some time and need to be bisqued before you use them. Once we have fired bisque molds, Ruth will demonstrate some of the ways you use them to make a range of pots. Please note that you will need access to kiln firing to fire your molds.

In the second part of this class we will put your bisque molds to use. Ruth will demonstrate a range of forms from cups, a vase to the final goal of a two-part dish. This will challenge your skills, planning, and awaken new ideas of how you can make your mold and use it too!

With your registration, you will receive access to a Harvard Google Classroom which will feature recordings of each class. In case you miss a class or would like to review, these recordings will be available for 30 days after the end of the course.

Suggested Materials List:

Basic Pottery Tool Kit

Possible additional tools (Ruth will use in demonstrations):

• Serrated metal rib
  or scoring tool or fork (if you don’t have a serrated metal rib or Ruth will demonsrate how to make your own!)
• X-acto knife (that will be used for clay only)
• Small basic paintbrush
• Cup for water
• Board for your working area (Hardi-board, masonite-board, dry-wall or even stiff cardboard).

Clay and Material Purchases

This course fee covers instruction only. Participants are responsible for obtaining their own clay. Here is the list of available clays, tools and materials at the Ceramics Program. You can also purchase the supplies at your local art supply store or online. If you would have questions, please email Ji-Eun Kim directly at jikim@fas.harvard.edu.

Glazing and Firing Services

• Registered students are welcome to drop off, fire and glaze your ceramic work through the Harvard Ceramics program. We charge 3 cents per cubic inch for all firings (bisque and glaze). We offer electric kiln (Cone 06 for bisque, 6 for glaze), high fire reduction and soda vapor firings (Cone 10). Specialty firing temperatures can be arranged. At the end of each session, you will be invoiced for the cost of your firings.
• You may also consider ordering from a local supplier (Sheffield Pottery, Amherst Pottery Supply or Portland Pottery) but you will need to provide documentation of the clay body and firing range to fire it at the Ceramics Program.

Register

Registration opens Monday, May 10th at 11:00am.

For questions regarding course content, policies or materials, please contact Director, Kathy King.
For questions regarding registration, please contact Administrative Coordinator, Ji-Eun Kim.

Location: Zoom