Ceramics: Raku (3 Day + Firing)
Adult Workshop | Registration opens Monday, July 6, 2026 8:00 AM EDT
In this special workshop you will explore raku, an exciting and instinctive rapid firing process. Bisque work is taken from the kiln glowing red hot and vessels or sculptures are placed into organic matter and starved of oxygen to create vibrant colors and surface effects within the glaze and clay. In the studio, students will explore a variety of techniques to create thrown and hand built forms. Whether you work with vessels or sculpture, students will explore how different techniques, including raku, can make the surface of your work come alive.
Class will meet Monday, 11/16 - Wednesday, 11/18 from 1 to 4pm in Fleisher's Ceramic Studio to create thrown and hand built forms for the raku firing. There will be two additional Open Studio days to finish work (no new work should be made on these days). Open Studio is scheduled for Thursday, 11/19 and Friday, 11/20 from 1 to 4pm. All work must be on the shelf for bisque firing by 4pm Friday, 11/20. Students are allowed up to 5 pieces in the raku firing. If students make additional work, it can be glazed and fired through Fleisher during open studio hours (see firing schedule below).
Raku Firing will take place on Saturday, 12/5 (rain date 12/6) at Allens Lane Art Center from 10am to 4pm. Students are responsible for their own transportation to Allens Lane, artwork will be transported by Fleisher. All work will be glazed on-site at Allens Lane Art Center during the Raku Firing session.
Who This Class is For:
Student have some wheel throwing experience. Questions about whether this class is right for you? Email adulteducation@fleisher.org.
Firing Schedule: Once work is placed on the firing shelf, turnaround time is typically one week, but may be longer depending on the thickness and size of the work, as well as overall student output.
All work should be placed on the bisque firing shelf by Friday, October 30, and on the glaze firing shelf by Friday, November 6 to guarantee firing by the last week of classes. Students may continue to drop off work for glaze firing until Friday, November 13; however, firings between semesters are less frequent and on a limited schedule.
Finished work may be available for pick-up during studio hours between terms or at the start of the following term. Unclaimed work will be stored for one term only. Questions about the firing schedule can be directed to Scott Cooper, Senior Studio Technician, at scooper@fleisher.org. All artwork and supplies must be removed from Fleisher’s Ceramics Studio shelving by the final session of class.
- Your first bag of clay is included in your registration - no outside clay is permitted. Additional clay can be purchased at the front desk. A specialized raku clay will be used for this course.
- Bring your own tools or anything you think could be used as a tool
- A basic pottery tool kit which includes a sponge, a steel scraper, a potter’s rib, a modeling tool, a wire cutter, a needle tool, a ribbon tool & a loop tool
Additional Items:
- Brushes for glazing
- Container for slip
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Isaac Scott
Isaac Scott is a multimedia artist who aims to reflect, absorb, and reinterpret the world around him. Working in photography, painting, and ceramics, his work is rooted in observation. In 2020, he documented Black Lives Matter activism in Philadelphia and around the country following the murder of George Floyd by police. His photographs were published in New Yorker Magazine. Taking that experience and knowledge, he pushes his artwork forward in an effort to create, as Scott states, “a monument that reflects the voices, emotions, and experiences of his environment”. His ceramic sculptures contain a similar resonance as the photography, but are entirely abstract. They take familiar forms such as a chalice or a column in order to establish cultural parallels, and elevate the everyday to the level of history.
https://www.isaacspottery.com/