Ceramics: Raku (3 session)
Adult Summer Workshop | Registration opens Monday, May 4, 2026 8:00 AM EDT
This immersive 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. This immersive will be useful to the beginner as well as more experienced students. Experienced students are encouraged to contact the Manager of Adult Education at adulteducation@fleisher.org to connect with the instructor about additional materials, instructions, or questions.
Class will meet Monday, 6/15 - Wednesday, 6/16 from 1 to 4pm in Fleisher's Ceramic Studio to create thrown and hand built forms for the raku firing. All work must be on the shelf for bisque firing by the end of class on Wednesday, 6/16. Students are allowed up to 3 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 Sunday, 6/28 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.
Firing Schedule: All work should be placed on the bisque firing shelf by Friday, July 10 and on the glaze firing shelf by Friday, July 17 to guarantee it will be fired by the last week of classes. Students can continue to drop off work for glaze firing until Friday, July 31. Finished work can be picked up during operational hours between terms, or the following term. We will store unclaimed work 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 Friday, July 31 regardless of Fall 2026 registration status.
- 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/