Ceramics: Wheel Throwing (5 session)
Adult Class | Registration opens Monday, July 6, 2026 8:00 AM EDT
What makes a ceramic pot useful? What makes it beautiful to you? What makes a pot a “good” pot? This course will teach beginning wheel throwing and ceramic glazing skills by exploring these questions. We will cover the entire process of making functional wheel thrown pots, including design ideation, throwing, trimming, making handles, and surface decoration. We will also view images of pottery ancient to modern, and explore our own home ceramic collections. Focusing on craft, material sensitivity, and identifying personal taste, students will work on attainable forms to build new skills rapidly. This class is designed for complete beginners but intermediate potters will find it helpful as well.
What You Will Learn:
- To throw a variety of small forms (cylinders, bowls, closed forms for more advanced students) on the wheel
- To create functional finished pots using trimming, handle-making, additive and reductive decoration, and glazing techniques
- To articulate their personal taste and vision, and use this to plan and execute pots they will enjoy using
Firing Schedule:
Accessibility Note: This studio is accessible by elevator, but some auxiliary areas require stairs. For access needs or accommodations, contact adulteducation@fleisher.org.
- 25lbs of earthenware clay is included in your registration - no outside clay is permitted (prolific students may purchase additional clay from Fleisher)
- Basic pottery tool kit: cutting wire, sponge, wooden knife, needle tool, wooden rib, metal rib, large and small trimming loops
- Sketchbook and drawing tool
- One or more small towels (dish size is good)
- Clothes and shoes you are comfortable getting dirty
- A variety of cheap paint brushes
- Sgraffito tool (optional)
- Sureform tool (optional)
- Apron (optional)
- Hand lotion/salve (optional but recommended)
Nina Rajagopalan
Nina Rajagopalan (they/them) is a ceramic and fiber artist living in West Philadelphia. They have been a practicing ceramic artist for over a decade, creating figure and animal sculpture and functional wheel-thrown pottery. Nina also makes handmade clothing, often using reclaimed fabrics. They teach ceramics classes for adults and youth at several art centers throughout Philadelphia. In Nina’s own art practice, they explore archetypal and playful motifs, and they enjoy experimenting with unusual forms, flashy colors and bold patterns. Nina started participating in wood firings a couple of years ago and they are very excited to continue learning more about this fascinating form of ceramic production.