In this class we will learn foundational techniques for design and hand-building while creating functional wear for the home and body. The possibilities are expansive! Some examples include soap and body care vessels, jewelry, serving dishes, and more. Each session will include time for instruction, and for practicing the techniques learned in demonstration. Participants will explore the relationship between form and function through the process of making and experimentation.

What You Will Learn:
- Basic techniques for hand-building: pinch, soft slab, and hard slab construction; scoring; carving
- Building forms based on sketches and designs
- Exploration and experimentation with functional design
- Glazing and underglaze techniques – with attention to functional objects.

The studio fee is for the use of studio materials, glazing, and firing.

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 studio production. All work must be placed on the bisque firing shelf by Friday, October 30, to guarantee firing before the final week of classes.

To accommodate increased demand at the end of the term, all work placed on the glaze firing shelf by Monday, November 16, is guaranteed to be ready for pickup by Friday, December 11. Work submitted after November 16 will be fired as studio capacity allows. Firings between semesters are less frequent and operate on a limited schedule, so work may not be available for pickup until studio hours between terms or the start of the following term.

Questions about the firing schedule may be directed to Scott Cooper, Senior Studio Technician, at scooper@fleisher.org.

All artwork, tools, and clay must be removed from the Fleisher Ceramics Studio shelving by the final class session, including by students registered for the Winter 2027 term. Unclaimed bisque or glaze work will be stored for one term only. Greenware will be discarded.