Journey Workshops
My journey began with a summer workshop in 1972. Since then, I have shared MY aesthetic and techniques in nearly 200 workshops. This workshop is different; it is about you and your relationship with clay. This journey is YOURS. – Steven Hill
You are inspired,
You are motivated,
Begin your journey… now.
What inspires you? Art? Music? Nature? Architecture? Each of us is capable of expressing individuality in our ceramic work. Is your work as personal as you would like it to be?
Your journey begins with seven days of exploring your relationship with clay. Through a combination of individual critique, group discussion and hands-on experimentation, we set in motion the search for personal expression. You will leave Center Street Clay with a self-directed assignment for the upcoming year. Return to your studio with focus, renewed motivation, a group of peers to share with and a mentor to keep you on track. Steven will meet with you monthly, either in person or via the Internet. Journey workshops culminate with a 3-day celebration and a public gallery opening.
More information about Journey Workshops...
Bring as much information about yourself as possible … slides or examples of recent pots or other artwork, your journal, music, or anything else relevant to who you are as an individual.
You will be assigned Robert Piepenburg’s book, Treasures of the Creative Spirit. Each day about half of your time will be taken up with class discussions, some based on Robert’s book, and group exercises. The rest of your time will be spent working in clay, drawing, journaling, or other individualized creative activities, applying insights gained in the class. At the end of the initial 7 days at Center Street Clay, you will choose an assignment to be completed over the upcoming year. Each month there will be scheduled follow-up critiques with Steven. If you live within reasonable distance of Center Street Clay, we will meet in person. If you live too far to travel to the studio monthly the critiques will be via the internet, either through email or webcam
You will not be learning Steven Hill’s techniques in the Journey Workshops. Instead, these workshops are designed to help each student find his/her voice in clay. Steven will push you to go deeper inside of yourself and discover personal ways of expressing yourself. Yes, it is true that there is nothing “new” in art, but that doesn’t preclude you from being able to produce work that is unique and expressive of who you are as a potter, artist, and human being. To find out more about Steven’s philosophy on workshops, read the May 2007 Comment in Ceramics Monthly, Rethinking Ceramics Workshops. The Eight-Month Workshop: A Journey of Discovery Steven’s article about the first 8-Month Journey workshop that began at the Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts in Victoria, BC last July and ended at Center Street Clay this March, is in the June issue of Ceramics Monthly and also on CM’s website.
The Journey Workshops DO NOT INCLUDE firing at Center Street Clay, unless you would like the work made here to be bisque fired to take home with you. Since the work completed for the gallery show at the end of the Journey Workshop will be made and fired in your studio, it only makes sense to do your firing in the temperature range, atmosphere and kiln you normally fire in.
Approximately 1 year from the initial workshop we will get together once again at Center Street Clay for 3 days to share and celebrate our individual journeys with the rest of the class and for final critiques. The workshop will culminate with a gallery opening in our gallery.
Kim has been encouraging me to offer this workshop at Center Street Clay. She feels there is an enormous need for this kind of educational opportunity and for the shared camaraderie with fellow potters that a workshop like this inspires. Click to read her comments.
2008 JOURNEY WORKSHOPS
April 5-13 (completed)
July 19-27 (begins Saturday evening the 19th at 7 for a welcoming dinner)
October 4-12 (begins Saturday evening the 4th at 7 for a welcoming dinner)
If you have a group of 4 or more, we can schedule a workshop at your convenience.
Students will stay in the dormitory at Center Street Clay for the initial 7-day workshop. A 30-minute individual critique will be arranged once a month in person if possible, if not via webcam or email for 11 months. The journey will culminate with a 3-day (and 2-night) gathering and Gallery Opening at CSC approximately one year after our initial meeting.
Cost: $2130 (including the initial 7-day residential workshop with room and board, 11 monthly critiques, a 3-day residential workshop and participation in an exhibition in our gallery at the conclusion of the workshop)
JOURNEY: YOUR STUDIO (wherever that might be)
In this instance, you would gather the group and Steven would teach the initial workshop in your space. Follow-up would be done remotely and held once a month via webcam or email. This journey will culminate with a 3-day gathering and a Gallery Opening, either at Center Street Clay or in your gallery, approximately one year after our initial meeting. Cost: Contact us and we will design a program to fit your needs
Who is a prime candidate for the Journey Workshops?
The most important criteria is that the prospective student should not be struggling too much with basic techniques. If you are a thrower you should have at least moderate proficiency at the potters wheel. Centering should come easy and you should have the technical ability necessary to make the kind of work you are interested in. If making basic forms is still a struggle for you, put your effort into tightening up your technical skills before signing up for a Journey Workshop. If you are a handbuilder the same principles apply, only with the techniques you use to make your work.
These workshops are perfect for the professional who feels stale, for the amateur who wants to develop a body of work to sell, or anyone who wants to make their pots more personal.
Functional Stoneware / Single Firing Workshops
In the Functional Stoneware / Single Firing workshops, Steven Hill will demonstrate the forms and techniques that he is well known for. He will discuss his philosophy on making pottery, while throwing, assembling and decorating many pots. His full range of techniques will be covered, including handles, spouts, lids, and the use of slip.
These workshops are about specific forms, but also about single firing. For Steven’s thoughts on single firing, check out his articles: An Approach to Single Firing (January 1986, Ceramics Monthly) and An Approach to Single Firing - Further In (January 2006, Ceramics Monthly). All technical aspects of raw glazing will be covered, including clay bodies, glazes, and firing. There will also be an extensive spraying demo, as it is a natural way to glaze raw pots. The workshop will conclude with an actual single firing, in which students will pour and spray Steven’s glazes on their pottery. After the kiln cools, we will critique the work.
Covered Jars
Saturday evening, August 16, orientation and dinner - 6PM
August 17-23
Cost: $1550 (including double occupancy room and board)
Instructor: Steven Hill
We will focus on various kinds of lids and how to make them fit. We will also pay close attention to the form of the pot and the visual relationship between the lid and the pot.
Skill level required for Functional Stoneware / Single Firing Workshops:
Intermediate to advanced: The prospective student should at least be able to center and raise a basic cylinder. We will teach shaping and finishing, but students need to be comfortable with centering.
Tuesdays (10-2) with Steven...
A casual weekly gathering intended for local / regional students with some experience in clay. This class will be unstructured, but will include demo’s, aesthetic and technical discussions, critiques and who knows what else will spontaneously develop over the course of a class. One of Steven’s goals is to develop camaraderie among people with similar interests.
Cost: $100 per month + materials and firing cost
Residencies
We also offer unique longer-term residencies at Center Street Clay. With the flexibility to accommodate students for a complete summer or even longer, we will provide you with the kind of studio experience you are looking for. Steven Hill is available for one on one instruction and critiquing of work during your stay. We provide meals during workshops, but the first floor apartment has a complete kitchen facility for anyone wishing to stay longer. There is shopping available; including grocery, drugstore, liquor store, antiques and restaurants; a short 3 block walk from our studio.
Cost: Contact us and we will design a residency to fit your needs
Special Workshops or Classes
If you have a group of 4 or more, Center Street Clay will be happy to schedule a class or workshop tailored to your needs, at a time that is convenient for you. It can be either demonstration or participatory and given on any number of different topics.
Cost: Contact us and we will design a workshop or class to fit your needs
Center Street Clay offers an intimate environment for small groups to immerse themselves in clay. By providing housing, meals and studio space in one building, we will strip away the stress of daily life and allow attendees to explore their relationship with clay in a creative and nurturing environment.
We offer flexibility in scheduling and small class size for optimum personal attention. Center Street Clay also features a gallery full of Steven Hill’s pottery along with other regional pottery and sculpture.
During workshops we provide family style meals on the main floor of the house. In addition, the first floor apartment has a complete kitchen facility for anyone with special dietary needs, craving a midnight snack or their own brew of coffee. There is a grocery store, drug store, therapeutic massage, antique stores, a winery and a liquor store within easy walking distance from the studio.
Lodging is provided in a spacious first floor 3-bedroom apartment. These rooms are double occupancy. There is one private bedroom on the main floor, available for a premium. Its queen-sized bed would be ideal for a couple. There are 2 ½ bathrooms for the 7 – 8 workshop attendees to share.
Center Street Clay is located just off of Rt. 34 in Sandwich, Illinois—50 miles southwest of Chicago.
CENTER STREET CLAY
218 West Center St.
Sandwich, Illinois 60548
Phone: (815) 570-2030
email: studio@centerstreetclay.com
centerstreetclay.com
stevenhillpottery.
