Yard Courses Calendar

Come get down and dirty while learning to make functional and sculptural forms on the potter's wheel! In this course, students will learn how to use the potter's wheel to create cups, bowls, plates, vases, and pouring vessels. Students will practice throwing, trimming, making handles and spouts, and finishing and firing their pieces.

Students will experience clay both as a functional building material and as an expressive medium. Color and texture will be explored through a variety of slips and glazes. The instructor will lead demonstrations to give students more ideas as to what type of clay forms they could like to pursue. Students will also be exposed to the creative thought processes behind intellectual and intuitive decisions in ceramics.

Each week, a new technique will be demonstrated, and a new artist's artwork will be presented to ignite your imagination! No previous ceramics experience necessary—this class is open to all levels. Students will receive a complimentary 25 pound bag of cone 6 clay, but may need to purchase additional clay for their personal projects. All other materials and tools will be provided. Enrollment in this course includes additional access to one monitored Open Studio session per week.

Unfinished student work should be picked up within two weeks of last class.

Visit thesteelyard.org to register for classes and find out more about our registration and enrollment policies.

Steel is typically seen as a rigid, industrial material – steel girders support vast roofs, steel automobiles are stamped out with machine precision, and even mundane items such as food cans and kitchen appliances are created with straight, exact lines. In this class we’ll be exploring how we can change this rigid material into a graceful, organic shape using both new and old techniques.

We’ll use a blend of modern and ancient techniques to shape mild steel and add character and fluidness to what will ultimately become a tentacle-shaped keychain. Students will learn blacksmithing techniques that reach back as far as the 14th century such as drawing, tapering, and bending in addition to modern techniques such as MIG welding to create additional features on our tentacle. Particular attention will be paid to hammer technique while blacksmithing as this class serves as an introduction to blacksmithing. 

Students will also be introduced to basic shop techniques and safety including the use of belt sanders, angle grinders, and drill presses. A small amount of introduction to MIG welding will be provided but this course will not cover MIG welding techniques in depth.

Students should wear comfortable, natural fiber (cotton or wool) clothing, long pants, and closed-toe shoes and expect to get dirty. 

Come get down and dirty while learning to make functional and sculptural forms on the potter's wheel! In this course, students will learn how to use the potter's wheel to create cups, bowls, plates, vases, and pouring vessels. Students will practice throwing, trimming, making handles and spouts, and finishing and firing their pieces.

Students will experience clay both as a functional building material and as an expressive medium. Color and texture will be explored through a variety of slips and glazes. The instructor will lead demonstrations to give students more ideas as to what type of clay forms they could like to pursue. Students will also be exposed to the creative thought processes behind intellectual and intuitive decisions in ceramics.

Each week, a new technique will be demonstrated, and a new artist's artwork will be presented to ignite your imagination! No previous ceramics experience necessary—this class is open to all levels. Students will receive a complimentary 25 pound bag of cone 6 clay, but may need to purchase additional clay for their personal projects. All other materials and tools will be provided. Enrollment in this course includes additional access to one monitored Open Studio session per week.

Unfinished student work should be picked up within two weeks of last class.

Visit thesteelyard.org to register for classes and find out more about our registration and enrollment policies.

The bottle opener ... it's everyone's favorite tool and a great conversation starter at a party! In this workshop, students will learn the fundamentals of blacksmithing, while focusing on forging their own unique, handmade bottle openers.

A perfect introduction to the craft of forging, this course teaches the basics of heating, hammering, and shaping steel. In three hours, we will cover techniques such as punching, drifting, tapering, bending, twists, and texturing. This class focuses on forging techniques for small pieces; think less brute force and more precise detail. No need to be big and burly for this course.

No previous experience necessary; all tools and materials are provided. Students will leave the workshop with a completed bottle opener.

Visit thesteelyard.org to register for classes and find out more about our registration and enrollment policies.

Come get down and dirty while learning to make functional and sculptural forms on the potter's wheel! In this course, students will learn how to use the potter's wheel to create cups, bowls, plates, vases, and pouring vessels. Students will practice throwing, trimming, making handles and spouts, and finishing and firing their pieces.

Students will experience clay both as a functional building material and as an expressive medium. Color and texture will be explored through a variety of slips and glazes. The instructor will lead demonstrations to give students more ideas as to what type of clay forms they could like to pursue. Students will also be exposed to the creative thought processes behind intellectual and intuitive decisions in ceramics.

Each week, a new technique will be demonstrated, and a new artist's artwork will be presented to ignite your imagination! No previous ceramics experience necessary—this class is open to all levels. Students will receive a complimentary 25 pound bag of cone 6 clay, but may need to purchase additional clay for their personal projects. All other materials and tools will be provided. Enrollment in this course includes additional access to one monitored Open Studio session per week.

Unfinished student work should be picked up within two weeks of last class.

Visit thesteelyard.org to register for classes and find out more about our registration and enrollment policies.

Spend a weekend learning the basics of metalworking: ripping through steel with gas torches and fusing it back together with a 10,000° electrical arc! This two-day workshop will introduce students to MIG welding, the oxygen-acetylene torch, various metal saws, and the grinder. By the end of the first day you will be able to heat, cut, join, bend, and polish. On the second day you will have the full day to use your new skills creating a project to take home. No previous experience necessary—this is a great opportunity to explore welding for the first time. Materials and tools will be provided.

Visit thesteelyard.org to register for classes and find out more about our registration and enrollment policies.

Spend a weekend learning the basics of metalworking: ripping through steel with gas torches and fusing it back together with a 10,000° electrical arc! This two-day workshop will introduce students to MIG welding, the oxygen-acetylene torch, various metal saws, and the grinder. By the end of the first day you will be able to heat, cut, join, bend, and polish. On the second day you will have the full day to use your new skills creating a project to take home. No previous experience necessary—this is a great opportunity to explore welding for the first time. Materials and tools will be provided.

Visit thesteelyard.org to register for classes and find out more about our registration and enrollment policies.

This class is intended to give the student a better understanding of the creative process and a fresh approach to idea development while reviewing foundation skills needed to control the clay on the wheel. We will jump start new designs by using a fast and loose approach by making many smaller vessels at once and trying many different variations of ideas rather than focus on the final sacred finished work. 

In this class we’ll learn to grow from the messy! Creativity is a journey of many mistakes that can lead to a lot of unique clay forms. We will also discuss elements of 3D design like shadow, proportion and line.