Youth Workshop – Textured Jars, Pottery (Customs House Port Hawkesbury)

Youth Workshop – Textured Jars, Pottery
Date: October 19 & 20, 2024 (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Instructor: Jody Bender
Fee: $50
Ages: 8-12 years

Students will make a functional ceramic jar (approx. 6-7” tall x 4½” wide) using slab-building techniques. They will engage their creativity by exploring different textured surfaces on their jar. Texture tools will be provided to them, but participants are also encouraged to bring in objects they find that can be stamped into the clay. In this way, we will ponder textures and surfaces we often see and feel around us, and how they transfer onto a different material.

* Objects may get clay residue on them during the stamping process and may have to be cleaned off, therefore it is recommended that objects not be valuable or otherwise important.

Non-porous materials, such as plastic, will clean easily. Natural objects such as leaves may also be used, as long as the environment is respected in their collecting. Participants are encouraged to think outside of the box in terms of what can make an impression on clay (example: tire tracks of a toy car).

Outline:
Session 1: 2 hours

Participants roll out their clay and cut the pieces for their jar (body, lid, bottom). Texture is applied to the clay pieces. Pieces are left to stiffen slightly overnight.

Session 2: 2 hours
Participants assemble their jar using the pieces prepared the previous day. Finishing touches are added.

Jars will be fired and finished by the instructor with a food-safe glaze on the inside and a

red-brown wash on the outside to accentuate the texture work and colour of the clay.

Finished jars will be available for pickup a couple of weeks after the workshop. This will be specified and communicated through email.

Jody Bender is a ceramic artist based in Nova Scotia/Mi’kma’ki. She grew up in small-town southwestern Ontario and moved to Nova Scotia while attending NSCAD University. She graduated in 2023, majoring in Ceramics. Having previously been mainly a painter and drawer, she discovered her love of ceramics at NSCAD and has since been pursuing it as her primary medium. Her practice is mostly based in wheel-thrown functional ware, seeking a balance between exploration, comfortability, and fun. Besides her passion for art/craft, Jody also enjoys “picking things up off the ground and looking at them”, steadily adding to a collection of rocks, shells, bones, and whatever else offers dynamic textures and colours to admire.

Website: https://jodybenderceramics.com

Register Here: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/Y759M9GCRXGY9/checkout/JWEBHI3UBC77QR55GDYVRXOD

Advance registration for members begins September 3

General registration for non-members begins September 16

(How to become a member with Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design)

For more information on this program or to register, email tammy@capebretoncraft.com