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Classes and Workshops

31 October

Halloween Raku Workshop with Doug Dacar

ONE NIGHT WORKSHOP ON THURSDAY, OCT. 31, OCT. 31 FROM 7 TO 9:30 P.M.
October 31, 2024 Willamette Art Center, 2330 17th Street NE, Salem OR 97301 $75.00

6 Available

6 Spaces Available Classes and Workshops, Workshops
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Who should get an Open Studio Pass?

Open Studio Passes are intended for folks who do not need basic instruction about how to use clay and/or clay equipment. If you can work safely and independently on your own ceramics and pottery, a studio pass is right for you! All of our Studio Passes entitle you to use the studio during our regular business hours. This includes kiln firing, glazes, and the use of all equipment.

Scholarships

We have scholarship funds available on our website for all youth and adult classes. If you or your child would love to take an art class, but it is just not within your family’s means right now, we may be able to help.

Download, print, and fill out the appropriate application, then send or bring it in to the studio. You will be notified if you are chosen as a recipient.

Waitlist

If you would like to be added to a waitlist for a class or workshop that has been closed, please call 503-365-3911.

Cancellation/Class Refund Policy

Willamette Art Center reserves the right to cancel, combine or reschedule classes in order to adjust for enrollment. If we must cancel a class we will notify all registered participants. Registrants will have the opportunity to register for another class (depending on space available) or receive a full refund. If you withdraw from a class more than 10 days before the start date, you will be subject to a $25 processing fee. If you withdraw from a class 10 or fewer days before the start of class, you will not receive a refund.

Propose a Class or Workshop

Do you have an idea for a class or workshop? If you would like to have your proposal considered for a WAC-sponsored activity, please complete the following form. If your proposal fits the mission of the center, and if our schedule can accommodate it, we will contact you for further information.

Showing 1–16 of 39 results

Empty Bowls Earthenware Sponsorship

$1,000.00

Available

Earthenware sponsorship includes:

  • Logo on WAC website
  • Invitation to supporter presale and celebration, Nov. 22
  • Mention in WAC newsletter and email.
Out of stock

Empty Bowls Porcelain Sponsorship

$2,000.00

Out of stock

Porcelain level sponsorship includes:

  • Headline logo on event poster
  • Logo posted on social media
  • Logo on WAC website
  • Invitation to supporter presale and celebration, Nov. 22
  • Mention in WAC newsletter and email.

Empty Bowls Stoneware Sponsorship

$1,500.00

9 Available

Stoneware level sponsorship includes:

  • Footer logo on event poster
  • Logo posted on social media
  • Logo on WAC website
  • Invitation to supporter presale and celebration, Nov. 22
  • Mention in WAC newsletter and email.
31Oct

Halloween Raku Workshop with Doug Dacar

October 31, 2024 6 Spaces Available
$75.00

6 Available

BYOB – Bring your own Bisqueware!

Bring pots that have already gone through a bisque kiln.

Bring four small to medium-sized bisque vessels per person. (Small equals 4” high or smaller/ Medium equals up to 7” high. Larger than this counts for two pieces.) Additional pots can be fired only if we are under-registered and there is extra space in the kiln. Firing these extra pieces will cost $10 each, which you can pay at the monitor desk during the workshop.

Raku Workshop Participation:
We start glazing at 7 p.m. The cut-off time to glaze is at 8 p.m. After glazing, we will fire the kiln until all the work is done – usually around two to three hours after the start time. Glazes provided.

Your instructor will advise and assist you through the process.

Out of stock
15Aug

Raku Workshop with Doug Dacar

August 15, 2024 There are no spaces available at this time.
$75.00

Out of stock

BYOB – Bring your own Bisqueware!

Bring pots that have already gone through a bisque kiln.

Bring four small to medium-sized bisque vessels per person. (Small equals 4” high or smaller/ Medium equals up to 7” high. Larger than this counts for two pieces.) Additional pots can be fired only if we are under-registered and there is extra space in the kiln. Firing these extra pieces will cost $10 each, which you can pay at the monitor desk during the workshop.

Raku Workshop Participation:
We start glazing at 6 p.m. The cut-off time to glaze is at 7 p.m.. After glazing, we will fire the kiln until all the work is done – usually around 2-3 hours after the start time. Glazes provided.

Your instructor will advise and assist you through the process.

Out of stock
03Jan

Tool Making Workshop – Open Studio Pass Required

January 3, 2024 There are no spaces available at this time.
$0.00

Out of stock

Learn how to build your own pottery tools.

5 to 6 p.m. – Learn how to make glaze brushes

6 to 7:30 p.m.  – All sort of tools. Bring your own creation to show and tell.

Attendees must have an Open Studio pass. Don’t have one? Purchase one here.

Out of stock
27Mar

Carving & Other Surfaces Techniques Workshop – Isabel Newlin

March 27, 2023 There are no spaces available at this time.
$45.00

Out of stock

Do you ever get back bisqued items and have no idea how you should glaze them? Next time you trim a pot, don’t let it dry out! Wrap it in plastic and bring it to my workshop…

This is a two-day, two-week workshop that ‘scratches the surface’ of the many ways one can modify clay items in that fleeting leather-hard moment after trimming, before they become bone-dry and have to be bisqued.

With an emphasis on carving, we will explore effects of different clay bodies, stains, slips, and carving tools. We will also spend some time thinking about how texture operates on positive and negative space in figurative and abstract carving, how different clay bodies and dryness’ lend themselves to different kinds of line, and imagining forward to glazing during the process of carving.

The second week we will glaze everything we carved the first week and think about how different glazes work with slips and stains. Although I will provide a variety of leather-hard pieces for you to work with, everyone is strongly encouraged to bring their own work to play with. Said work should be somewhere between swiss cheese and bone dry.

Glaze and firing included. Limited to 10 students age 14 years & up.

$40 for 2 day workshop

Class meets twice from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Monday March 27 and Monday April 3.

Out of stock
20Sep

Friday Beginning Wheel – Jesse Breon

September 20, 2024 There are no spaces available at this time.
$234.00

Out of stock

Explore the basic skills of wheel throwing and glazing. Students will learn a variety of throwing, trimming and glazing techniques. You will make plates, mugs and bowls in no time at all. Enrollees do not need any previous clay experience. Limited to ten students aged 18 years and older. Participants will need basic tools.*. One 25 lb. bag of clay and open studio time included.

$204 for 7 weeks

Class meets weekly from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Fridays, Sept. 20 –  Nov. 8
*Available for sale at the Willamette Art Center

Out of stock
16Jun

Friday Mask Class – Greg Gregg

June 16, 2023 There are no spaces available at this time.
$120.00

Out of stock

We will explore design and construction of masks from simple to complex. How to decide on surface treatment and glazes. Masks can be flat or. Formed to fit the face. Masks can be decorative, to hang on a wall or garden fence, or they may be intended to be worn. If they are to be worn, we will have different challenges. Whatever plan you have for your mask, the object of creating one is to enjoy the opportunity to let your shaman loose. No experience is necessary.

Clay provided. Open studio included. Limited to 10 students age 16 years & up.

$120 for 4 weeks

Class meets weekly from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Friday June 16 – Friday July 14 (No class July 7)

I became interested in masks when I saw one of ancient and simple design. It was the antiquity that intrigued me. I have made many masks since then, always looking for simplicity and antiquity. People make masks for many reasons. They present a strangeness to the world. They free expression because they erase identity. When the drums are beating and the fire blazes in the fire pit, when the moon is dark and the stars are wheeling overhead, the spirits call out. They howl and cavort around the fire. Some of us find ourselves in tune with these spirits and we need only put on a mask to join them. A blanket and something wispy cloth to wave about is never a bad idea. But the most important part of dancing with the spirits is the mask. Of course there is also the quandary before going to the fire circle. It is always better to have options, “Which mask should I wear?” than to have to admit, “I don’t have a single mask to wear.”

Out of stock
18Sep

Wednesday Beginning Wheel – Fred Hamann

September 18, 2024 There are no spaces available at this time.
$234.00

Out of stock

Explore the basic skills of wheel throwing and glazing. Students will learn a variety of throwing, trimming and glazing techniques. You will make plates, mugs and bowls in no time at all. Enrollees do not need any previous clay experience. Limited to ten students aged 18 years and older. Participants will need basic tools.* One 25 lb. bag of clay and open studio time included.

$234 for 8 weeks

Class meets weekly from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 –  Nov. 6
*Available for sale at the Willamette Art Center

Out of stock
12Sep

Thursday Intermediate Wheel – Jim Ransom

September 12, 2024 There are no spaces available at this time.
$234.00

Out of stock

Have you taken a beginning wheel class and centering is going fairly well? It might be time to move to the intermediate class. Students will explore more challenging throwing techniques and pottery forms, as well as design and glazing techniques. Struggling with a clay idea? Bring it and we’ll tackle it! Experience required. Limited to ten students aged 18 years and older. One 25 lb. bag of clay and open studio time included.

$234 for 8 weeks

Class meets weekly from 1 – 3:30 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 19 –  Nov. 7

Out of stock
19Sep

Thursday Teen/Adult Beginning Wheel – Andrea Misbach

September 19, 2024 There are no spaces available at this time.
$234.00

Out of stock

Unlock your creativity and discover the art of wheel throwing in our ceramics class designed specifically for teens! This completely hands-on course will guide you through the essential techniques of pottery, from centering clay on the wheel to shaping and crafting your unique masterpieces. Learn the foundational skills of wheel throwing, including wedging, centering, and pulling up the clay. Explore your artistic side as you design and create various forms such as bowls, mugs, and vases. Understand the process of glazing your pieces and preparing them for the kiln to achieve beautiful, finished ceramics. Make things for yourself or gifts for your friends. No prior experience is necessary. Limited to 10 students aged 14 to 18 years. Participants will need basic tools.* One 25 lb. bag of clay and open studio time included.

$234 for 8 weeks

Class meets weekly from 4 – 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 19 – Nov. 7

Membership 2024

$30.00

Available

Effective Date: January 1 – December 31, 2024

Current Benefits include:

  • 2 Firing Tickets with every bag of clay purchased
  • A numbered membership card for the year
  • Be considered for a monitor position
  • Vote in elections and on Bylaw changes
  • Attend the annual General Membership Meeting
  • Run for a Board of Directors position

When you become a member, you’re agreeing to receive email communication from Willamette Art Center.

  • Receive invitations to special events
Out of stock
28Mar

2-D Monoprinting with Clay – Doug Dacar

March 28, 2024 There are no spaces available at this time.
$100.00

Out of stock

You will make flat shapes with wet pottery clay to be textured and painted on with non-ceramic paints. Then, using paper, you will press on the clay to make a painted print. No experience necessary.*

*Printing materials supplied. The instructor will give you ideas of what to bring to the second class to finish your projects.

Limited to 10 Students age 16 years & up

$100 for 4 weeks

Class meets weekly from 6 – 8 p.m. Thursdays, March 28 –  April 18 

Out of stock
16Sep

Evening Raku – Doug Dacar

September 16, 2024 There are no spaces available at this time.
$234.00

Out of stock

The Raku class focuses on firing and surface decoration experimentation. Clay building demos and slips for surface decorations will enhance your work. Add horsehair, feathers, copper and glass as alternatives or additives to create unique work. Bring bisqueware pieces to glaze and fire at the first session. Experience necessary. Limited to 10 students aged 18 years and older. One 25 lb. bag of clay and open studio time included.

$234 for 8 weeks

Class meets weekly from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 16 –  Nov. 4 

Open Studio Pass – 1 Month

$60.00

Available

1 Month Open Studio Pass. This pass entitles the patron 30 days of work from the date of purchase. Limited to designated open studio hours.

No instruction, clay, firing or tools included.