Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Press release Summer 2012



   
           225 W. State Street
          Black Mountain, NC 28711
     828/669-0930
     www.blackmountainarts.org


BMCA CLAY STUDIO
Upcoming
July 23 – August 31, 2012
6-WEEK ADULT CLASSES:
Mondays, 6-8 pm – w/ Cathy Babula
Tuesdays, 10 am-12 pm – w/ Charles Freeland
Thursdays, 4-6 pm – w/ Geoff Bird
ABSOLUTE BEGINNER CLASS – w/ CharlesFreeland
Fridays, 12 – 2 pm
All Tuition:  $135 + $35 lab fee
Includes Open Studio practice
+
INDEPENDENT STUDY for Approved Experienced Potters
$100 for 6 weeks during Open Studios – Clay extra

Clay studio 2012 July-August


BMCA Clay Studio Summer Classes July - August (2012)

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts Clay Studio is beginning a new set of six-week classes on Monday, July 23.  This session will end the week of August 31.  Classes for Adults are offered on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, along with Drop-In Clay Days for school ages through adults on certain Wednesdays.

For the true clay novice the class offered is Absolute Beginner Adult clay class.  It will meet for six weeks on Friday mornings from 10 to noon, July 27 – August 31.  Students will be guided through all the steps of learning about the possibilities of clay, then hand building lessons and finally approaching the wheel.  At the end of the class, these students will be prepared to join another Adult Clay class with the basics learned.  Charles Freeland, BMCA Clay Studio Manager, will conduct this class for a minimum of three students and a maximum of ten.

For those wanting an evening class they can attend after work but be home before it’s late, local potter Cathy Babula teaches beginner-to-experienced students on Mondays from 6-8 pm, July 23 – August 27.  Other class times available are on Tuesdays from 10 to noon, July 24 – August 28, with Freeland teaching for experienced students, and an ongoing class on Thursdays from 4-6 pm with local potter Geoff Bird of Morning Sky Pottery teaching beginner to advanced students.  The classes with Babula and Freeland are date specific; Bird’s class can be joined at any time for six sessions. As in all Adult Clay classes, the tuition is $170 that includes 12 hours of lessons, lab fee for clay, glazes and firing, and a schedule of Open Studio practice times each week.

Babula is new to teaching at the BMCA Clay Studio.  From a dream in high school to taking classes at the BMCA Clay Studio beginning in 2008 to recently completing the 2-year Associates Degree in the Professional Crafts-Clay program at Haywood Community College, she has journeyed on a path to becoming a professional potter and clay teacher.  Her work is currently on display at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway as part of the graduate exhibit from HCC through September 2.  By using her horticulture degree from SUNY to inspire her surface designs on clay pots, and using her experience as a corporate trainer in her teaching style, she has learned to combine her creative talents and her love of teaching in the clay classroom.

For experienced potters who are not looking for instruction or a production studio,  another option is an Independent Study class.  Students are on their own, so must be approved by the Studio Manager.  Their tuition of $100 covers six weeks of studio time during Open Studio hours, plus glazing and firing.  Clay is an additional cost.

On Wednesdays, July 11 and 25 and August 1, the Studio will be open from 10 am – 4 pm for Drop-In Clay Day.  For a 2-hour minimum, anyone school age and up can enjoy getting their hands in clay for hand building and underglazing.  Cost is $30.  Elise Reed and Charles Freeland will lead the Clay Day classes.  Register in the BMCA Office.

To register or for more information, come by the Center, located at 225 W. State Street, or call 828/669-0930.  The BMCA Clay Studio is located adjacent to the Center at the Dougherty St. parking lot.