Ceramics Program

Join us for a full summer of creativity, exploration, and imagination! MBACC's 7-week Summer Youth Arts Program invites young artists to dive into a new creative theme each week while building skills across visual arts, crafts, clay, and performance.

Throughout the summer, participants will experiment with a wide range of materials, collaborate with peers, and express themselves through hands-on artmaking and playful movement. Each week offers fresh inspiration, while enrolling for the full summer allows artists to deepen their creativity, grow confidence, and form lasting friendships in a supportive, joyful environment.

Families may register for individual weeks or enroll in the full program at a discounted rate.

Instructor: Lisa WB Walker (She/Her)

Cut, fold, love: Learn to make your own wall hanging vase/wall pocket! This hand-building workshop is beginner friendly - no experience necessary.

Instructor: Rocky Prull (They/Them)

This beginner class will guide both novice and experienced potters through the foundations of handbuilding, including working with slabs, coils and beyond. No experience necessary!

Instructor: Jane Zell (She/Her)

This beginner-friendly class series will cover basic wheel-throwing techniques tailored to students’ interests, accompanied by hand building projects. No experience required. This course is for students 8-12 years old.

Instructor: Jane Zell (She/Her)

This hybrid class series will cover both wheel throwing and basic hand-building and surface decorating techniques tailored to your interests. No experience required.

Instructor: Phie Deal (They/Them)

This beginner-friendly class series will cover basic wheel-throwing techniques tailored to students’ interests, accompanied by hand building projects. No experience required. This course is for students 8-12 years old.

Instructor: Martín Hanley (He/Him)

This beginner class will guide novice potters through the foundations of wheel throwing, including how to center, pull walls, glaze and more. No experience necessary!

Instructor: Phie Deal (They/Them)

This beginner class will cover the fundamentals of wheel throwing, including wedging, centering, pulling in addition to hand-building. No experience required. A great summer opportunity for students enjoying pottery classes at school! This class is for teens 13 to 17 years old.

Instructor: Susan Rutgerson (She/Her)

Have you always wanted to turn your pottery skills into a mosaic masterpiece? In this beginner-friendly 6-week concentration class, you'll create ceramic tiles and decorative components, then assemble them into a beautiful finished tile mosaic.

Instructor: Martín Hanley (He/Him)

This intermediate class will guide advanced beginners to the next level of wheel throwing skills and techniques. A strong foundation of basic wheel throwing is required - students will need to be able to center and pull walls independently.

Instructor: Lisa WB Walker (She/Her)

This beginner class will cover the fundamentals of wheel throwing, including wedging, centering, pulling and more. No experience required.

Instructor: Lisa WB Walker (She/Her)

This All Levels class is perfect for students looking to work in an environment where they have the support of an instructor while improving both wheel throwing and hand-building skills. No experience required.

Instructor: Lisa WB Walker (She/Her)

This beginner class will guide novice potters through the foundations of wheel throwing, including how to center, pull walls, glaze and more. No experience necessary!

Instructor: Lisa WB Walker (She/Her)

This intermediate class will guide advanced beginners to the next level of wheel throwing skills and techniques. A strong foundation of basic wheel throwing is required - students will need to be able to center and pull walls independently.

Instructor: Lisa WB Walker (She/Her)

Have you always wanted to try the wheel? Or are you ready to dust off your skills from a time past?

Join us for a special opportunity to learn how to use the potter's wheel from a seasoned professional! Under their guidance, learn the basics of throwing. At the end of the night, choose one piece to keep. We will glaze the piece for you with your preferred glaze color!

Instructor: Donna Pioli (She/Her)

Do you dread glazing? Do you feel like you need a refresher on the basics? This workshop provides students and independent potters the opportunity to learn how to glaze successfully step by step, from start to finish. Much of this workshop will be lecture, demo and troubleshooting. You are welcome to bring three bisqued pieces (must be suitable for cone 6 glaze firing) to glaze with your newfound glaze education!

Instructor: Jane Zell (She/Her)

This beginner-friendly workshop provides a wonderful opportunity to get creative with your child! Sharing a wheel, each parent + child pair will cheer each other on as they take turns making a pot on the wheel under the guidance of a seasoned instructor. No experience necessary. This course is for children 8-12 years old. All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Instructor: Christine Herron (She/Her)

Create your own textured porcelain earrings in this hands-on, two-Saturday workshop with ceramic artist and designer Christine Herron of Red Chair Studio. Christine will guide participants through designing, shaping, and adding surface texture to porcelain while sharing techniques developed through years of creating her signature porcelain jewelry line. The first session (October 31) will focus on construction, while the second session (November 7) will cover glazing, finishing techniques, and a demonstration on assembling the earring components. Perfect for beginners and experienced makers alike, participants will leave with beautiful handmade earrings and the skills to continue creating on their own.

Instructor: Lucy Fagella (She/Her)

Join acclaimed potter Lucy Flagella for a demonstration workshop exploring the art of throwing jars and lidded forms. Drawing on more than four decades of experience as a studio potter, Lucy will share her approach to creating elegant, functional pottery, demonstrating techniques for throwing, fitting, and refining lids while discussing form, proportion, and the thoughtful details that elevate everyday pots. Inspired by the forests, fields, and gardens surrounding her western Massachusetts studio, Lucy's work celebrates the beauty of handmade objects and the connection between maker and user. Throughout the demonstration, she will offer insights into her design process, studio practice, and the rhythms of making that have shaped her distinguished career, making this an inspiring opportunity for potters of all skill levels to learn from one of New England's most respected ceramic artists.

Instructor: Jane Zell (She/Her)

Get creative with clay in this fun one-day workshop! Young artists will design and make their own unique ceramic ornaments, perfect for decorating, gifting, or keeping as a special handmade treasure.