Workshops
CLAY FESTival 2026
Clay in Three Dimensions:
Developing Concept, Constructing Form, and Activating Surface
With Headlining Artists: Penelope Van Grinsven, Bradley Klem, and Stephanie Seguin
This workshop explores ceramic practice from idea to object, led by three artists working in active dialogue with one another. Rather than presenting a single methodology, the 5-day workshop week offers a layered conversation with three distinct perspectives examining how concept, construction, and surface intersect in contemporary ceramics.
Participants will engage learn and practice through coil building, wheel throwing and altering demonstrations. Students work in low fire terra cotta and high fire white clay bodies and will study surface approaches including, raw clay, mid-range glaze application, and China painting. Students will discover how different artists move through the ceramic making process in distinct ways, gaining insight into multiple approaches rather than a single prescribed path.
Introductory ceramic experience recommended.
Location: Western New Mexico University
Date and Time: June 15-19, 2026
10 am - 4 pm with break for lunch
Limit 20 participants.
Price: $535
About the Artists:
Penelope Van Grinsven is a ceramic artist and educator based in Chicago, Illinois. For the past five years she taught ceramics in New Haven, Connecticut at Yale University and Southern Connecticut State University, where she developed and led innovative studio courses and helped expand access to ceramics across campus. At Yale, she transformed a decentralized network of student-run studios into structured, thriving spaces serving hundreds of undergraduates and launched the university’s first full-credit ceramics seminar. Her teaching centers on cultivating technical fluency, material sensitivity, and the confidence to pursue ambitious ideas in clay.
Her artistic practice is grounded in the embodied performance of wheel-throwing and a deep belief in the vitality of utilitarian ceramics. She creates functional wares alongside conceptual projects that explore ritual, documentation, and site-responsive action — from photographing moon jars during Sweden’s midnight sun to ringing porcelain bells at historic ceramic sites in Montana. She is also co-founder and co-curator of Above Board Ceramics, an exhibition platform dedicated to functional tableware, transparency in gallery practices, and expanding representation within the ceramics community.
Bradley Klem is a Denver-based ceramic artist who considers pottery itself a medium, one capable of carrying image, metaphor, and cultural memory. Drawing from historical decorative traditions, he builds layered surfaces through China painting and pattern, placing contemporary imagery and dark humor onto familiar forms. His recent work engages the petroleum industry, consumer culture, and the cultural conditions surrounding climate change, embedding these concerns within vessels that remain grounded in the history of ceramics.
Klem holds an MFA from Penn State University and teaches ceramics at the University of Denver. He serves on the board of La Serra Collective, an arts organization committed to cultivating meaningful creative community. His work has been exhibited nationally and is included in private and institutional collections.
He lives in Denver with his wife and daughter, whose curiosity and joy continually renew his sense of purpose.
Stephanie Seguin is an artist and educator based in Helena, Montana. She received her Master of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania State University, and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Throughout her studio career she has taught workshops, continuing education classes, and academic courses in both Art and Art History across the United States. In conjunction with teaching, she has remained active in her studio practice through residencies, and exhibitions, while furthering her professional experience in Arts Leadership. Currently, Stephanie works from her home studio and holds the position of Education Director for The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts.
NATURAL PLASTERS: CLAY, LIME AND TADELAKT WORKSHOP
With Benito Steen and Danielle Felgenhauer
This is a four-day introductory workshop in the world of natural plasters, exploring a range of materials and techniques. Through hands-on practice and discussion, participants will begin to develop an understanding of different kinds of clay and lime plasters — how they are mixed, how they behave, and where they are best suited.
We will work with clay plasters in their many forms, from base coats to refined finish work, exploring how different clays, sands, and fibers combine to create surfaces that are as functional as they are beautiful.
We will also delve into the world of lime plastering — a material with a long and rich history — examining its properties, its application, and the way it transforms over time. The workshop will include an introduction to Tadelakt, the traditional Moroccan lime plaster technique known for its water-resistant, polished finish used in showers and bathrooms.
No prior experience with plaster is required, though participants with some background in natural building will find plenty to deepen their practice.
Hosted at the vibrant Whiskey Creek Zocalo—a local restaurant, bar, and music venue just outside Silver City, New Mexico—this workshop invites you to work alongside master builder Benito Steen and Danielle Felgenhauer in plastering walls with beautiful finishes.
What you’ll learn
Participants will gain practical experience in a variety of Natural Plaster techniques, including:
High fibre Clay basecoat
Mid-coat mix that could be used either Clay or Lime
Lime & Clay finishes plasters
Tadelakt – a Moroccan water resistant finish for showers
Location: Whiskey Creek Zócalo, 11786 US-180 East, Arenas Valley, NM 88022, USA
Time and Date: Jun 17, 2026 – Jun 20, 2026, 9:00 AM- 5:00 PM
Cost: $600
About Janet Burner
"Clay as Art” is my goal and inspiration & “Craft versus Art” is a boundary I relish to extinguish. Both my home & my chosen craft & profession have reflected my love of the earth & the creative energy it provides. Exploring clay as a canvas is a facet of my work. The human figure, my life's experiences, and images from nature fascinate my imagination; smooth surfaces, texture, movement, and contrasts all apply. https://www.sabinopottery.com/
All are welcome.
Clay As Art with Janet Burner
with Janet Burner
Janet K. Burner will demonstrate her various methods for elevating “clay to art." This will include such elements as carving, texture, sgrafitto, black wax, repoussé, and painting with slips & underglazes. Workshop participants will have hands-on experiences hand-building forms to apply these various techniques & may include making a slump mold & tile frame, engineering a whistle to become a sculpture, making animals & a piece to texture & paint with slips & black wax.
Location: Bear Mountain Lodge
Date and Time: June 17-19, 2026
10am - 3:30pm, with lunch at 12:30
Limit 10 participants. Lunch included.
Price: $400.00
