Classes & Workshops
Fall Firing Class: Making for the Soda Kiln
$450.00
Instructor: Emma Eckert, Wednesday evenings 5-8pm
Aug. 12th - Sept. 30th, 2026; loading Saturday Sept. 26th
Join us for an 8-week exploration of making, surface, and atmospheric firing. Over seven weeks, students will develop a body of work while investigating form, function, surface, and process. Through demonstration, discussion, and individual experimentation, we will explore a range of approaches to making, decorating and finishing pots; encouraging curiosity, play, and thoughtful decision-making throughout the process.
The final week of this course culminates in a collaborative loading and firing of our gas-soda kiln with the help of Cider Creek resident Wolfgang Obergin, where flame and vapor become active participants in the finished work.
Suitable for potters of all skill levels. Come and make with us!
The Art of Fermentation:
Constructing Lidded Jars and Crocks November 2-15, 2026
Here at Cider Creek, we’re always looking for ways to bring our artmaking practice closer to the work of stewarding the land, such as by making pots that work together with the food we grow. And it so happens this soil and climate love to grow cabbage!
In this tasty workshop, we’ll learn how to make various styles of fermentation crocks using our local clay stoneware and a combination of wheel-throwing and hand-building. We’ll fire them with wood in our catenary arch soda kiln, and while the kiln cools, we’ll teach you a few different kinds of kraut, kimchi, and pickles to make at home in your own crock.
No experience is required with clay or the potters’ wheel, though some would be helpful. Building large(ish) pots in stages with multiple pieces of clay means working slowly, in order to thoroughly understand how the wall of a pot is constructed. It’s actually a great context for learning how to make pottery. We’ll spend a lot of time considering the construction of different rims for sealing the crocks, and how to make an inside surface that is watertight and can be easily cleaned. Just handbuilding instead of using the wheel is an option, and also your crock doesn’t have to be very large!
