Artists working in many different mediums can attend this workshop to learn to make tools and awls out of materials such as wood and deer and elk bones. The finished tools may include bone folders and awls for bookbinding, clay-finishing tools, knitting needles, crochet hooks, sculptural tools, and an assortment of other objects.  Croft will also teach an intermediate/advanced class for book arts students, entitled Gothic Bookmaking with Wooden Boards and Brass Clasps.

Jim Croft has practiced traditional hand technologies, especially those used in working with wood and fiber, since 1970. His efforts to rediscover and substain the best historic structures and materials, focusing on recycling and using local materials, naturally led to tool making.

During a 3-day workshop, Latvian artist Ilona Romule demonstrates her step-by-step approach to porcelain slip casting, and describes how she transfers factory technology to a studio environment to create unique porcelain figures.

Ilona Romule has received international recognition with her slip cast porcelain figures.  A frequent symposia artist at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemet, Hungary, and at the Art Centre Zvartava in Latvia, Romule has also been a featured artist at the Guldagergaard Ceramic Research Center in Denmark.  Her works have been shown at the 6th International Contemporary Porcelain Triennial in Nyon, Switzerland; the 2nd World Ceramic Biennale in South Korea; and the 1st International Triennial of Silicate Arts in Kecskemet, Hungary

Chalelain will lead a workshop, presented jointly with the Fiber Artists of San Antonio, working with Procion dyes to produce a West African-influenced painted cloth. Among other things, blending, layering, special effects and painting without bleeds will be covered.

Hollis Chalelain was born and raised in Pennsylvania, but lived 14 years of her life overseas in Switzerland and in four West African countries. Chalelain started her career as a textile artist in Africa, her interest sparked by the richness and beauty of African fibrics. Her work can be found in public and private collections in Europe, Asia,  Africa, South and North America.

Izukura will lead a tuition-based class in Japanese Paper Weaving on Feb 24. He will also present large-scale silk installations, and will give a lecture and gallery talk on Feb 24. A Trunk Show of his acclaimed fashions and fibers is scheduled for Feb 24 and 25. And he will lead a Senshoku-do, a Japanese Dyeing Ceremony on Feb 25. (Advance details are on the news page of this website, or reference the SSAC's Winter/Spring term catalog for details.)

Akihiko Izukura has a passion for weaving and dyeing that stems not only from his family background (his ancestors created kimonos and obis for the Japanese Imperial family for centuries), but also from his profound interest in achieving harmony with nature. The designer works mainly in silk, transforming thread into hand-woven, “wind-like” fabrics.  Izukura’s raw materials are silk cocoons which produce both a fine silk thread and a coarser raw silk, which is hand-dyed with colors made only from natural materials such as insects and plants.

Student-artists with either a ceramic or non-ceramic painting background may explore the visual narrative and the human figure on tiles, using majolica painting techniques, during a 3-day workshop. A review of various techniques, along with exercises in life drawing, color theory, and the creation of individualized color palettes, will lead to individual approaches to decorative and narrative imagery on ceramic tiles.

Matthias Ostermann,  born in Germany, has been a working ceramist since 1975 and now lives in Montreal, Canada.  He specializes in low-fire, tin-glazed techniques in functional domestic ware, and sculptural and architectural wall tile.  He has taught and lectured around the world including in France, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and the Netherlands.  His work is shown internationally and is included in many permanent colections. Ostermann is the author of The New Majolica: Contemporary Approaches to Color and Technique, The Ceramic Surface and The Ceramic Narrative.

The clay monotype method invented by Lyons and taught in this workshop involves rolling out a slab of clay in a simple frame and letting it dry until it becomes leather hard. Colors are added one over the other, building the art work with images and textures on the clay slab. The printing is done by applying pressure and removing a thin layer of colored clay from the matrix. Printing does not require a press, and there are no ghost prints as each print pulled off the slab retains the same brilliance as the first monoprint. Both paper and fabric are used in this process.

Mitch Lyons earned his MFA in Ceramics from Tyler School of Art, and his BFA in Graphics from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. His clay monoprints can be found in numerous private and public collections throughout the United States, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Woodmere Museum, American University and the University of Delaware. He has taught at West Chester University, Moore College of Art, Rowan University, Alfred University, and the University of Delaware. In the past 10 years he has led over 100 workshops.

In a 3-day workshop, California artist Ryan explores the characteristics and texturing of sterling silver, creating patterned sheets that can be basic building blocks for further jewelry or vessel making.

Marne Ryan has enjoyed a rich and prolific career as a jewelry and holloware designer and manufacturer. Ryan teaches Masters Symposium classes at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco, CA. She has received international recognition for her work, including awards from DeBeers, Rolex, and the Japanese Pearl Association.

This 3-day workshop is a fulsome introduction for anyone with an interest in weaving rugs and the ability to warp their own loom -- but also covers enough 'tricks' for even intermediate weavers to learn some new techniques and perspectives on weaving.

Jason Collingwood began studying weaving with his father, renowned weaver Peter Collingwood, in 1987. Jason's rugs have been exhibited widely throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. Collingwood spends eight to twelve weeks per year teaching rug weaving techniques in the United States and Canada.

In this workshop, students will combine silk flowers and an originally styled sinamay hat to make a beautiful fashion statement while learning two traditional millinery skills. Traditionally, millinery flowers were hand-crafted from crisp silk yardage, petal by petal, leaf by leaf. Learn the rare skills to prepare, cut and assemble silk pattern pieces to fashion true couture-style roses, each unique in its color, shape and style. Additionally the workshop will hand block a summer straw hat using sensational sinamay straw. Easy to work with, sinamay comes in a variety of vibrant colors to match a summer wardrobe.

Jan Wutkowsky studied millinery with Waltraud Reiner at the Melbourne, Australia, School of Millinery, and has taught old-world hatmaking throughout the US since 1998. Her love of teaching is characterized by the hands-on approach she takes with individual students — a process of demonstration, gentile guidance, and encouragement to stretch the imagination.

Thick ’n Thin, also known as Diversified Plain Weave, is a versatile weave structure, with a wealth of design possibilities, and producing a fabric that can be woven in fine yarns for scarves and garments, or in heavier yarns for upholstery and table linens, and even rugs.  Thick’n Thin also offers many opportunities to explore color theory and optical mixing, because two sets of warp and weft yarns of different sizes interact.

Laura Viada has been a handweaver since 1996. Prior to embarking on her career in the arts, she practiced and taught banking law for 20 years. Laura’s work is focused on geometric form and color theory, dyeing most of her own fiber. Her award-winning work has been exhibited nationally.

Eid will offer two workshops while at the SSAC. A 3-day workshop will explore using a hydraulic press to metal-form copper and even silver. Steel dies and punches will be used to create disks, then seamless cylinders, which can be hammered into forms such as vessels, containers, and pendants; or sliced to make seamless rings.  At a second 1-day workshop (Oct 29), Eid will introduce Argentium Sterling Silver, a new sterling silver alloy that does not firescale, is highly tarnish resistant, and  hardens at low temperatures.

Cynthia Eid is an award-winning designer with 35-plus years of metalsmithing experience. Eid received her MFA from Indiana University, and has worked as a professional goldsmith. Currently an independent metalsmith and educator, Eid's sculptural jewelry and hollowware is formed through the creative use of hammers and/or a hydraulic press.

This two-day, intermediate and advanced, demonstration-only workshop will focus on creating functional pouring forms entirely from slab construction.  The process will involve the use of drawing as a foundation for the development of form, and then making paper templates (derived from the drawings) for the slab construction.  Chung will discuss the interrelationship of form, function, history, context and process in terms of pottery design.

Sam Chung holds his BA from St. Olaf College, MN and his MFA from Arizona State University, Tempe where he is presently an Associate Professor.  Publications include The Studio Potter, Ceramics Monthly, The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes and The Art of Contemporary American Pottery.

During this 2-day workshop, students will create 3-D books by using folded pop-up structures. After learning the pop-up mechanics, students will make three books that utilize the dimensional format, and will also learn how to make paper slipcases to house their books.

Bonnie Stahlecker uses the format of the book to tell a visual story. She uses time periods ordered by the sequential nature of bound pages to give abstractions of thought tangible form. Her work often contains hidden messages, layering of images, or a third dimension.

The Glass Jungle
     Performance with elaborate sculptural costume, dance, and puppetry | Fri, Nov 16 | 7:30P
Whirling Masks and Magic
     Workshop. Tuition: $75 | Sat, Nov 17 ¦10:00A – 12:00P
The Imaginary Mask
     Workshop. Tuition: $75 | Sat, Nov 17 ¦1:00 – 3:00P
Building a Magnificent Body Sculpture
     Workshop. Tuition: $140 | Sun, Nov 18 ¦10:00A – 4:00P
The Performance Art of Sha Sha Higby
     Lecture and discussion, free and open to the public | Sat, Nov 17 ¦ 4:00P

Sha Sha Higby, artist and dancer, is known internationally for her performance pieces using complex body sculpture.  Her performances combine costume, movement and puppetry. Higby received a Fulbright-Hayes Scholarship to study shadow puppet and performance arts in Indonesia for 5 years.  She also studied one year in Japan observing the tradition of Noh masks and theater, and has traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia. Higby is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Solo Theater Artist Fellowship. For futher details, see the Fall catalog or call Registration.