Ceramics Classes

Union Project's ceramics classes encourage the making of beautiful things, both hand-made objects and connections among people. Your class registration furthers UP's mission to use our space to bring people together to connect, create, and celebrate. After you register for your class, pay here or call 412-363-4550 x222. Your spot is not secured until payment is received. All materials and supplies are included in class price. Ceramic toolkits are available for $20.

Refunds may be issued if requested at least two weeks prior to class start date. A $20 administrative fee will be charged for all refunds.

Have an idea for a class you'd like to Union Project to offer, please share it with Jenna at 412-363-4550 x222 or jenna@unionproject.org.

Intermediate/Advanced Ceramics

Summer Session:
10 Mondays, July 8-September 16, 6-9 pm
Cost: $195

If you have experience throwing on the wheel and want to take it to the next level, this class is a great opportunity to practice and perfect your skills alongside other ceramics enthusiasts. Our advanced and passionate instructor, Keith, will introduce you to new techniques in both hand-building and wheel throwing and you’ll have the chance to enhance your ceramics experience. Work on more advanced shapes like teapots or larger pieces, and learn small steps to transform a mediocre pot into a beautiful piece. In addition to hands on learning, we’ll take the time to really look at the pieces you make – going beyond the mechanics of throwing and discussing the aesthetics of what makes one pot better than another.

To register for this class, you must complete the registration form below and submit payment via Paypal. Your registration is not complete until payment is received.

If you have questions, or would prefer to pay with an alternate method, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink (412.363.4550 x222).

THURSDAY Beginner / Intermediate Ceramics

Summer Session:
10 Thursdays, July 11-September 12, 6-9 pm
Cost: $195

Whether you already have a little experience in clay, or are just starting out – this class will give you an introduction to the fundamentals of wheel-throwing and hand-building. If you’ve already learned the basics and want to improve your proficiency, this class will challenge you and help you expand your knowledge or refresh your skills. Your instructor will focus on teaching centering, maximizing volume, trimming, glazing, and studio safety.

To register for this class, you must complete the registration form below and submit payment via Paypal. Your registration is not complete until payment is received.

If you have questions, or would prefer to pay with an alternate method, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink (412.363.4550 x222).

SATURDAY Beginner / Intermediate Ceramics

Summer Session:
10 Saturdays, July 13-September 14, 9 am-12 pm
Cost: $195

Due to popular demand, we've added this Saturday session of Beginning / Intermediate Ceramics! Whether you already have a little experience in clay, or are just starting out – this class will give you an introduction to the fundamentals of wheel-throwing and hand-building. If you’ve already learned the basics and want to improve your proficiency, this class will challenge you and help you expand your knowledge or refresh your skills. Your instructor, Martha, will focus on teaching centering, maximizing volume, trimming, glazing, and studio safety.

To register for this class, you must complete the registration form below and submit payment via Paypal. Your registration is not complete until payment is received.

If you have questions, or would prefer to pay with an alternate method, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink (412.363.4550 x222).

Youth Clay Class

Summer Session:
6 Saturdays, July 13-August 17, 9:30-11:30 am
Cost: $95/person

Ages 9-12. Your child will create functional and decorative work drawing upon their imagination and environment for creativity. Projects will provide students with an opportunity to find inspiration in area architecture and natural forms. Your instructor, Ben, will teach various hand-building techniques and will have a chance to try the potter’s wheel.

To register for this class, you must complete the registration form below and submit payment via Paypal. Your registration is not complete until payment is received.

If you have questions, or would prefer to pay with an alternate method, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink (412.363.4550 x222).

Family Clay Class

Summer Session:
8 Saturdays, July 13-August 31, 3-5 pm
Cost: $360/family up to four, $250/pair, $60/additional person

Explore your creativity and get your hands dirty alongside your children while learning basic ceramic techniques! You and your family will learn the fundamentals of hand-building and the potter’s wheel, as well as decorating and glazing techniques to create fun and functional pots for your home.

To register for this class, you must complete the registration form below and submit payment via Paypal. Your registration is not complete until payment is received.

If you have questions, or would prefer to pay with an alternate method, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink (412.363.4550 x222).

Squirt Clay Class

Summer Session:
6 Wednesdays, July 17-August 21, 4:30-6 pm
Cost: $95/person

Ages 4-8. Bring your little ones to the studio for Squirt Clay Class! In this session, our instructor, Talon, will teach your child the basics of hand-building through masks, sculpture, pinch pots, and coil pots. While working with clay, your child’s creative ideas will be encouraged through images of historic ceramic works and stories from modern children’s literature.

To register for this class, you must complete the registration form below and submit payment via Paypal. Your registration is not complete until payment is received.

If you have questions, or would prefer to pay with an alternate method, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink (412.363.4550 x222).

Daytime Kids Clay Class

Summer Session:
6 Mondays, July 22-August 26, 10 am-12 pm
Cost: $95/person

Ages 7-12. This summer class is designed for young artists to have fun and socialize with peers while creating and learning various ceramic techniques. Your child will receive one-on-one attention on the wheel and complete various hand-built projects learning coil, slab, and pinch techniques. Students will also have time to free play with clay and see other artists work in our community studio.

To register for this class, you must complete the registration form below and submit payment via Paypal. Your registration is not complete until payment is received.

If you have questions, or would prefer to pay with an alternate method, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink (412.363.4550 x222).

Whistle Making Workshop

Summer Workshop:
August 11, 1:00-3:00 pm
Cost: $25/adult, $15/child

Want to spend an afternoon playing with clay and learning about instrument making? You can learn the handbuilding techniques needed to make your very own ceramic whistle during this unique workshop. Perfect for all skill levels, and a great Sunday afternoon activity for families with kids. Toot toot!

Summer Dreamers Academy - From Mud to Masterpiece: Creating with Clay

An enrichment activity offered through the Summer Dreamers Academy:
Monday, July 1, 2013 - Wednesday, August 7, 2013 (No camp on July 4)
Summer Dreamers runs from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm, with enrichment activities in the afternoon
There is no cost to attend the Summer Dreamers Academy, you must register through Pittsburgh Public Schools

Union Project is providing an afternoon ceramics activity through Pittsburgh Public School's Summer Dreamers Academy. Our activity is geared toward 2nd graders and will be held at the Classical Camp location. Please contact the public school system to enroll by May 3rd.

Come on, get your hands a little dirty. Learn exciting ways to create artwork out of clay, make things your family can use at the dinner table, collaborate with your fellow campers to construct a large-scale sculpture, incorporate drawings into your work with laser-jet decaling, try your hand at the potter’s wheel, and celebrate at the end with an exhibition of your artwork. Campers will work with a teaching artist from Union Project's community ceramics studio to develop a portfolio, sketchbook, and body of work to take home at the conclusion of the camp. You don’t have to be a super artist, just enjoy working with your hands, being creative, making things, and having fun.

About Summer Dreamers:
The Summer Dreamers Academy is the summer fun your child wants—and the summer learning your child needs. All campers will work on the reading, writing and math skills that will help them succeed in school. But it’s not school as usual! Your child will participate in fun and interesting academic classes and take part in exciting enrichment activities. All students currently enrolled in grades K–8 are encouraged to sign up.

To learn more about Summer Dreamers Academy, visit their website. Registration for Summer Dreamers must be received by May 3rd.

Young Women's Ceramics Camp

Summer Camp:
10 days, Monday, August 12, 2013 - Friday, August 23, 2013
12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Cost: $175/child (12-16 years old)

During this ten day camp, young women will develop their skills on the potter's wheel together in a welcoming, community art space. This class is designed for all experience levels and instruction will begin with the basics: centering, making small pots, trimming, and glazing techniques.

By creating ceramic artwork everyday during the camp, the students will be encouraged to develop self-confidence and excitement through their progress, invest in relationships with peers and neighbors, and take home their handmade pots at the end. Will be great fun!

If you have questions, or would prefer to pay with an alternate method, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink (412.363.4550 x222).

Harvest and Create: A Farm to Table Immersion

Spring Session:
Monday, June 17, 2013 - Friday, June 28, 2013
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Cost: $450/child

Woah - this camp is full! Pending interest, we're considering adding a second session of this camp. If you'd like to place your child on a waiting list, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink.

Do your children know where food comes from? Wish you had a garden to introduce them to nature? Do your kids love to play in dirt and make things? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this two week camp is just for them!

During this two week summer camp, Union Project and Garfield Community Farm will introduce a small group of youth (ages 8-13) to the practices and processes of sustainable farming and creating with clay through hands-on learning.

Most mornings will be spent in the fields at the Garfield Community Farm learning about growing seasons, how to use garden tools, simple sustainable farming techniques, horticulture, and the science of growing. In Union Project’s ceramic studio, campers will engage in the process of creating with clay, including hand-building techniques, wheel throwing, firing techniques, and glazing. Campers will create their very own functional, ceramic place settings (plate, bowl, and cup) to take home.

After two weeks, camp will conclude with a meal, prepared by campers (with the help of a Pittsburgh chef) using vegetables they harvested from the farm, and served on the very same place settings they created in the studio. Parents and family members will be invited to share in the local feast. Each camper will take home a t-shirt, journal, potted herb plant, the ceramic place-setting they made, lessons from Pittsburgh chefs, and the most unique, dirty experience of the summer!

Field trips for foodies with local restaurants and farms!
Multiple field trips are planned, including spending an afternoon in the kitchen learning about preserving from the head chef at Legume. Campers will venture out to Lamp Post Farm for a whole-day, rural farming experience, including animals! Campers will also venture to Penn Ave for lunch at NaCl, including a cooking lesson from the head chef at NaCl.

Details
This camp runs from Monday – Friday for two weeks. Each day will begin at the Garfield Community Farm and end at Union Project. Campers will be transported by van between the two locations (just a mile away). Campers should be dropped off at Garfield Community Farm at 8:30 am and be picked up at Union Project at 4:30 pm. Campers should bring a lunch each day.

This camp is a partnership between Union Project and Garfield Community Farm. Union Project is located at 801 N. Negley Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Garfield Community Farm is on Wicklow Street at the corner of Cornwall Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Scholarships available. Call Union Project at 412-363-4550 x222.

Spots are limited, sign up today!
To register for this camp, you must complete the online registration form and submit payment via Paypal. Your spot is not secured and your registration is not complete until payment is received.

If you have questions, or would prefer to pay with an alternate method, please contact Jenna Vanden Brink (412.363.4550 x222).