Be sure to check the pages of the individual artists for workshops which they may be teaching in their studios... or which these often-well-known artists and artisans may be teaching at any one of the many art and craft schools throughout the US and the world. NOTE: We are happy to list these individual workshops on this page when we either stumble across them or they are emailed to our attention.
Art and Craft Workshops
in the Toe River Valley
Sandra Gates: Gates Studio
".... enjoy a relaxing and creative weekend in the mountains, in front of a cozy fire on cool evenings with a book from the art library. This is a refresher course for the more experienced and an introduction to the joy of watercolor for the beginner. Classes are Friday, 9:00-4:00; Saturday, 9:00-4:00; and Sunday 9:00 until early afternoon. Artists coming from out of town should arrive on Thursday afternoon or evening. Apartments are available for those artists. Apartments have two bedrooms, bath, sitting area, galley kitchen, private entrance, easy access to the studio for evening work and may be shared with another artist...."
Pine Root Wood Fire Workshop
"... annual Pine Root Pottery wood-firing workshop with Mark Peters. .... Participants will bring bisque pots that we’ll glaze, load and fire here at Pine Root. During cool down, I’ll demonstrate some throwing and altering techniques or we'll go on a tour of some local potteries...." Limited to six participants, reserve early. Takes place in June.
Workshops by Toe River Area Artists in Out Of Town Venues
Sculpture Workshop with Lisa Clague at Lee Center in Arlington VA "... In this two-day hands-on sculpture workshop ceramic sculptor, Lisa Clague will share her techniques for combining metal and clay in figurative sculptures. Students will learn how to incorporate objects such as steel nails, rods, kiln elements, old tools, forks, and other found objects to create thin appendages, large structures, cantilevered forms, and other elements difficult to achieve with clay alone. Clague explains, "Metal has allowed my figures to juggle balls, wear hoop skirts and wiggle their legs. I'm excited about the endless possibilities." Using her techniques, students will experiment with and discover new ways of creating personal visions in clay...." Lisa Clague received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art and her Master of Fine Art degree from California College of Arts and Crafts. Her work has been exhibited at museums, galleries, and exhibitions in the United States and around the world. In addition to creating her own work in her North Carolina studio, Lisa lectures and teaches at various art centers and educational center around the country...."
Pots/Possibilities with Nick Joerling at the Lee Center in Arlington VA
"As work departs from thrown forms that typically refer to pots and pottery, it gains the ability to describe forms in nature, suggest the vulnerability of the figure, and express the asymmetry found in human experience." This observation of artist, Tom Spleth, describes the focus of Nick’s two-day, hands on exploration of utilitarian forms. Beginning with round pots coming from the wheel, students will push, cut, coax, and stretch those forms, taking some liberties with the notion of utilitarian pots. Students will also explore various ways of making handles, lids, and spouts.
Slides and demonstrations will form the backdrop for lively conversation about everything from making a living to making pots personal. Process is paramount, humor emphasized, taking chances encouraged. Some throwing experience is recommended. Nick Joerling is a full-time studio potter who has maintained a studio in Penland, North Carolina since the mid-1980's.... In his studio he hopes for pots that have qualities of sensuality, compassion, humor, and risk...."
Browse AshevilleBliss.com's Bookstore
Explore the Bliss of Teaching Yourself (or Brushing Up On) Fine Crafts Techniques via These Excellent Books
Books are great teachers! There always there when you need them... even at 3 a.m.! We personally think they make a great compliment to taking workshops. However, if you're REALLY short on cash , these books are a great 'second choice'... even available in most cases, used. Many of these books (particularly the Lark ones) feature South Toe and Asheville area artists and photography.
Contemporary Warm Glass: A Guide to Fusing, Slumping & Kiln-Forming Techniques *Glass Types and Forms *Supplies and Equipment; *Preparing the Kiln for Firing; *Keeping a Firing Log; *The Basis Fusing and Slumping Process; *Molds for Slumping; *Troubleshooting; *Fusing and Slumping Techniques; *Glass Polishing; *Finishing for Display; *Compatibility Testing; *More about Annealing; *Kiln Casting; *Glass Painting; *Making Your Own (devit spray, kiln wash, iridescent glass, frit, stringers); and *Master Firing Schedules
This comprehensive introduction features projects both beautiful and practical that are sure to appeal to all beginning glassworkers. It covers all of the fundamentals, such as fusing, slumping and draping, as well as some intermediate and advanced techniques, including pot melting, inclusions, mold-making and more. There’s also advice on decorative surface treatment of the finished piece... Nineteen exquisite projects, arranged by skill level, range from home décor items, like a wall sconce and fountain, to sculpture, and even an amber glass pendant.
This is absolutely the best resource for learning low-fire clay decoration.... covers everything you need to know in an easy to understand manner. Surface decoration techniques include slips, terra sigillata, underglazes, glazes, maiolica, china paints, decals, & lusters. Formulas for some of these are included by volume & percentage. Seven step-by-step projects that demonstrate use of slips, sgraffito, cutouts, decals, underglazes & maiolica help you to apply what you have learned. A glossary, cone-firing range chart, & resource list are a great bonus
From press-molded pieces to carved works showcasing spectacular surface treatments, these magnificent tiles will inspire beginners and professionals, as well as collectors and enthusiasts. Some of the larger handcrafted displays here were made to decorate public and private spaces; others use single tiles to interpret nature, tell a story, or make a bold cultural observation. As always in this acclaimed series, all the contributors are accomplished artists, renowned in the field.
No other volume has ever presented such a diverse and captivating collection of contemporary animal-themed ceramics.... the beautifully crafted works range from the representational to the abstract, from artful realism to provocative surrealism (including animal-human hybrids). Ann Marais’ image of a waterfowl painted onto a porcelain dish has a restrained, Asian quality. Sharkus’ painted and smoke-fired stoneware turtle could easily be mistaken for the living creature. Bova provides astute and illuminating commentary overall, with selected artists’ notes.
....richly illustrated with hundreds of breathtaking photographs.... the artistry of a finely tooled leather cover, embellished with traditional gold-leaf lettering; the intricacy of an exotic Ethi..... Jeanne Germani’s Cloudspeak showcases her own handmade papers, made from such varied materials as recycled denim, thistle, and other plant matter. Chris Bivin’s codex-style volume features curious, tiny, found objects. One of Laura Wait’s untitled pieces utilizes a handsome raised-cord binding to connect a pair of stained-cedar covers with abstract aluminum letterforms attached.
.. a varied, captivating collection of contemporary ceramics based on the human form... from leaders in the field such as Judy Fox, Kurt Weiser, and Andy Nasisse. Kay Yourist has produced female forms that are smooth, minimalist vessels with only the slightest hint of breasts and belly. The simple, rounded features of Diane Lublinski’s black-and-white figures possess a fun, clown-like whimsy. Michael A. Prather’s mournful ceramic portraits have frowning faces and pointed dunce-like heads in a muted color palette. Many come with detail images and illuminating artist’s commentary.
If you are a contemporary art glass collector, you will love the hundreds of photographs in this book. You might even discover a new artist whose work you covet! As a learning tool, however, this book leaves something to be desired. Other than the names of the artists and their techniques, plus the object dimensions, there is not a lot of information. It would have been nice to have examples and descriptions of how the techniques are accomplished. But then, the author - the daughter of one of the world's foremost glass artists - would have needed more than 396 pages.
Click on each of the dozens of categories to the left to uncover what makes the Asheville area so vital, so intriguing and so, well, UTTERLY BLISSFUL!
Send your choice of free historic Penland postcards like this one depicting the “Travellog” which was driven to Chicago in 1933 to display Penland creations at the World’s Fair. Penland founder Lucy Morgan sits on steps. (Bayard Wootten/ Penland)
Penland has been a major force in attracting an amazingly high calibre of artists and artisans who have moved to be within a 30 mile or so radius of this internationally-recognized school. Some first came as students. Some as artists in residence. Many, drawn by the growing number of other artists in the area and the area's phenomenal natural beauty have stayed on. Here's an overview of what has historically made Penland such a powerful cultural force.
"Schools like Penland and Haystack Mountain (Maine) continue to be important because their small scale and flexible structure allow them to experiment and develop programs in a way that can't be done within the more formalized structure of universities and art schools. At Penland you learn by watching others and that's very important. That community of exchange and sharing is hard to document, but it's part of why Penland exists." Paul Smith, Curator Emeritus of the American Craft Museum (now the Museum of Arts & Design)
"...Workshops are the core of Penland’s educational program. Each summer, the school offers 98 one- or two-week classes in books and paper, clay, drawing and painting, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking, textiles, wood, and other media.In the spring and fall, Penland has seven classes that run for eight weeks. These long sessions, called Concentrations, are unlike anything else offered in craft: almost as long as a college semester with the focused intensity of the single-subject workshop. We also offer a few one-week classes in the spring and fall. Penland has no standing faculty—instructors and students come to the school for the duration of their session. Students at Penland take only one class at a time, making it possible to cover a tremendous amount of material and to form close relationships with other students in a few weeks." Located in Penland, NC, about an hour and 15 minutes north of Asheville.
Public Events at Penland include an Annual Open House in early March where with hands-on activities and/or demonstrations in clay, hot glass, flameworked glass, iron, metals, papermaking, printmaking, textiles, and wood. The event is free and open to the whole family; children are welcome.... Each year 400-500 visitors join 100 local volunteers for this afternoon of education and fun. Some activities, particularly glass, are very popular and have limited spaces. Sign-ups will not start until 1:00 PM, but guests are welcome to come early and get in line."
Half Price Standby Tuition Discount to Local Residents & Teachers Anywhere
LOCAL STANDBY: Residents of Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey, and Watauga counties (North Carolina) who take unfilled spaces in Penland summer classes two weeks or less before the first day of the class will receive half-price tuition; regular room and board fees apply. Standby discounts will be available for fall and spring classes thirty-days before the classes begin. IMAGE: detail of wall
TEACHER STANDBY: Penland School is extending the standby program to all K-12 teachers, regardless of where they live. You will be asked to furnish proof of current employment as a teacher.
Tour Penland On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can join a
tour of the campus (reservations required). You'll be able to tour the campus and visit the resident artist's studios. You can have lunch or a snack in the coffee shop... shop in the art supply store and the gallery. Pick up a map to artist's studios in the vicinity. Note" You won't be able to visit the teaching studiosTour the school and visit working artist's studios to avoid disrupting the teaching and creative experience.
Tours of Penland School leave the gallery on Tuesday at 10:30 AM and Thursday at 1:30 PM; reservations required. For more information call 828-765-6211.
"Remember mountain days
Remember friends and
mountain neighbors
and the joy of hands at work
Remember mountain days" from the wall on the walk from North Light to the Ceramic Studio
Visit the Penland Gallery
The gallery presents functional and sculptural work in books, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, painting, papermaking, photography, printmaking, textiles, and wood. In addition to the sales area, the gallery has an ongoing series of invitational shows..."
Jack Troy: Hayland and Penstack
"...Every now and then someone asks me, “Which do you like better, Penland or Haystack?” My answer is always the same: “Yes.” And when they give me the identical bewildered look, I don’t blame them a bit. If you’ve attended workshops at these remarkable institutions - unique to the world; deserving their own genre of patriotism - you may know what it is to ogle one of North Carolina’s most cherished Blue Ridge views from a picnic table in front of The Pines and imagine a Maine island just beyond the mixed hardwoods enclosing Cynthia Bringle’s studio, or maybe you’ve gazed off a deck overlooking Penobscot Bay and conjured up a spot on the southeast horizon where an imagined mountain-gash represents the geological C-section where our soda feldspar originates, near Spruce Pine. Something we breathe at both places induces the same sensation that made Emily Dickinson an “inebriate of air.” Penland’s llamas graze across from what might be the little harbor-bay whose curving shore mimics the last turn on Conley Ridge Road; bamboo and rhododendron thickets thrive where vaguely spooky moss and springy duff might clothe spruce-roots. Is that a predawn train or lobster-boat guttering out early? How can rain on the kiln-shed’s roof mimic a high tide shredding itself on granite, just below your cabin? What measly proportion of these irresistible breakfast calories will I really need to make a couple dozen cups and show a tray of teabowl slides before lunch? (Logo on a T-shirt fetching $65 at a recent auction: PENLAND, WHERE VEGETARIANS EAT BACON)..." click here for rest of post
Penland Scholarship Auctions
These auctions of student and teacher work take place on the last Thursday of each session at 8 p.m. in the Northlight Building. Here is the schedule for 2008:
"... In this two-day hands-on sculpture workshop ceramic sculptor, Lisa Clague will share her techniques for combining metal and clay in figurative sculptures. Students will learn how to incorporate objects such as steel nails, rods, kiln elements, old tools, forks, and other found objects to create thin appendages, large structures, cantilevered forms, and other elements difficult to achieve with clay alone. Clague explains, "Metal has allowed my figures to juggle balls, wear hoop skirts and wiggle their legs. I'm excited 
about the endless possibilities." Using her techniques, students will experiment with and discover new ways of creating personal visions in clay...." Lisa Clague received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art and her Master of Fine Art degree from California College of Arts and Crafts. Her work has been exhibited at museums, galleries, and exhibitions in the United States and around the world. In addition to creating her own work in her North Carolina studio, Lisa lectures and teaches at various art centers and educational center around the country...."
forms in nature, suggest the vulnerability of the figure, and express the asymmetry found in human experience." This observation of artist, Tom Spleth, describes the focus of Nick’s two-day, hands on exploration of utilitarian forms. Beginning with round pots coming from the wheel, students will push, cut, coax, and stretch those forms, taking some liberties with the notion of utilitarian pots. 
Students will also explore various ways of making handles, lids, and spouts.
Slides and demonstrations will form the backdrop for lively conversation about everything from making a living to making pots personal. Process is paramount, humor emphasized, taking chances encouraged. Some throwing experience is recommended. Nick Joerling is a full-time studio potter who has maintained a studio in Penland, North Carolina since the mid-1980's.... In his studio he hopes for pots that have qualities of sensuality, compassion, humor, and risk...."
"...
almost as long as a college semester with the focused intensity of the single-subject workshop. We also offer a few one-week classes in the spring and fall. Penland has no standing faculty—instructors and students come to the school for the duration of their session. Students at Penland take only one class at a time, making it possible to cover a tremendous amount of material and to form close relationships with other students in a few weeks." Located in Penland, NC, about an hour and 15 minutes north of Asheville. 
LOCAL STANDBY: Residents of Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey, and Watauga counties (North Carolina) who take unfilled spaces in Penland summer classes two weeks or less before the first day of the class will receive half-price tuition; regular room and board fees apply. Standby discounts will be available for fall and spring classes thirty-days before the classes begin. IMAGE: detail of wall 
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can join a 