Classes
Summer 2013 Clay Camps
Join Northern Clay Center for a fabulous and fun summertime clay adventure!Each year, over 350 kids participate in our week-long camps, designed for all ability levels for ages 6 and up!
Campers will expand their imaginations while accomplishing lasting feats of clay. Whether working with sculpture, tiles, or wheel-thrown pottery, students will learn to work independently in a small class setting with plenty of individual instruction. Camps are offered in a variety of themes (from teapots and dog bowls to spaceships and garden gnomes) and they incorporate instruction for a variety of clay techniques—leaving plenty of room for exploration and decoration. Half-day camps meet for three hours each day (from 9 am – 12 noon or 1 – 4 pm) and include a short break for snack. Full-day camps meet for 7 hours each day (from 9 am – 4 pm unless otherwise noted) and include an hour-long supervised break for lunch. Parents should provide snacks and lunches. One teaching artist and one teaching assistant lead each camp. New camps begin each week, June 17 through August 19.
Fee for half-day camps: $165 (NCC members $155)*
Fee for full-day camps: $295 (NCC members $275)*
*unless otherwise noted
Registration is now OPEN. Use the links below, or browse by age on the Webstore.
Click below to jump to a section of the schedule:
Week 1 (June 17 – 21) | Week 2 (June 24 – 28) | Week 3 (July 1 – 5) | Week 4 (July 8 – 12) | Week 5 (July 15 – 19) | Week 6 (July 22 – 26) | Week 7 (July 29 –August 2) | Week 8 (August 5 – 9) | Week 9 (August 12 – 16) | Week 10 (August 19 – 23)
See an overview of camps by week.
Week 1: June 17 – 21
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| Mug for the Camera Make silly mugs for yourself, your family, and friends. No previous experience is required to jump on the potter’s wheel and learn a few tricks. Whether tall or short, your mugs will be great for water, pop (or soda), soup, or snacks. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Nick Giles-Lauer Ages: 9 & up |
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| A Pirate’s Life for Me Ahoy mateys! Jump aboard this ship for a week of fun and adventure! Create pirate accessories using handbuilding techniques: treasure chests, mugs, parrots, coins, and a necklace. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Bridget Blatzheim Ages: 8 & up |
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| Dishes Galore Learn basic wheel-throwing techniques to create a variety of unique fanciful cups, bowls, plates, and pots. Decorate with colorful slips and patterns to personalize your own place setting. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Susan Obermeyer Ages: 9 & up |
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Week 2: June 24 – 28 |
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| Shotokan Karate and Clay #1 Exercise your mind and body in this all-day art and movement-filled camp! Spend the mornings making pots on the wheel at the Clay Center and the afternoons learning Japanese Shotokan Karate at the Movement Arts Center. Co-sponsored by the Movement Arts Center at 2211 East Franklin Ave. Time: 9 am – 4 pm | Register Instructors: Nick Moen & Nina Chenault Ages: 9 & up |
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| Five Centers for Art: No Business Like Show Business The music, the make-up, the scenery, the props! Make different types of art related to the theater at the 5 Centers for Art. Students will spend one day at each art center, including Minnesota Center for Books Arts, IFP Media Arts, Textile Center, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, and Northern Clay Center. Class meets in the order of the organizations listed above. Please register through Northern Clay Center. Time: 9 am – 3 pm | Register Instructors: various Ages: 9 & up Fee: $295 per person ($275 members) |
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| For the Birds Make a ceramic bird paradise by piecing together wheel-thrown forms and handbuilt decorations. Your bowls, cups, and plates will work together to become colorful baths, homes, and feeders that birds will love. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Samantha Longley Ages: 9 & up |
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| Mario Kart Make your own set of Mario characters using basic handbuilding techniques. Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Toad, Bowser, Koopa, Wario, and many more. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Susan Obermeyer Ages: 6 & up |
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| I Scream, You Scream #1 Use the wheel to create your own set of ice cream party dishes! Create your ultimate sundae dish and decorate with colorful glazes. Finish off the week with an ice cream party! Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Wendy Thoreson Ages: 9 & up |
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| Flying Saucers Make bowl and plate forms on the pottery wheel, then assemble them into your own starship. Whether it’s the Millennium Falcon, the USS Enterprise, or the Serenity, the studio will be a busting spaceport by the end of the week, ready to take on the universe. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Erin Holt Ages: 9 & up |
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Week 3: July 1 – 5 (no class July 4) |
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| Can You Handle Me? Make pots with different styles of handles—mugs, pitchers, casseroles, and lids. Learn basic wheel-throwing skills and a variety of handle techniques such as coils, lugs, sculpted handles, and traditional pulled handles. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Erin Holt Ages: 9 & up Fee: $135 per person (no class July 4) |
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| Hit or Myth Learn a variety of ancient myths from places around the world and create characters, magic symbols, and settings. Diana on a hunt? Neptune riding a dolphin? The only limit is your imagination. Use a variety of handbuilding techniques anddecorate with colorful slips. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Brianna Larson Ages: 6 & up Fee: $135 per person (no class July 4) |
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Week 4: July 8 – 12 |
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| Hip to be a Square Make fun, functional serving pieces that have been squished, pinched, paddled, tossed, trimmed, and tweaked into various shapes. Previous wheel experience recommended, but not required. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Karin Holen Ages: 11 & up |
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| Tea with the Mad Hatter Make elaborate teapots from basic wheel-thrown forms. Complete a fanciful set during the week, including teacups, saucers, sugar bowl, and creamer, then decorate with colorful slips and glazes. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Samantha Longley Ages: 9 & up |
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| Up, Up, and Away! Invent your own superhero alter-ego by brainstorming super powers and names. Build your action figure, accessories and tools, and a super medallion to wear under your “everyday disguise.” Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Erin Holt Ages: 8 & up |
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| How Does Your Garden Grow? Use the potter’s wheel to make flowerpots, vases, decorative tiles, and learn to draw plants and gardens in this pottery camp. From herb gardens to bud vases, your home and garden will be full of nature. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Nick Moen Ages: 9 & up |
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| Clay for Everyday Make a pot or sculpture for every room in your house—including the yard. Pet dish, spoon rest, frog sculpture—explore and enhance your home. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Jennica Kruse Ages: 6 & up |
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| You Don’t GNOME Me Create an entire gnome village for your garden or yard. Accessorize with other garden decorations such as houses, tiles, or animals. Students will learn coiling, pinching, and slab-building techniques. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: David Swenson Ages: 8 & up |
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Week 5: July 15 – 19 |
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| I Scream, You Scream #2 Use the wheel to create your own set of ice cream party dishes! Create your ultimate sundae dish and decorate with colorful glazes. Finish off the week with an ice cream party! Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Bridget Blatzheim Ages: 9 & up |
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| repTILES and CLAYphibians Create your favorite reptiles and amphibians out of clay—lizards, snakes, frogs, and turtles. Learn handbuilding techniques to make critters, tiles, “toad houses” and more. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Heron Bassett Ages: 6 & up |
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| Funky Monkeys Use the potter’s wheel to create cups, bowls, mugs, and vases, then decorate them with crazy animal sculptures. Monkeys, lions, dogs, cats, eagles—anything goes! Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Heron Bassett Ages: 9 & up |
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| Castles in the Sky Assemble a variety of wheel-thrown shapes into fantastic fountains, colossal castles, and other impressive architecture. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Jennica Kruse Ages: 9 & up |
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Week 6: July 22 – 26 |
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| Shotokan Karate and Clay #2 Exercise your mind and body in this all-day art and movement-filled camp! Spend the mornings making pots on the wheel at the Clay Center and the afternoons learning Japanese Shotokan Karate at the Movement Arts Center. Co-sponsored by the Movement Arts Center at 2211 East Franklin Ave. Time: 9 am – 4 pm | Register Instructors: Wendy Thoreson & Nina Chenault Ages: 9 & up |
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| Fantastic Island Create your own fantasy island out of clay. Populate it with wizards, dwarves, princesses, monsters, unicorns, and more. Learn basic handbuilding techniques—no magic wands allowed. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Heron Bassett Ages: 6 & up |
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| Five Centers for Art: Down By The River Celebrate the beauty of nature and learn about ecosystems through diverse projects at the 5 Centers for Art. Students will spend one day at each art center,including Minnesota Center for Books Arts, IFP Media Arts, Textile Center, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, and Northern Clay Center. Class meets in the order of the organizations listed above. Please register through Northern Clay Center. Time: 9 am – 3 pm | Register Instructors: Various Ages: 9 & up Fee: $295 per person ($275 member) |
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| Center of Attention Use the wheel to throw and assemble clay parts to make centerpieces, candleholders, bowls, and vases for your dining room table. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: David Swenson Ages: 9 & up |
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Week 7: July 29 – August 2
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| I Scream, You Scream #3 Use the wheel to create your own set of ice cream party dishes! Create your ultimate sundae dish and decorate with colorful glazes. Finish off the week with an ice cream party! Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Victoria Dawes Ages: 9 & up |
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| Bowl Lotta Love Create different size bowls for different purposes, from teeny-tiny to humongous-gigundous. Make your pieces on the potter’s wheel, then decorate and add fancy lips to each piece. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Nick Giles-Lauer Ages: 9 & up |
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| All in the Family Feed and water your pets in style! Make personalized dishes and bowls, fancy nametags, and even a treat jar for your favorite pets—real and imaginary. Learn basic handbuilding techniques for functional ceramics and decorate with colorful slips. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Eileen Cohen Ages: 6 & up |
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| Jug Heads Make mugs and jugs on the pottery wheel; then add eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, and more to create awesome characters for your home. We will look at traditional examples from Germany and the American Southeast while learning basic wheel skills. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: David Swenson Ages: 9 and up |
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| Wheeling Boot Camp Our best class for teenagers with intermediate wheel skills. Test your hand on the wheel with a class for experienced students! Learn some new forms and refine those you already know how to make. Previous experience required, minimum two wheel camps. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Elizabeth Coleman Ages: 13 & up |
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Week 8: August 5 – 9 |
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| ArtiCulture and NCC: Start Coloring In the mornings, apply color to your pots and sculptures at Northern Clay Center by looking at examples and using textures, slips, and majolica stains. In the afternoons, color will take front and center in creative projects at ArtiCulture. Learn how color can play tricks on the eye, influence attitudes, create a mood, and even carry cultural and historical meanings. Time: 9 am – 4 pm | Register Instructors: NCC & ArtiCulture Staff Ages: 9 & up |
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| Sweets on Stage Create display stands for desserts—plates, cake stands, and cupcake holders. Make mini-cupcakes to put your creations to good use. Learn basic wheel-throwing techniques and add coils and carving for decoration. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Bridget Blatzheim Ages: 9 & up |
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| Who Took the Cookie from the Cookie Jar? Use slab- and coil-building techniques to make a cookie jar, plates, and cups to share cookies with your family and friends. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Victoria Dawes Ages: 8 & up |
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| Summer Blockbuster Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have 3D versions of your favorite animated characters? Now’s your chance! From Dora the Explorer to Wreck It Ralph, or this summer’s big family movie—Just bring pictures of your characters and roll up your sleeves. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Susan Obermeyer Ages: 6 & up |
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Week 9: August 12 – 16 |
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| How Does It Feel? Start with wheel-thrown pottery techniques, then spend the week trying carving techniques and adding handbuilt elements for texture, shape, and decoration. Create truly individual treasures. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Kelsie Rudolph Ages: 9 & up |
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| Eat Like an Animal Make a series of cups, plates, and trays based on Minnesota wildlife. Learn what animals live in Minnesota and be inspired by owls, moose, wolves, and more as you handbuild unique dishes for your next feast. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Eileen Cohen Ages: 6 & up |
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| Set the Table for Two or Twenty Throw a cohesive place setting on the wheel: a plate, bowl, and mug or tumbler. Experiment with size, shape, color, and textures to create dishes for your family and friends. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Kelsie Rudolph Ages: 9 & up |
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| Drum Up Some Fun Make some noise in this percussive camp. We’ll explore shapes and sounds of drums from different cultures, and then we’ll spend the week making our own unique sounding drums, rattles, and other clay instruments. Decorations will be applied, but instruments will be left unglazed for optimal sound quality. Time: 1 – 4 pm | Register Instructor: Karin Holen Ages: 8 & up Fee: $175 per person, includes one professional drum head |
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Week 10: August 19 – 23 |
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| From Wheel to Table Throw pots specifically for your favorite foods. Cut a plate into a wedge for pizza, make a colander to rinse berries, or paint a goblet to match your favorite juice. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Jennica Kruse Ages: 9 & up |
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| Faces in Strange Places Handbuild cups and jars and add human or animal expressions to your new favorite vessels. Create portraits of yourself, your best friends, parents, or even your pets. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Brianna Larson Ages: 6 & up |
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| The Breakfast Club Make a wonderful set for your breakfast table: waffle and pancake plates with plenty of room for syrup, a bowl for your cheesy grits or morning oatmeal, egg cups, juice glasses, and many other projects. Time: 9 am – 12 pm | Register Instructor: Wendy Thoreson Ages: 9 & up |
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