Sedona Arts Center — The Ceramics Department at SAC

Discover the joy of working with clay at Sedona Arts Center!
Our ceramics program welcomes all levels to explore, experiment, and create in a supportive community. With guidance from studio manager Ben Roti, instructors Lolo Howe and John Post, plus visiting guest artists, you’ll gain hands-on experience in both traditional and contemporary techniques. Join us for a class or workshop and see where your creativity takes you!

This two-day, hands-on workshop offers a rare opportunity to learn the fundamentals of kiln conversion and soda firing with Iowa-based ceramic artist Adam Nielsen. Participants will assist in converting an old electric kiln into a functioning gas-fired soda kiln, and then fire the kiln together as a group on the second day. The converted kiln will remain in use at the Sedona Arts Center for future soda firings.

Handouts will be provided to guide participants in converting their own kilns at home—making this workshop a great opportunity for anyone interested in expanding their firing possibilities.

Discover the art of Nerikomi, a Japanese technique that transforms colored porcelain into vivid, intricate patterns running all the way through the clay. In this immersive one-day workshop, artist Jesse Armstrong will guide participants through the entire process—from building patterned clay blocks to shaping refined ceramic pieces. In the morning, you’ll explore techniques such as color fading, layering, reducing, and tiling to create two nerikomi blocks, and in the afternoon, you’ll use plaster molds and tar paper templates to form cups and bowls. Jesse will also demonstrate professional lapidary finishing methods, including sponging, sanding, and polishing, to leave your ceramics with a high-gloss, gallery-quality shine.

CERAMICS: Independent Study
with Ben Roti
October 27–December 1, 2025 – Mondays, 3:30–6:30pm

Refine your skills in a supportive studio setting while working on self-directed projects. 

This class offers a supportive studio environment for intermediate and advanced students ready to deepen their ceramics practice. Under Ben’s guidance, you’ll explore advanced throwing and hand-building techniques such as lidded vessels, plates, and bottle forms, while developing your own personal projects. You’ll also experiment with surface decoration, glazing, and finishing to bring your unique vision to life. Weekly open studio sessions provide extra practice time, and materials—including 25 pounds of clay, glazes, and firings—are included. One-on-one instructor support ensures personalized guidance throughout the course.

Surface Design in Clay
with Laura “Lolo” Aileen Howe
October 27–December 1, 2025 – Mondays, 9am–12pm

Dive into the rich world of ceramic surface decoration in this hands-on course designed for students with prior clay experience. Focusing on every stage from leather-hard to bisque-fired, you’ll explore a wide range of techniques to bring your vision to life—whether bold and graphic or subtle and layered. Instruction covers slip and underglaze decoration through brushwork, stencils, and masking; sgraffito and mishima for crisp, contrasting designs; and texture and layering with stamps, carving tools, and resists. You’ll also experiment with glaze strategies that enhance decorative effects beneath the surface. Enrollment is limited for individualized instruction, clay and basic materials are provided, and students may bring additional bisqueware or greenware to decorate. Plus, access to open studio hours offers extra time to refine your work.

Hands-On Hand Building
with Ben Roti
October 27–December 1, 2025 – Mondays, 12:30–3:30pm

This fun and creative ceramics class is open to all levels, from beginners to experienced ceramicists, and offers a welcoming, hands-on environment to explore your personal artistic vision. You’ll learn foundational hand-building techniques such as slab construction, coil building, and pinch pots to create both functional and decorative pieces, with projects ranging from bowls and mugs to vases, platters, and lidded boxes, plus optional advanced work for returning students. Along the way, you’ll explore surface design and glazing through texturing, stamping, slip decoration, and more.Small class sizes ensure personalized instruction, while tuition includes a 25-pound bag of clay, glazes, firings, and one open studio session per week. Optional 9-piece tool kits are available for $15, though purchase is not required.

Explore the vast potential of ceramics in this six-week course, ideal for students looking to develop, strengthen, and advance their pottery skills in a playful environment. Working with the potter’s wheel, slab roller, extruder, texture tools, and more students will experiment with functional and decorative techniques, turning their creative ideas into tangible works of art.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the creation and modification of ceramic glazes. Students will begin by learning how to read glaze recipes and accurately prepare liquid glaze batches. Building on this foundation, the course explores techniques for developing multiple glaze variations from a limited number of initial batches.

Ceramics Explorations: Wheel and Beyond
with Laura “Lolo” Aileen Howe
October 30–December 4, 2025 – Thursdays, 4–7pm

This class is perfect for students eager to develop and advance their pottery skills in a fun, supportive environment. Using the potter’s wheel, slab roller, extruder, and texture tools, you’ll experiment with both functional and decorative techniques to bring your creative ideas to life. Small class sizes ensure personalized instruction tailored to your skill level and goals. Whether you’re a beginner building your foundation or an experienced student refining your craft, you’ll gain confidence and learn essential techniques. Materials—including 25 pounds of clay, glazes, firings, and weekly open studio access—are included, with optional pottery tool kits available for purchase.

In this one-day workshop, participants will use slab construction as the foundation for exploring the expressive nature of the human face while learning techniques for building a realistic adult head. Through anatomical lessons and demonstrations of the nose, eyes, mouth, ears, hair, and neck, you’ll gain essential skills in proportion, scale, balance, and expression. Each student will begin work on a life-size human head with a neck and hair—while a finished piece is not expected, you’ll leave with the knowledge and instruction needed to refine and complete it afterward. This workshop is open to all levels, with limited enrollment to ensure personalized attention. Clay is provided by Sedona Arts Center, and students should bring basic clay tools, a bucket, spray bottle, rolling pin, and paddle, as well as reference images or anatomy materials for inspiration. Optional items like turntables and mirrors are helpful but not required.

Open to all levels, this festive two-part ceramics workshop invites you to bring your own cookie cutters or create your own shapes as you design unique clay ornaments. Each student will receive 5 lbs. of clay (included in tuition) and learn a variety of hand-building techniques, with access to the slab roller, to craft 4–5 personalized pieces. In the first session, you’ll create your ornaments, and in the second, you’ll glaze them for a finished look. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced ceramicist, this hands-on workshop offers a fun way to explore clay and create keepsakes with a personal touch.

For more scholarship information, policy updates and to apply: CLICK HERE

Our mission is to connect, enrich, educate and lead through the inspiring power of the arts and creative discovery.

Sedona Arts Center is a cornerstone of Northern Arizona’s cultural community and serves as the creative heart of Sedona. Founded in 1958, this nonprofit organization is based in Uptown Sedona and offers year-round classes, exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events that enrich the artistic life of the Verde Valley.

NO SALES TAX – FREE PARKING – UPTOWN SEDONA
Sedona Arts Center is a 501(c)3 organization that offers all purchases without sales tax (an almost a 10% savings!)

SedonaArtsCenter.org