Level I Hand-building for students wanting to explore the basic techniques for hand-building functional, sculptural, or decorative pieces.

Learn about the various hand-building tools, and the three basic hand-building techniques: pinching, coiling, and slab rolling through a series of self-guided projects.

Ages: 16+

Class meets weekly on FRIDAYS for 8 weeks

Note: This class will meet at the new Main location at 3750 Canfield Street in NE Boulder. You will only have open lab access at the same studio as your class. 

Does NOT include Firing Fees. For details on our Firing Fees, please click here: https://www.groundworksartlab.org/firing-fees

All pieces will be fired to Cone 6 in a reduction kiln.

This class is Pay What You Can with a suggested price of $285

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

This class introduces students to the fundamentals of metal fabricating processes. Techniques explored will include welding, sheet metal work, use of an oxy-fuel torch, and blacksmithing. Day one will cover the basics of sheet metal work, including: layout, punching holes, shearing, and folding to create a basic sheet metal pan. Day two; students will learn the purposes of the oxy-fuel torch with emphasis on heating metal for bending and using the cutting torch to cut out patterns in steel. On day three students will have an introduction to basic blacksmithing using the hammer and anvil to shape hot metal. The last day students will practice welding with a wire-feed welder, and have an opportunity to assemble parts. We will cover safety and essential techniques in each method. Students will gain a better understanding of basic practices in the metal studio.

What to Wear in the Metals Studio?

We wish for all students to have a safe and enjoyable learning experience. Proper safety equipment and PPE will be provided for use within the studio.

Please dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in all-natural fiber clothing, long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long hair should be tied back and synthetic hair should be covered with all-natural fiber fabric.  Nylon, polyester, spandex, or other synthetics are not recommended around machines, equipment, or processes that can produce hot fragments, sparks, or flames. Please avoid synthetic blends, as 100% cotton is recommended. Layers are encouraged, as the studio can begin cool then become very hot. 

Welding students are recommended to wear long sleeve shirts to preventarc-flash burns (much like a sunburn). 

All students participating in activities involving sparks or hot metal are encouraged to wear leather boots or older shoes.Please bring a re-fillable water bottle!

Class Policies & Information:

Open Lab: This class includes access to the studio during Open Lab hours. Open Lab is exclusively for students who are currently enrolled in the program. You are allowed to attend one Open Lab session per week, totaling 3 hours during the duration of your class. You may only attend the Open Lab session for the class in which you are registered. This time is intended for independent work on your class project. While studio staff will be present, they are there to ensure you are using the tools safely, not to provide instruction.

Class Make-Up: Our studios are full with adult and youth classes 7 days a week, 48 weeks a year. Typically, every class is full, which means there is simply no space for students to make up classes. If we cancel an entire class due to weather or other emergencies, we can not guarantee we will be able to schedule a make-up class. Individuals who miss a class will not be able to make it up. Please read the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about missed classes.

Studio Clean Up: Clean-up is critical! Please help our hardworking staff and volunteers by beginning clean-up 30 minutes before the end of class, helping out with common areas, and leaving class on time.

Ages: 16+ 

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

Susan Taylor Glasgow will share her unique style of sewing glass components together to make complex and exciting objects.  In this multi-day workshop,  students will learn pattern making, and advanced cutting skills*. We'll work with traditional hand glass cutting tools and also glass saws and Dremels, all while building a 3-dimensional house!

*Students need experience with cutting sheet glass.

Friday, January 9 (4-7pm), Saturday, January 10 (9am-5pm), Sunday, January 11 (9am-5pm)

Note: We will have a lunch break on Saturday and Sunday; please bring your own brown bag lunch for those days.

Ages: 16+

ARTIST BIO: Glasgow grew up in Duluth, Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a BFA in Design. Her sculptures are included in the collections of the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR, the Alexander Tutsek Foundation, Münich, Germany, the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburg, PA, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA and the Museum of American Glass, Millville, NJ.  Susan Taylor-Glasgow lives and works in Columbia, Missouri.

Each sewn glass sculpture starts out as a flat sheet of glass. In her previous life, Glasgow was a professional dressmaker and seamstress, so had created a comfortable understanding about how to take a flat sheet of material and give it form. In her sculptures, each glass panel is cut from a pattern designed to match the form for which it was made. To establish the three-dimensional shape and holes, each section of the glass is kiln-fired several times. The imagery is embedded into the glass by sandblasting, and then by rubbing glass enamels into the blasted area to create the black and gray photo-like quality. The components are then re-fired to 1250 degrees to melt the enamel into the glass. Once cooled, the sections are finally sewn together. Depending on the complexity of the vessel or sculpture, the entire creative process may take two to four weeks to complete.

Artist website: http://www.taylorglasgow.com/category/available-work/

Always wanted to try hand-building, but didn't know where to start? This class is a great intro to the studio in 5 short weeks!

This class is intended to get you familiar with the basics of hand-building. Students will learn techniques like pinching, coiling, and building with slabs. This class is ideal for those who have limited experience, but are looking to learn more with a short instructor demo and hands-on assistance each week.

Please note: This class does not include Open Lab hours or additional clay.

Ages 16+ to register

Class meets weekly on FRIDAYS.

All pieces will be fired to Cone 6 in a oxydation kiln.

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

This class is great for students who already have some experience with clay and are looking to take the next step.

The demonstrations for this class go beyond the basics. Students will learn how to make more complex forms and techniques including: altered forms, lidded jars, throwing off-the-hump, sgraffito, and more.

Ages: 16 and above

Class meets weekly on FRIDAYS

Note: This class will meet at the MAIN location at 3750 Canfield Street. You will only have open lab access at the same studio as your class.

Does NOT include Firing Fees. For details on our Firing Fees, please click here: https://www.groundworksartlab.org/firing-fees

All pieces will be fired to Cone 6 in a reduction kiln.

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

New to printmaking and don't know where to start? Look no further than our 4-week introductory relief printmaking sampler!

This sampler will take you on a more directed 4-week tour of the world of relief printing (carving an image into or out of a block). Each week, the instructor will show you a different media to carve - be it Speedycut (rubber), linoleum, wood, or something experimental like an old tire or a piece of traffic cone. You'll learn all this as well as how to measure and tear paper, mixing and applying ink, and the basics of using the printing press.

This course provides a great way to get a real sense of the art of relief printmaking, and to identify which direction to go next. Once you start, your options are endless!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

For students that have never touched clay to those still learning the basics.

This class will cover the basic “how tos” of pottery. Students will learn the foundations of throwing, including how to confidently center, pull, and trim pots on the wheel. The class will also cover basic glazing techniques, attaching handles, and how to track your pieces through the studio.

Ages: 16 and above

Class meets weekly on FRIDAYS

Note: This class will meet at the Hill location at 1010 Aurora Avenue. You will only have open lab access at the same studio as your class.

Does NOT include Firing Fees. For details on our Firing Fees, please click here: https://www.groundworksartlab.org/firing-fees

This class is Pay What You Can with a suggested price of $285

All pieces will be fired to Cone 6 in a reduction kiln.

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

Always wanted to try the potter's wheel, but didn't know where to start? This class is a great intro to the wheel in 5 short weeks!

This class is intended to get you familiar with the basics of throwing on the potter's wheel. Students will have 3 weeks of throwing instruction, one week of trimming, and one week of glazing. This class is ideal for those who have limited experience and want to learn the basics of centering, trimming and glazing, with a short instructor demo and hands-on assistance each week.

Please note: This class does not include Open Lab hours or additional clay.

Ages 16+ to register

Class meets weekly on SATURDAYS.

 All pieces will be fired to Cone 6 in a reduction kiln.

This class is Pay What You Can with a suggested price of $195

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.