This workshop explores expressive figurative sculpture, using the human face and bust as a foundation for both observation and experimentation. Participants will begin by sketching and developing ideas, building an understanding of structure, proportion, and expression.

From sketch to clay, participants will construct head and bust forms using handbuilding techniques such as coiling, slab building, and hollowing. These foundational forms will then be expanded through the addition of distorted, hybrid, and unconventional elements, encouraging a shift beyond traditional representation.

The workshop will also introduce playful surface approaches using slip, inspired by Buncheong techniques (분청: Korean decorative technique). Through layering, marking, and spontaneous gestures, participants will explore how both intentional and unintentional touches create unique and expressive surfaces.

This process driven workshop invites participants to experiment, take risks, and discover their own visual language. Rather than focusing on perfect likeness, the emphasis is on shaping ideas into form and allowing the work to evolve through making.

Each student will receive 25lbs of clay. A carving knife and a wooden modeling tool will be provided. However, for more diverse surface exploration, participants are encouraged to bring additional tools. Items with interesting textures—such as stones from your yard or unique tools and objects from your kitchen or toolbox—are welcome. Please bring at least one item to experiment with.

This is an all level workshop, and anyone with a love for clay and a desire to explore and learn is warmly welcome.

About the instructor: Eunjoo Kang 강 은 주
Eunjoo Kang is a ceramic artist and sculptor whose work explores expressive figurative forms rooted in observation and personal narrative. Drawing from her Korean heritage and personal experiences, she reflects on identity and a sense of hope through contemporary approaches to surface, texture, and the emotional presence of the human figure. She received her BFA in Ceramics from Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea, and participated in the Korea College Outstanding Exhibition. Since moving to the United States, she has exhibited at the Boulder Public Library Canyon Gallery and the Cherry Creek Arts Festival where she received the 3rd Place Artist Award, and will participate in Sculpture in the Park in Loveland this year. She is a member of the Boulder Potters’ Guild, where she teaches.

To learn more about Eunjoo please visit her website, or check out her instagram. 

Please Note: Firing service is not included; if you wish to fire your pieces an additional fee will apply based on the size of the items.

This class takes place at Groundworks Main (3750 Canfield St.)

Ages: 16+

The Book Arts League is excited to announce that we will now offer open studio hours! Our shop will be available monthly for you to print your work. Below are the upcoming open studio dates. BAL board members will be your hosts and will assist you with your printing projects. Please bring your own paper and get ready to print! Book Arts League Members please RSVP to bal.workshops@gmail.com. If you are not a Book Arts League Member, register here!

WEDNESDAY May. 20thth — 4:30-6:30PM

WEDNESDAY June 17th — 4:30-6:30PM

 This book combines the soft opening of a leather spine with the sturdy firmness of board covers. The completed book opens nearly perfectly flat making it an ideal book for your journal writing or drawing. Creating your book involves sewing folded signatures through a leather spine with the long stitch. We will begin by getting acquainted with paper grain and its importance for the finished book. We will cover the boards of the book with decorative paper and once dry we'll drill holes in the covers to prepare for sewing. The leather spine will also need holes for sewing which we will pierce with an awl or drill. Paper signatures will be folded and pierced and then we'll take a short break for lunch. After lunch we will learn to sew the long stitch to bind the book. Covers will then be sewn onto the leather spine piece. By the end of the workshop, you will have completed your book, and have the skill to make more on your own. Class fee includes all materials we use to make a book: leather for the spine, a sheet of decorative paper to cover boards, paper for your signatures, a pair of pre-cut cover boards, glue, and waxed-linen thread. Students can borrow tools from the BAL or you can bring your own bookbinder's toolkit. Students will need: bonefolder, medium-weight awl, Xacto knife, scissors, ruler, and a bookbinder's needle. Optional: Students may elect to bring their own sheet of decorative paper for covering the boards..

Ages: 16+

This class takes place at Groundworks East (3063 E. Sterling Cir)

Will be available to register on Monday, March 30 at 8:00am.

We're making "etch" happen, y'all! Copper etching is an intaglio (incising a plate) technique that typically requires harsh chemicals and acids. But at Groundworks, we're all about bucking tradition and trying new methods and are excited to offer an acid-free alternative.

Join us for a captivating 4-week printmaking class, where creativity and craftsmanship intertwine! Perfect for curious printmakers, this class offers a hands-on exploration of our chemical-free etching technique, engage with tools and materials, and design and print a copper plate.

Ages: 16+

All supplies and materials will be provided.

Will be available to register on Monday, March 30 at 8:00am.

Immerse yourself in the world of woodworking by joining our comprehensive sampler class! This workshop is perfect for beginners who are looking to familiarize themselves with a woodshop, and who aim to become comfortable with the basics of milling and hand tools. 

This sampler class is designed to build your confidence and comfort with woodworking, laying a solid foundation for any advanced classes you may choose to pursue in the future. You’ll also have the chance to connect with other passionate woodworking enthusiasts, sharing ideas and experiences in a supportive and welcoming environment. 

This Class Does NOT include Open Lab

What to wear to the wood studio?  

Safety First: Long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle.  Shirts and tops should be easy to tuck in, with sleeves that can be rolled up as needed.  Tie back long hair to ensure safety.  We offer safety goggles, dust masks and ear protection, and they must be worn in the wood studio.  Feel free to bring your own if you are more comfortable with them.  Jewelry, loose-fitting clothing, or any other items that could dangle will need to be secured while using machines.

Safety Information:

• Closed-toe, closed-heel shoes
• Long pants
• Shirts should be easily tucked and sleeves pulled up
• Hair tied back
• Eye and lung protection are provided and must be worn in the studio

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Sampler classes DO NOT include open studio time.

This is a Pay What You Can class with a suggested price of $280

Will be available to register on Monday, March 30 at 8:00am.

Love the look of ceramic jewelry? Join us for this specialty soda-fired jewelry class. Students will learn different techniques to make one-of-a-kind jewelry you can't find anywhere else. The last week of class, students will help load the Soda kiln and see how the atmospheric firing gives their pieces a truely unique finish. 

Students will be limited to making jewelry sized pieces. If you want to make larger pieces for the soda firing, please take our Soda Fire class instead. 

Ages: 16+

Class meets weekly on THURSDAYS

Note: This class will meet at the MAIN location at 3750 Canfield Street. This class does not include any additional open lab time. All pieces must be completed during class. 

Will be available to register on Monday, March 30 at 8:00am.

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

This class is Pay What You Can with a suggested price of $200. 

Class meets weekly on FRIDAYS.

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

Will be available to register on Monday, March 30 at 8:00am.

Curious how to use milling machinery– table saw, chop saw, jointer, and plainer? This beginner-level class will focus primarily on milling: the fundamental process of measuring, cutting, and preparing wood for a project. Over the course of 4 weeks, you'll learn how to safely use several of our milling machines to cut and shape wood, as well as some of the basics of joinery (joining pieces of wood together), and shaping and finishing with hand tools. We'll walk you through the whole process of creating a simple but beautiful functional piece that you'll want to brag to all your friends about.

This class has no prerequisites and is open to beginners and seasoned woodworkers alike, but our Wood Studio has some safety basics before anyone is allowed to join in the fun (failure to meet these requirements will result in not being granted access to the equipment): 

•  Please come dressed in close-toed shoes, a shirt that can be tucked in and either short sleeves, or sleeves that can be rolled up past your elbows. 
• No loose or dangling jewelry.
• If you have long hair, please have it securely tied back from your face.
• We will provide safety goggles and/or full face shields, ear protection, and face masks to cover nose and mouth, but if you have your own PPE you would prefer to use, please do!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

These classes include open studio time.

Will be available to register on Monday, March 30 at 8:00am.