Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced

In this workshop, we will work from personal photographs to create hand-cut paper images. Participants will learn how to navigate the shadows, layers, and movements in a photo and ensure that the cut image remains structurally sound without the use of adhesives. The skills practiced in this workshop can be applied to any image, allowing participants to create dynamic papercuts from their own photos. There will be discussions and demonstrations to assist students through this amazingly complex, and beautiful, art-form. All levels of skill are most welcome.

Rosa Leff has exhibited her work throughout the United States, China, and Mexico. Her work has been acquired by The Canton Museum of Art, The Colored Girls Museum, and The Museum of International Folk Art. She is the recipient of a 2021 Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist Award, the 2021 Municipal Art Society of Baltimore City Artist Travel Prize, and the 2023 360 Xochi Quetzal BIPOC Residency. Leff resides in Puerto Rico with her husband and chihuahuas.

Learn more at rosaleff.com

Fee: $330 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced

If you love to fire and love lots of different effects, or if you’re short on atmospheric firing experience, this intensive workshop is your ticket. You will participate in different types of firing, achieving results in a short time. We’ll fire soda, wood, gas reduction, raku, and pit! Emphasis is placed on glaze/surface preparation and firing techniques through demonstrations, lectures, and hands-on participation. You bring the bisque-ware, and we deliver the heat and the joy of this Catskill community.

With a MFA from Alfred University, Bruce Dehnert has tried numerous times to conquer the World. Instead, he has had to be satisfied with authoring Simon Leach; A Pottery Handbook, being a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, having works in numerous museums and private collections, winning 3 Fletcher Challenge International Ceramics awards. Bruce is the Director of the Ceramics Program at Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts, Catskill Mountain Foundation.

Steve Cook pursues an aesthetic life’s “sweet spot” of beauty, experience, value and meaning from his current home in San Diego. Steve earned a BA in Sculpture (figure and installation) from Penn State, studying abroad in Taipei at Fu Ren University and National Taiwan University. He earned a MFA in Film (essayistic experimental documentary filmic installation) from Cal Arts. Steve has worked and taught in a wide variety of media and for surprisingly diverse industries, in the US, Asia and Africa, for the past 40 years, earning both awards and condemnation.

Learn more: brucedehnert.blogspot.com

Fee: $620 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced

Mosaics inspired by the natural world range from abstract to representational. We will work in the indirect method with instruction tailored to your individual needs. Beginning with an overview of materials, substrates and tools, students will move onto composing their mosaic. Key elements of mosaic design will be emphasized: Andamento (the placement of tiles), color, value, and texture. Under the instructor’s skilled guidance, you will bring your nature-inspired vision to life in mosaic.

Cynthia Fisher has been a professional artist for 35 years with a focus on mosaics. Beginning her career as an editorial and children’s book illustrator, Fisher’s work metamorphosed to constructing mosaics. At Big Bang Mosaics studio she creates installations for public, residential, and corporate settings nationwide. Fisher’s extensive body of work explores illustrative, painterly, and non-representational. Cynthia is a long-time supporter of our Center and we are over-the-moon to have her teach in this summer’s program.

Fee: $380 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced

Locally prospected clays, known as “wild clays,” have been utilized for pottery-making for thousands of years. Join us in this workshop as we explore wild clay’s potential as a clay body, slip, or glaze material. This workshop will provide an opportunity to discover the possibilities of materials found in your own surroundings. Let's craft together and enjoy this creative process of transforming the Catskills' wild clay into creative objects. Intermediate to advanced skills in wheel-throwing or hand building are appreciated. Test firings are planned.

Takuro and Hitomi Shibata are Japanese ceramic artists who formerly resided in Shigaraki, Japan, and are currently based in Seagrove, North Carolina. Takuro holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Applied Chemistry from Doshisha University and is the director of STARworks Ceramics. Hitomi holds degrees in ceramic art from Okayama University, Japan. She received a Rotary International scholarship, which brought her to the US, where she studied at UMass-Dartmouth. Their first book, Wild Clay, was published in October 2022.

Learn more: studiotouya.com/hitomi-shibata

Fee: $700 (includes first bag of clay) + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced

Rug Hooking is a traditional art form here in the Catskills. Beginning with a complete kit, students will learn how to hook a simple 8" x 10" picture using hand-dyed strips of wool. Learn how color and texture function in this intriguing craft technique. Because this tool is portable, students will be able to continue working on projects outside class hours, and the next morning will be spent going over how the colors create textures, how to fix a mistake as well as lots of show and tell. Demonstrations and lots of individual attention are guaranteed. 

Tina Harp is an accomplished fiber artist and educator who has been weaving for 27 years. Drawing from age-old techniques to reflect contemporary life, she loves to provide inspiration to those she teaches and enjoys sharing her knowledge. Tina lives on a small farm in Shandaken NY with a large fiber arts studio. When not working with the animals on her farm, she spends hours weaving textures and playing with colors that bring pleasure to her days!

Fee: $385 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced

Using soft clay slabs, templates and several hand-building construction techniques, students will create a variety of functional pottery forms including mugs, pouring pots, vases, and platters. Students will also make their own clay stamps and rollers for making texture, surface patterns and designs on their pots. Emphasis will be on learning good craftsmanship and constructing functional forms. This workshop is designed for beginning level students, and teachers who want to expand their making skills and knowledge. There will be a bisque firing. Glazes and application will be demonstrated and discussed.

Bill Griffith is an artist, educator and former Arrowmont School arts administrator, living in Sevierville, Tennessee. His functional and sculptural ceramics continue to be exhibited and published in national juried and invitational exhibitions. He has taught many workshops, including at Arrowmont, Penland, Peters Valley, and Idyllwild. Bill is a recipient of a Tennessee Arts Commission individual Artist Fellowship and was awarded NCECA’s coveted National Outstanding Achievement Award for his contributions to the ceramics field. His ceramic art is included in the collections of the Tennessee State Museum, Asheville Art Museum, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Tokoname Cultural Museum, Japan.

Learn more: billgriffithclay.com

Fee: $550 (includes first bag of clay) + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced

Explore the transformative power of soda ash in a four-day workshop covering glaze application, kiln stacking, and firing techniques. Achieve rich colors and unique surface textures through this atmospheric firing process. Learn to balance science and art as you choreograph your work for stunning results. Bring bisque-fired stoneware or porcelain pieces, and experiment with glazes, flashing slips, and test tiles. Unload your transformed creations on the final day. There will be wheel-throwing and altering demonstrations, and time for making with lots of individual attention. All skill levels welcome!

Chris Archer is an award-winning New Hampshire artist and educator. His work is in the collections of prestigious museums like the San Angelo Museum of Art and Tokyo Geidai, and he's published in esteemed publications like Studio Potter Magazine. Archer is an Associate Professor at New England College and is a frequent guest lecturer and workshop presenter. Archer earned his BFA from Alfred University and a MFA from Maine College of Art. His work is included in Lark Books.

Learn more: chrisarcherartist.com

Fee: $450 (includes first bag of clay) + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

Skill Level: Beginner To Advanced

In this workshop we will explore personal artistic style while venturing new ideas and pathways into your skills in painting. Experimenting and challenging yourself can be the most rewarding process, yet also intimidating. Students will receive instruction in understanding, mixing, and applying paint to create imagery. Learning personal mark-making is central to this experience. This supportive and dynamic workshop instructor will take you on that journey. Join us for what we know will be a life changing artistic retreat.

Karin Lowney-Seed is an award-winning artist with a lively and direct style of painting. Her paintings are bold, colorful, and express a joyful embrace of life. She holds a MFA degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Lowney-Seed was a college professor teaching Art History and Studio art for many years. She has been a featured artist on The Learning Channel and has exhibited in galleries throughout the country. Her artwork is in numerous private collections. Karin also works and owns ‘My Interior’, an interior design firm.

Learn more: instagram.com/karinlsart

Fee: $445 + $40 Non-Refundable Registration Fee