All levels welcome

The stories we share with one another shape the world around us. Building narratives about ourselves and our experiences helps us absorb and connect to deeper meaning. This workshop is for beginners or experienced writers, but also artists who are interested in using narrative in their visual work. This workshop will use writing prompts to open pathways to storytelling and develop methods to bring them to life. The writing itself can be fiction, memoir, poetry, journal or anecdotal. Students will come away with a greater understanding of how to build a narrative for an audience and how to apply storytelling to their individual growth.

Vince Montague received his MA degree in Creative Writing from NYU. His stories have been widely published in literary magazines including: Nimrod, The Florida Review, and Green Mountain Review. Montague is the author of the memoir, Cracked Pot, and the poetry chapbook, Next Door. Vince is also a prolific artist working in Northern California and his ceramics have been exhibited nationally and are included in many private collections. He is one of our most popular teachers here at Sugar Maples. 

Fee: $380 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $10 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

Explore sculpting with wool felt during this workshop. Using the ancient technique of wet felting, you will learn how to sculpt wool into a multitude of natural and three-dimensional forms such as bowls and vessels, branches and coral, barnacles, undulating layers and more! Day one will be an introduction to wet felting, learning the history and the process while focusing on learning multiple techniques and creating a collection of samples. Day two we will work on felting bowls, hollow forms and how to apply thetechniques from day one to those forms. Day three will see you using all your newfound skills and techniques to design and create your own unique felt sculpture.

Mallory Zondag is an award-winning artist and artist educator living in New York. Exhibited internationally in solo and group shows, her work focuses on the natural world and how it relates to the physical body and human experience. She explores deeply personal and connective universal stories through the meditative and hands-on practices of wet felting, weaving, sculpting, and stitching, seeking to bring the ephemeral into physical being. The growth and decay of the natural world, the duality of discomfort and attraction we feel towards it, and humanity's place within this dichotomy informs her sculptures.

Fee: $450 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $80 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

Drop into the unique context of kiln atmospheres! Pack up your bisque wares and we’ll dive into how clay-bodies, glazes, forms and the intentions of the maker interact with firings in soda, wood, raku, and pit kilns. Double-over-head demonstrations, lectures, and hands-on participation for five exciting days. This rad and rare experience places the magic of kiln atmospheres and cooperation within the chill beauty of the Catskills. Totally remember to breathe.

Bruce Dehnert received his BA in English at the University of Montana and MFA in Ceramics at Alfred University. Beginning his career as a production potter in Macon, Georgia, Dehnert has taught at universities in New York City, Massachusetts, New Zealand, and on the Island of Borneo. He is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics and currently is Head of Ceramics at Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts.

Steve Cook, a rock steady superintendent of vivid foreign immersives, received his MFA in Film from CalArts. A beloved teacher at Francis Parker School in San Diego, he oversaw a rambunctious ceramics department, foreign travel program, and the School’s Gun Club. Besides being a potter and sculptor, for many years Cook served as a martial arts consultant to numerous Hollywood and indie films.

Fee: $770 (Course Fee: $600 + Lab Fee: $130 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)