Experienced ceramics artists and novices alike can learn new skills and may make friends if they sign up for a ceramics class at the Sedona Arts Center. Classes are held once per week and last anywhere from four to six weeks. Students ages 12 and up can choose from beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. They can work on a potter’s wheel or practice hand building. Ceramics students also have the option of attending an weekly three-hour long open studio where they’re free to work on their craft while an instructor supervises. Although the professional instructors and facility are top-notch, these recreational classes are lighthearted in nature.
“Everybody comes to have fun. We try to keep that word a key in all the classes,” says Dennis Ott, head of the ceramics department. Dennis told us that laughter can frequently be heard from the ceramics department, located on the first floor of the Art Barn. Classes are typically structed like this: an instructor demonstrates and explains a certain technique and then helps teach students how to perform the technique. Students start by making bowls and then progress to creating more advanced creations like mugs, plates and “closed vessels” like vases. Tourists can attend workshops (typically held three times per year) featuring guest instructors from out of town. Or they can book private sessions. The ceramics department also hosts an annual summer clay camp for kids ages 8 to 12.
And it’s no surprise to Dennis why so many have embraced the art from. Even celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and even Ozzy Osbourne − Dennis personally taught rocker Ozzy at the Sedona Arts Center − have thrown on the wheel. He says ceramics give participants the chance to channel their inner child. “We get to play in the mud. That’s important. The medium itself,” Dennis says. “It’s just so fun to get yourself dirty.” − Teresa K. Traverse
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