Workshops

METAL CASTING WORKSHOP 

 
Liz Ensz and James Lentz will lead the  Metal Casting Workshop with a focus on hot metal skill-building and sustainability through the use of recycled aluminum. This workshop is intended for all levels and emphasizes process and accessibility to a foundry practice possible in your own backyard. Participants will learn the fundamentals of mold-making and casting through practice and participation. All skills acquired during this course are transferable to other molten metal practices.

We use non-toxic resin and locally sourced sand for our molds, cast with recycled aluminum, and are working to adopt the red clay on the site to a lost wax shell molding technique. Participants are welcome to bring small patterns they have made, bring oil clay or wax to sculpt with, or create patterns on site using their own tools.

During the workshop, participants will:

-Explore mold-making techniques for metal casting

-Make several castings in aluminum

-Participate in a public/community pour at The Ewen Arts Festival

-Learn about the world of hot metal arts, artists, and practices

-Have fun experimenting

Metal facilities include: 

-Propane furnace with 15# crucible
-Wooden flasks for mold-making
-A sand-mixing station (mixed by hand)
-Limited power tools and hand tools
-A foundry wax pot




LOCAL CLAY WORKSHOP   

 Amy Joy Hosterman has been testing and working with this clay the past three years, and she will lead participants through the entire process from mining to firing.

The ground at the site of the Visitor Center is made up almost entirely of sedimentary clay that was deposited long ago by a slow-moving river and migrating glaciers. These deposits run at least 200 feet deep in some locations at the site.  It is a beautifully smooth low-fire red clay which can be used with minimal processing.

Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about clay testing and clay body formulation.  Amy Joy will lead a discussion on testing for properties such as shrinkage, absorbency, plasticity, and firing range, and will demonstrate what she has learned about this clay through testing and modification. She will also discuss with participants the steps to building your own simple kiln, and methods of firing and finishing without costly equipment.

This workshop is focused on exploration and experimentation, with an emphasis on simple, accessible processes. Due to the relatively short duration of this workshop, we will be employing fast-firing and unglazed firing techniques, therefore the work will not be food-safe, but will be sculptural or decorative in nature. Previous experience with clay is helpful but not required. Come with an open mind and a willingness to work hard, and you will leave with an increased understanding of ceramics materials and processes, as well as finished pieces made completely by hand.

During the workshop, participants will:

-Collect and process raw clay on site using simple methods with basic tools
-Create hand-built or wheel-thrown work
-Fire, glaze, and finish work using accessible techniques such as pit and raku-firing
-Assist in loading and unloading for firings
-Assist during a community workshop on hand-building with local clay
-Participate in a public raku-firing at The Ewen Arts Festival 

Ceramics facilities include: 

• Two treadle potter’s wheels
• Plaster clay-drying tables
• Fire pits for pit-firing
• Barrel for barrel-firing
• Propane-fueled kiln for raku firing
• Various throwing and sculpting tools available (but please bring your own favorites)
• All the clay you can dig/process.
• Glazes provided with workshop fee 
   

SEEGER'S SAWMILL

Interested symposium participants will have the option to work with Mel at his Seeger's South End Sawmill in nearby Matchwood, MI.

This is an opportunity to learn from a local DIY master. Mel has worked in the logging industry and run sawmills his entire life. He builds barns, saunas, yurts and boats of his own designs; the Visitor Center's studio barn is one of his. He also makes various types of heaters, furnaces, ovens, and stoves and has been experimenting with creating insulating bricks from local clay and sawdust from his mill. He's a master of hand craft and is also tech savvy, using CAD and CNC to create utilitarian designs and visual art. He also farms and plays traditional Norwegian music with his wife.

For artists proposing independent projects, this is a unique opportunity to score a supply of beautiful rough cut lumber for your project! Interested applicants should include use of the sawmill in their proposal. A fee is charged for the cut lumber, which goes directly to Mel.