Squash it, shape it, roll it, join it, break it, re-join it and create with it! Clay is a natural material and we have been working with it for over 20,000 years. New on Saturdays at Casula Powerhouse, COME & CLAY gives kids the chance to experience this amazing material, learn new skills and apply their imagination to its addictive diversity.  COME & CLAY is facilitated each week by ceramic artist Machiko Motoi.

The tactile quality of clay makes it a perfect material for children’s creative learning. It responds immediately to their touch, thoughts can become forms instantly. In this 8-week course Machiko will introduce students to the medium of clay and demonstrate the basic building blocks of ceramic skills: pinching, slab rolling, coiling and joining.

Machiko will guide students to use these skills in the production of ceramic objects. From basic pinch pots and cups, to figurative forms and individual projects, students will also be shown how to glaze their work prior to firing. In the final week students will unpack the kiln with Machiko and discuss their works over some group drinks served out of their very own cups.

COME & CLAY is a perfect way for children to create and connect their imagination to a world of possibilities.

Saturdays | 29 April | 6, 13, 27 May| 3, 10, 17, 24 June| 10.30-12.30pm | $150 per term (8 sessions) | Ages 8-12yrs

Week 1 | Introduction. Tour of the Clay House. What’s made of clay? What is clay? Learn the technique of making pinching pots.

Week 2 | Learn the technique of coiling. 45min of coiling tall. 45min of coiling wide.

Week 3 | Learn the technique of joining. Making pinch pots with handles.

Week 4 | Figure it Out. Get creative making 1 figure and 1 real/imaginary creature.

Week 5-6 | Getting in Shape. Use your imagination to design your own shape.

Week 7 | True Colours. Glazing the work from the previous weeks and preparing to fire.

Week 8 | Soft to Hard. Unpacking kiln. Putting all works on the display and talking about them while drinking juice out of your own handmade cup.

Possible discussions:

-What are the stories behind all the artwork?

-What was fun and what was challenging about working with clay?

-What do you think of the work?

-What would you like to make next at COME & CLAY ?

Machiko Motoi is a ceramic artist who has studied at The National School in Sydney, completing her MFA in Ceramics in 2016. In 2008 she began her career in window dressing which later expanded to installation art. Machiko is currently exhibiting her objects and performance art at private galleries and public spaces around Australia. Machiko recently joined the Clay House in Sydney and is a facilitator in ceramics at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.