Past Workshops/Events at Good Dirt LA
October 6th, 2-5pm
Join us for our fourth annual Empty Bowls fundraiser on October 6 from 2-5pm. This year our pottery sale will be in support of Women for Women International and is sponsored with delicious vegan ice cream from Kippy’s in Venice Beach!
Women for Women International supports the most vulnerable women in communities impacted by violent conflict and war. The programs sponsored by Women for Women International empower women financially, help protect their health, and position women to influence decisions in their homes and communities. Join us in supporting this incredible organization by shopping for beautiful hand-made bowls priced from $15+ and enjoying a treat from Kippy’s! 100% of the proceeds will be donated.
This is a great event for the whole family and a wonderful opportunity to get ahead of your holiday gifts by shopping affordable work made by local artists in support of an organization that is working to make a safer and more sustainable world by empowering and supporting women.
We hope to see you there!
In loving memory of Jill Mary Whittle Schoenberg Shinjin Peters.
Monday, August 5th, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Join us for a 2 hour class with our visiting artist Molly Sanyour. This class is perfect for those that have some experience on the wheel!
This will be an open format workshop, where the attendees can ask whatever clay questions they have, get personalized demos, one on one instruction and individual feedback from Molly!
“Putting a contemporary twist on the ancient craft of creating with clay and the constant exploration of styles and technique, in which one can create, are just part of what excites Molly most about clay.” – Molly
Clay, tools and firing are included. If you are coming from a different studio only bisque firing is included.
FRI 7/27/2018
We are thrilled to announce an afternoon of magic, sweetness, and pottery in partnership with Disney Studios! Please join us for a special 3-hour workshop celebrating the release of the new live action Winnie the Pooh film, Christopher Robin!
Workshop participants will create 3 CHRISTOPHER ROBIN-themed projects: A beehive drinking cup, a honey spoon with tigger’s tail, and a pink wheel-thrown bowl to bring Piglet’s spirit home. All projects will be ready within 4 weeks to be picked up at our studio.
Disney has generously offered Christopher Robin goodie-bags for all workshop participants including t-shirts and honey flavored lip balm. We will also raffle off a few special picnic baskets!
SUN 3/25/2018
Paper Clay included for everyone.
Slab work slumping and cracking? Delicate greenware crumbling the moment you pick it up? Coil pots drying unevenly? Come learn the secrets of paper clay! In this workshop, we’ll go through the process and benefits of adding cellulose fiber to your clay body for added lightness, strength, and elasticity. Students will be given a demonstration on how to make their own paper clay and its practical uses, then have the opportunity to make their own projects on the table. Plan to stretch the limits of handbuilding as you know it!
This class is suitable for all students, but may be more fun for those who have some experience handbuilding, even if it’s just a little.
Slip casting is a pottery technique for the production of multiple, identical vessels, especially for shapes not easily made on a wheel. This class will demonstrate how to make a two part- square plaster mold for slip casting.
Vanessa will cover all of the basics for this method including materials, choosing the right objects to make casts of, mixing plaster, undercuts, using cottle boards, preparing a mold for slip, and finishing a cast.
Students will slip cast a dragon’s egg potion bottle — one of Vanessa’s original sculptures– to keep and finish! You will also leave the class equipped with the knowledge to start making and using your own plaster slip molds.
SUN 9/17/2017
Join us for a mug making workshop with Jotham Hung! This will be an introductory class that focuses on throwing mugs and cups on the wheel. The class will explore form, surface enrichment, trimming, and making and attaching handles.
Jotham says: “Mugs and cups are very popular when it comes to the making process in the sense that they are very personal objects. People love the idea of making or receiving a handmade object, especially if they have the possibility of containing one’s favorite beverage of choice. They are constantly held in the hand and put to the lips for a sense of personal satisfaction.” We are thrilled to have him join us in the studio and share his passion for making mugs and cups with us.
2017 – 8/11,18, 21 and 25
This intro to pottery class is especially for our younger students, age 6 – 16, who are taking pottery as part of a home school curriculum through iLead. This workshop costs $152 / student and you are welcome to sign up and pre-pay online, or sign up online and submit payment through iLead.
Students will learn the basics behind the buzzwords (i.e. coiling, handbuilding, throwing, glazing and firing) and will be guided step-by-step through all processes. Our teachers would love for you to create pieces that reflect your individuality, and are always happy to show you how to incorporate more intricate handbuilding techniques into your work.
SUN 8/13/2017
Pottery, Peace & Politics: the life and work of Devi Prasad
An Illustrated Talk by Naman P. Ahuja, Professor of Art history & Curator, Fellow at the Getty Research Institute
The Arts and Crafts movement was clearly linked to India’s freedom movement. Mahatma Gandhi believed in creating a new education system which he felt was the only way in which India was really truly going to throw off colonialism, and be reborn afresh. Devi Prasad knew Gandhi personally, and led the education program at his ashram, which he combined with Tagore’s sense of beauty and Maria Montessori’s belief in children and craft, to create an art and political ideology that went on to inspire many…. From the grassroots where village potters were organized, clays were sourced, tools and kilns made to Bayard Rustin (and the American Civil Rights Movement), and several who were a part of the international peace movement in the 1960s and 70s.
SUN 8/6/2017
Join us for this special event to raise money for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
We’ll have a selection of ceramics made by our beginner students for sale and a variety of plants on hand, so you can pair your favorite pot with your favorite plant!
Want to create a unique arrangement? Good Dirt LA will also provide all the necessary materials for you to make your own.
Each potted plant will be sold for a minimum donation of $15. All proceeds will be donated to the NRDC – our environment’s best legal defense!
FRI 7/28/2017
Enjoy a date night, night out with friends, or even a quiet evening at home while your kid creates summer-themed pottery, digs into yummy pizza, and maybe makes a new friend or two at Good Dirt LA. We’d love to see familiar faces, but are also hoping to meet a few new budding artists.
SUN 6/18/2017
Ancient Indian Pots and Plaques:
Naman P. Ahuja, Professor of Art history & Curator, fellow at the Getty Research Institute.
Naman has been writing about Indian ceramics for the last fifteen years. In this illustrated talk he will discuss some exceptional terracotta vessels made about 2000 years ago in post-Mauryan times. The vessels can be molded or intricately carved with elaborate imagery. He has been travelling to remote parts of Bengal in India to find where they are being excavated. In this talk he will share his research on how they were made, what they may have been used for, what was the nature of ancient pottery workshops and why these incredible pots have happened to survive thousands of years.
Sat 6/17/2017
Klai Brown will walk us through how to prepare your ceramic piece for luster, how to use lusters safely, and different application techniques. We will also learn how to avoid and fix common mistakes that may occur in the luster process and get the skinny on the best luster materials and where to find them!
Your $75 sign up fee includes safety gear for the class and the use of shared materials including the gold.
Please bring 2 to 3 pieces that you would like to decorate with Gold Luster.
Sun 5/14/2017
Treat your mom to a centering, creative Mother’s Day intro to pottery class! We’ll start with mimosas, chocolate, and fresh berries as a treat and then dive into a fun intro class that includes both throwing on the wheel and hand-building. We encourage adult children to join mom for the fun!
Sun 4/23/2017
“Putting the Parts Together”
A Teapot Workshop by Kevin Kowalski
Kevin Kowalski of Kowalski Pottery will be demonstrating the complexities of the teapot on the potter’s wheel and putting the parts together in this three hour hands on demo.
Students will learn how to make a spout, lid, body, and handle. They will also learn how to put the parts together. Students should be confident at using the potters wheel.
Workshop will include a 1 hour potter’s wheel demo by Kevin, a 1.5 hour student hands on practice and help from instructor, tea ceremony about the design and use of a teapot, and a final demo about putting the teapot parts together.
Saturday, March 11 at 7:15pm
We are excited to announce that Eric Landon, better known on Instagram as “Tortus Copenhagen,” will be our guest at Good Dirt LA in March 2017!
Sadly, his workshops are sold out, but we will be hosting a happy hour talk and demo with him.
The event will be capped at 50 guests and we ask that you bring a generous cash donation for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in lieu of payment for this event. Light snacks, wine and beer are included with your donation.
Fri 2/10/2017 & Sun 2/12/2017
Come savor a glass of wine and nibble on a variety of chocolates by “The Chocolate Project,” while you experience the wonders of clay and explore its sensual aspects at Good Dirt LA.
For the first time ever, our manager Malu #maluthemanager will not look askance if you make a Ghost reference—and we will even help you recreate a Demi Moore – Patrick Swayze moment if you want to post a fun photo on Instagram. But ssshh…don’t tell anyone. This is a one-time deal!
Whether you’re a new couple or long-time loves, at some point you need to get a little dirty together…right?! Don’t wait too long and let us help you!
Sun 1/29/2017
Join us for an afternoon workshop where we will learn basic slip-casting methods using plaster molds to make two unique and modern pipes. Each student will have two molds to work with and all materials and tools are included in the price of theclass. This is a great opportunity to learn about using and making molds in your ceramic practice!
The workshop will be led by Sebastian Boher, a fine artist and master printmaker from Chile. In addition to his fine art practice, Boher is an incredibly talented designer and one half of the LA-based design duo Miwak Junior. Boher holds an MFA from CALArts.
Sun 1/15/2017
Klai Brown will walk us through how to prepare your ceramic piece for luster, how to use lusters safely, and different application techniques. We will also learn how to avoid and fix common mistakes that may occur in the luster process and get the skinny on the best luster materials and where to find them!
“I had a blast – really mellow and very instructive.” – Debra
Sat 12/17/2016
Good Dirt LA will be hosting its first annual Empty Bowls event on Saturday, December 17. This will be a meditative and simple event where attendees may pick a beautiful handmade bowl made by a local potter, make a donation to feed undernourished children in Ghana, and enjoy soup donated by our favorite family co-op Rainbow Acres. All proceeds will be donated to FARE International.
Empty Bowls is a grassroots effort to combat hunger in communities worldwide. The movement was started by a high school teacher in Michigan in 1990 as a student project to help feed the hungry in their community. Ceramic bowls were made for a fundraising meal and guests were served a simple meal of soup and bread, and were invited to keep the bowl as a reminder of hunger in the world. Since that time, hundreds of Empty Bowls projects have raised millions of dollars to feed the hungry around the world.
Sun 12/4/2016
This Intro to Pottery workshop is a special fundraiser for our furry friends! As in our regular intro to pottery class, each student will make 2 bowls: One at the wheel and one at the slab roller table. These bowls will be perfect for your beloved dog or cat, or for you if you don’t have any pets. All profits from this class will be donated to Hounds of Hope.
If you are brand new to working with clay or would like to become more familiar with basic pottery techniques before enrolling in our ongoing class sessions, this is the perfect class for you.
“We are beyond touched. We have a rescue who needs surgery right now, and you just made that happen. God bless you” -Hounds of Hope Rescue
Sun 11/13/2016
We will have a workshop featuring Kevin Kowalski, an incredible ceramicist and educator. He will offer a wheel throwing demo and instruction on how to decorate wheel thrown pots using “mocha diffusion.” This method creates beautiful dendritic forms -reminiscent of cacti and trees, by exploiting the chemical interaction of acid and alkaline materials; in this case a pigmented acidic mixture encountering alkaline slip!
Sun 11/16/2016
We are excited to announce a special Kid’s Class with local children’s book writer, Laura Lacamara! Laura will read her beautiful story Floating on Mama’s Song and lead a drawing demo based on the illustrations in the book. As a group, we will design and hand build a beautiful ceramic mobile of floating objects, like the people, animals, and others who are lifted by the joyful singing of Anita’s Mama in Laura’s book. We met Laura through her wonderful daughter who joined us for Kid’s Camp this summer and our Sunday Kid’s classes. Book reading, illustration demo, idea sketching, snack time, and hand-building.
Sun 9/18/2016
Our student Kanako has a profound love for small and intricate detail in her work. In this workshop, she will teach us how to create her famous pottery stamps!
We will start by making one stamp design that she believes is easy to carve. You should also bring two simple designs that you would like to make into a stamp.
With her help and lots of patience you will gain the skills to make your own stamps by the end of the class.
Wed 9/14/2016
Narutaka Miyao is a Japanese Arita Potter who will visit our studio to demo some of his traditional techniques for us. Arita Pottery is one of the oldest types of traditional Japanese porcelain. This is a hands off workshop for students who would like to learn about different pottery techniques. Students will be able to ask questions and watch Narutaka Miyao as he works on the wheel and with different tools.
“水辺の窯・隆”, MIZUBENOKAMA RYU is pottery in Saga, Japan and produce products made by traditional forming technique of Arita, called “内山の技法（Uchiyama no giho）”.
“Naru came with his father and countless pounds of Arita porcelain clay from their motherland! Their skills and tools are most inspiring to me, someone new to pottery but always intrigued by Japanese lines, shapes and colors.” – Lusia