Historic Yellow Springs

Join master potter, teacher, and writer Jack Troy for this immersive two-day hands-on workshop exploring the transformation of wheel-thrown forms through alteration and intuitive process. Using the potter’s wheel as a starting point, participants will create a range of bottle forms that evolve beyond their original shapes through paddling, shaping, and manipulation at both soft and leather-hard stages.

Through guided demonstrations and studio exploration, participants will develop sensitivity to clay’s changing responsiveness while learning how enclosed forms can be altered around trapped air pockets into dynamic organic and geometric shapes that are both sculptural and functional.

The workshop will also introduce Troy’s ongoing exploration of ishi no sasayaki—Japanese for “stone with secret voice.” These enclosed ceramic forms contain hidden rattles that create subtle, shifting sounds unique to each finished piece, bringing an unexpected sense of life and mystery to the work.

This lively workshop encourages curiosity, experimentation, and the expansion of personal form vocabulary beyond familiar approaches.

Participants should be comfortable throwing bottles 6" tall or larger.

Please bring a ceramic object you have lived with for several years that holds personal meaning and that you would be willing to share with the group.