Clay Workshops & Gallery tours!
Have us come to you!
Contact:
Shannon Quigley, Public Programs Manager
shannon@theclayandglass.ca
(519) 746-1882 x 233
Full Day Workshops at the Gallery
Fun & Functional Pinch Pots
Explore form and function in the gallery & make your own functional artwork. Pinch pots can be used to make plant pots, bowls, mugs, and more! Items will be glazed for a foodsafe and dishwasher safe finish.
- Maximum 60 students
- For Grade 3 and above
- Full Day (10:00 am to 2:00 pm)
- $20 + HST per student; Minimum $250 + HST
Symmetrical Plates
Learn how artists use symmetry! Study plates in the gallery then make your own clay plates, decorated with symmetrical patterns. Items will be glazed for a foodsafe and dishwasher safe finish.
- Maximum 60 students
- For Grade 5 and above
- Full Day (10:00 am to 2:00 pm)
- $20 + HST per student; Minimum $250 + HST
Playing with food: sculptural plates
Create a clay plate or bowl that look like your favourite snack! Explore observation skills, 3D modelling skills, and use your imagination to create something that combines form and function. Items will be glazed for a foodsafe and dishwasher safe finish.
- Maximum 60 students
- For Grade 5 and above
- Full Day (10:00 am to 2:00 pm)
- $20 + HST per student; Minimum $250 + HST
Modern Mythos – Stories of our Time
Create a clay plate in the style of an ancient civilization – but with a modern message! Developed with Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate. See student work from our pilot project!
- Maximum 30 students
- For Grade 9 – 12
- Full Day (10:00 am to 2:00 pm)
- $20 + HST per student; Minimum $250 + HST
This program requires students to do pre-visit activities before coming to the gallery. See Student Worksheet & Slide Deck.
To do at school before your visit:
- Discuss why artists use art history to communicate a modern message. View slide deck and teacher notes & discuss with your students.
- Pick an ancient civilization and collect design inspiration. View slide deck and do activities 1 & 2 in student worksheet.
- Decide on your modern message. Create a visual mind map & draft your design. View slide deck and do activities 3 & 4 in student worksheet.
Half-Day Workshops at the Gallery
Unpainted Clay Characters
Make a pinch pot character! Use it for storytelling activities back at school. Characters are fired in the kiln but are not painted or glazed during the workshop. They are designed to be painted with acrylics back at school.
- Maximum 60 students
- Kindergarten to Grade 3
- Half Day 10:00 am to 12:00pm
- $13 + HST per student; Minimum $250 + HST
Suggested Pre-visit activity: Fill in a character building sheet and bring it with you to the gallery.
Suggested post-visit activities: Paint your clay characters and write stories about them. Students can work in groups to write or present stories that combine all of their characters.
Unpainted Clay Animals & Habitats
Make a pinch pot animal to inspire students learning about habitats and ecosystems! These clay artworks are fired in the kiln but are not painted during the workshop. They are designed to be painted with acrylics back at school.
- Maximum 60 students
- Kindergarten to Grade 3
- Half Day 10:00 am to 12:00pm
- $13 + HST per student; Minimum $250 + HST
Suggested pre-visit activity: study habitats and sketch plants and animals from different habitats. Bring your sketches with you to inspire your clay artwork!
Suggested post-visit activity: Study the animals you created in more detail. Paint your animals with acrylics and display them in dioramas. Students can work in groups to create shared habitats for a class display. Send photos to shannon@theclayandglass.ca and we’ll display them online!
Stop Motion Animation (Plasticine, not kiln fired)
Bring short stories to life! Students will work in groups to make plasticine characters and animate them using the Stop Motion Studio app on Ipads.
- Maximum 30 students
- Grade 3 and up
- Half Day 10:00 am to 12:00pm
- $13 + HST per student; Minimum $250 + HST
1 HOUR GALLERY TOUR
Gallery Tour
Discuss and draw artworks in the gallery. Emphasis on building creative confidence and communication skills.
- Maximum 30 students
- For Grade 1 and above
- 1 hour
- Flat rate $150 + HST (additional fees apply if booked outside regular open hours: Tuesday – Friday 11am – 6pm).
In-School Workshops
All of the above Gallery Workshops can be turned into in-school workshops. Additional fees to have instructors come to your school apply, starting at $300 flat rate + $13 per student for any of the half day programs.
Voices – In School Program
Have us at your school! Inspired by the ‘Place at the Table’ project in the Voices exhibition, students will create a functional piece of pottery that represents and celebrates part of their identity.
Cost depends on group size:
- For up to 60 students per day: $15 per student + Flat rate of $300 (+hst)
- For up to 90 students per day: $15 per student + Flat rate of $400 (+hst)
Timing:
- 2 Hours (1:00 pm to 3:00 pm) OR (1:30 pm to 3:30 pm)
- Workshop takes place in school. Clay artwork will be fired at the gallery, and you will receive an E-mail when the artwork is ready for pick up at the gallery.
Important Info
Teacher Resources:
Information about School Visits
Teacher Student Ratio
Groups are responsible for bringing the following number of adults to supervise and assist. There is no charge for accompanying adults.
- Pre-school: 1 adult for every 3 students
- Grade 1 – Grade 6: 1 adult to every 6 students
- Grade 7 and up: 1 adult for every 15 students
Timings
- Please arrive 15 minutes before start time and book transportation 15 minutes after end time to give your group time for backpack storage, handwashing, and washroom breaks.
- Full date visits are 10am – 2pm. If you need to leave before 2pm, please alert your instructor when you arrive at the gallery on the day of your visit. We do make a note of requests at time of booking, but the lead teacher is responsible to touching base with gallery instructors when alternate timings have been requested. If you need to leave at 1:30, we can remove 10 minutes from the morning workshop, 10 minutes from lunch, and 10 minutes from the afternoon workshop to shorten the program by 30 minutes without disruption.
- Half Day visits are 10am – 12:00pm, with no lunch break or lunch room.
Lunches – for Full Day Visits
Full Day visits: Please ensure everyone brings weather appropriate clothing for outdoor recess. Full Day visits include 60 minutes for lunch, including outdoor recess. During outdoor recess, gallery staff re-set the classroom for the afternoon workshop.
- For groups of up to 30 children: Lunch Break includes 30 mins eating in the classroom, followed by 30 mins outdoor recess. See map below for directions to Waterloo Park.
- For groups of 30+ children: The classroom/lunchroom cannot accommodate large groups at one time. When weather is nice, groups with 30+ students go outside to eat at Waterloo Park (see map below). During winter months and rainy days, students eat indoors followed by outdoor recess (there is room for 40 students in the classroom and 20 students in the gallery lobby).
French Language / French Immersion
Our team includes a limited number of instructors who speak French. If you request a French Language visit, typically the clay instruction is given in French, the gallery discussion is facilitated in English, and French vocab is incorporated whenever possible.
After your clay workshop / pick up info:
- Please allow 3-4 weeks for firing time. If you are making a project for a special event, please factor that time in when booking. Small groups or half-day visits may be ready sooner.
- You will receive an email when items are ready for pick up at the gallery.
- Please come to the front entrance during open hours and ask for items at the gallery shop. Thank you!
Pick up location: Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, 25 Caroline St North, Waterloo, Ontario
Pick-Up Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Friday: 11 am – 5:45 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 4:45 pm
Sunday: 1 – 4:45 pm
About our clay and firing process
The gallery uses stoneware and fires to cone 6. We typically use 516 clay from Pottery Supply House (PSH).
Are items foodsafe?
Items from full day workshops are glazed for a foodsafe finish that is dishwasher and microwave safe. Handwashing may prolong the life of your piece.
Why is there a 3-4 week turnaround time for clay projects?
- Items are air-dried for 1 week before they go in the kiln. This reduces chances that items will explode in the kiln.
- Each kiln firing takes approximately 48 hours for items to slowly heat to up to 1800-2200F and then cool down again so they are safe to touch. The gallery typically does 3 firings per week. Multiple firings are required for glazed items. There is limited kiln capacity and multiple firings are required for large groups.
Kiln process for full day workshops – using underglaze:
- During a full day workshop, groups use a specialist ceramic product called underglaze to add colour to their wet/greenware clay on the same day that they make their artwork. Glazes only work on clay that has been fired already.
- After your workshop, items are bisque fired (approximately 1800F). After being bisque fired, our studio technicians individually hand coat each item in a clear glaze. The glaze we use is transparent and glossy. Then items are put back in the kiln and fired at a higher temperature (approx 2200F).
- Glazed items are dishwasher, microwave, and food safe. Handwashing items may prolong the life of your artwork.
Kiln process for half-day workshops – unpainted:
- Unpainted clay projects are designed to be painted with acrylics back at school (video tutorial coming soon).
- Unpainted items are high fired to cone 6 but not glazed (low fire/bisqued items are still brittle).
- We do not encourage schools to glaze and fire unpainted items back at school because we cannot guarantee results. Sometimes glaze doesn’t adhere to clay that has already been fired to cone 6. If you would like to use ceramic paints, please consider booking a full day workshop.