Several ceramics-focused workshops are being offered during Summer Arts at Alfred, welcoming artists and art educators to the Alfred University campus as part of Summer at Alfred 2026.
Alfred Summer Arts 2026 features Summer Arts workshops in a variety of media designed for participants of all levels—including artists, educators, visiting professionals, and community members—as well as a number of pre-college art programs. Spend a day, a week, or an entire month, immersed in hands-on experiences in Alfred University’s renowned studios and facilities working with amazing faculty from the School of Art & Design.
Five ceramics workshops will be featured as part of Summer Arts at Alfred:
- Open Studio Intensive, led by Matt Kelleher, associate Professor and Division Chair of Ceramic Art, School of Art and Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. The workshop is a four-week open studio experience, a self-directed opportunity designed for accomplished ceramic artists ready to deepen their practice. Participants will have access to both throwing and hand-building spaces, with demonstrations, artist talks, and one-on-one consultations led by workshop faculty each week. Facilities include a plaster lab, glaze rooms with cone 04 and cone 10 glazes, oxidation and reduction kilns, and access to salt, soda, and wood firings. This immersive experience invites artists to explore personal directions, expand material knowledge, and refine their creative voice within Alfred’s renowned ceramic community.
Before joining the faculty in 2015, Kelleher spent a decade as a studio potter in the mountains of North Carolina. His work, grounded in the tradition of soda-fired tableware, has expanded into larger sculptural forms that investigate surface, volume, and gesture. Matt has been a resident artist at Penland School of Crafts, Archie Bray Foundation, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, and Starworks.
- Ceramic Science for the Artist: Cone 6, instructed by William Carty, emeritus professor of ceramic engineering in the Inamori School of Engineering, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Demystify glaze chemistry in this five-day intensive that blends science with studio experimentation. Participants will mix and test daily glaze batches, learning to understand the relationships between materials, temperature, and color response. Working primarily at cone 6, artists will develop new formulas, troubleshoot glaze defects, and map their discoveries using the Stull chart. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how chemistry can enhance artistic expression.
Carty is an internationally recognized expert in ceramic engineering. Recently retired from Alfred University after 27 years of teaching, he continues to consult, conduct research, and teach specialized workshops. His clear, engaging approach bridges art and science, helping artists understand and control the materials that shape their creative outcomes.
- Hand Turned Ceramics: Pinch Pots, instructed by Paul Briggs, assistant professor of ceramics, School of Art and Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Discover the meditative rhythm of hand-building in this workshop devoted to advanced pinch-forming techniques. Participants will learn to move clay in the manner of wheel-throwing — using only the hands. Through patience and attention, they will create larger vessels from single balls of clay, cultivating a profound connection between form, touch, and material. Functional ware will be the focus, with firings in mid-range oxidation and soda atmospheres.
Briggs is an artist and educator whose work spans sculptural and functional ceramics. A graduate of Alfred University and the Massachusetts College of Art, Paul has held residencies at the Harvard Ceramics Program and the Archie Bray Foundation. His vessels and sculptures have been exhibited internationally and are celebrated for their sensitivity and formal integrity.
- Plaster (e)volution, instructed by Alfred University alumna Margeaux Claude ’22 M.F.A., assistant professor of ceramics at Eastern Michigan University, a Fulbright alumna, and Jerome Emerging Artist. Unlock the creative potential of plaster in this hands-on exploration of mold making and form development. Plaster (r)evolution guides participants through processes that transform prototypes into multiples — discovering how repetition can inspire reinvention. From mixing and pouring to carving, casting, and turning, you’ll learn techniques that bridge sculpture, design, and functional making. Emphasis will be placed on experimentation, play, and the evolution of ideas, culminating in a soda or salt firing that brings your work to life.
Claude is an artist whose work navigates the intersections of making, manufacturing, and craft. She holds a B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute and an M.F.A. in ceramics from Alfred University. Her creative practice spans product design, material research, and fine art, and includes residencies at the International Ceramics Studio (Hungary) and the European Keramiek Work Center (Netherlands).
- 3D Printing: From Plastic to Clay, instructed by Alfred University alumna Audrey An ’17, a Philadelphia-based artist whose practice merges digital technology and ceramic tradition. Bridge digital design and traditional craft in this two-week exploration of computer-aided clay working. Participants will learn to model in Rhinoceros and Blender 3D, 3D-scan clay maquettes, and fabricate through both printing and casting. The course emphasizes collaboration between hand and machine, guiding artists from digital concept to tangible ceramic form. Expect to leave with new skills in mold making, slip casting, and digital prototyping — and a deeper appreciation of technology’s creative potential.
An earned a B.F.A. degree from Alfred University in 2017 and also has an M.F.A. from Pennsylvania State University. She currently serves as Prototyping & Digital Fabrication Studio Manager at The Clay Studio. Named a 2023 Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist, An brings an inventive spirit and cross-disciplinary perspective to her teaching and studio work.
Specialized workshops—open to anyone over the age of 18—will be offered on the coast of Maine, providing a unique opportunity to explore the landscape-inspired art. A three-week artist residency will be offered in studio facilities at Alfred University’s M.F.A. painting program in Düsseldorf, Germany. This program is open to artists with BFA/MFA degrees; and professional, emerging, and mid-career artists. Emerging and mid-career artists working in the field of painting are welcome to apply.
A 25-percent discount is offered to local residents participating in Summer Arts 2026 workshops. Other discounts available: 50 percent for K-12 teachers; 25 percent for Alfred University alumni; for Alfred University faculty/staff, 25 percent for one week of programming and 50 percent for two weeks of programming.
Pre-College Programs are also offered as part Summer at Alfred 2026. The programs provide students the opportunity to engage in a host of immersive learning experiences. Alfred University offers more than 25 pre-college programs and sports clinics, a variety that ensures that there is something of interest for every high school student. These programs provide unique opportunities for students to explore their passions and gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art facilities with our faculty and coaches.
Alfred University offers a $100 discount off tuition for Summer at Alfred pre-college programs for students whose primary residence is within a 50-mile radius of Alfred, NY. The discount also applies to children of Alfred University alumni and returning students from any Pre-College Program at Alfred University.
For information on Summer Arts workshops and pre-college programs, please contact Faith Houy, administrative manager/coordinator of operations to the dean of School of Art & Design/Performing Arts Division, at [email protected]. For more details and information on all other Pre-College Programs, please contact Isaac Matson, Pre-College Programs coordinator, at [email protected].
