Clay Pit Fire Weekend
LEARN AN ANCIENT FORM OF FIRING POTTERY
Learn and participate in an ancient form of firing pottery that uses natural materials and requires no gas or electricity during this two-day program.
You choose a small pre-made (bisque) clay vessel to decorate with different colorants, as well as learn the process of burnishing surfaces on some leather hard clay. After filling the earth pit with various natural combustibles and the pots, we begin the firing process. Typically this lasts a few hours, then the pit is covered and left overnight. In the evening, all participants can attend a potluck style dinner followed by a short presentation on the history of pit firing, particularly its significance in indigenous communities of the Southwest.
You may camp or stay in a guest room overnight, with a nature hike and then brunch in our café the next morning. During the hike you can collect a burnishing stone to take with you for future work. By afternoon, the pit should be cool enough to unload and we can talk about ways to finish the pieces with waxing or just leave them as-is.
TAKE HOME
You’ll be able to take home your decorated, burnished, and fired vessel with you.
SCHEDULE
Day One: Saturday
9:30 am: Arrival
10 am: Orientation & tour
11:30 am: Burnishing technique demonstration
12:30 pm: Lunch
1 pm: Decorate vessels
2 pm: Load and fire earth pit
6:30 pm: Group dinner
8 pm: Presentation on pit-firing
Day Two: Sunday
9 am: Nature hike along the Agua Fria River
11 am: Brunch in Café
4 pm: Unload earth pit-firing & discuss finishing techniques
5:30 pm: Departure
WHAT TO BRING
Please bring a water bottle, snacks, and sun protection. We will provide natural colorants to use for your vessel such as steel wool, banana peels, sawdust, cow pies, dried leaves, horse hair, coffee grounds, steel nails, bark, copper wire, copper carbonate, copper sulfate, sodium chloride, and iron oxide, but you are also welcome to bring your own.
PROGRAM COST
$325 (lunch, dinner, and brunch included)
Overnight accommodations are not included. Click here to reserve a guest room or suite.
$15 Camping option available. Contact overnights@arcosanti.org to reserve.
REGISTER
If you like to be notified when more clay pit-firing weekends are scheduled, please fill out the following form.
Spring 2025 Dates
TBA
If you have any question or to request more information please email workshop@arcosanti.org
If you like to be notified when more clay pit-firing weekends are scheduled, please fill out the following form.
Our Other Programs:
Workshops: In the event that a participant must cancel registration, the workshop fee will be refunded IN FULL up until 2 weeks before the first date of scheduled workshop date(s). Refunds requested less than 2 weeks before the first date of the scheduled workshop will be refunded at 50% or, applied IN FULL to a future workshop held during the same calendar year. Refunds requested on or after the first date of the scheduled workshop are not eligible for a refund.
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Special Circumstance Cancellations: For single-day workshops and public programs that The Cosanti Foundation is forced to cancel due to low enrollment or ticket sales, extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances, or acts of god, registrants and ticket-holders will be notified via email and receive a refund IN FULL.
Private Events: Refunds for the cancellation of private events are subject to the terms and conditions stated in the individual contractual agreements between the event organizer and The Cosanti Foundation.
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