Shaping Stones: Intro to Ceramics with Natalia Ira Sookias - March

Description

Taught by Natalia Ira Sookias

4 Sundays in March from 12-2pm

Dates: March 2, 9, 16 & 23

Our hands are our receptors to feel through this world. They signal to our minds and hearts how to interact with the landscapes that surround us. When connecting and attuning to our sensorial touch, the information that we gather through our finger tips can be one of our greatest sources of insight.

In this introductory workshop, we will focus on tuning the relationship between our hands, hearts, minds and material. We will strengthen our ability to listen, and feel through clay. We will develop our capability to hear what the material is telling us and allow it to lead us, rather than imposing our own expectations onto it.

Participants will learn fundamental techniques to handbuilding including pinch pots, coiling, slab building and glazing. With these techniques participants can essentially build anything, functional, abstract and everything inbetween. 

Participants are welcome to build as many pieces as they’d like throughout the duration of the workshop and will receive clay to take home with them in order to practice and develop work outside of the studio.

All pieces will be fired to cone 5 and will be ready for pick up within 3 weeks of the commencement of the workshop. All pieces that are glazed will be microwave and dishwasher safe. All experience levels welcome.

Instructor  

This workshop is taught by Sooki Studio founder, Natalia Ira Sookias. Natalia has been teaching over the last decade from the kindergarten level ranging to university graduate students in the US, Europe and the Middle East. She studied at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Central St. Martin's and the Prince's School for Traditional Arts in London.  

Health, Safety & Accessibility

Community care and inclusivity lay at the core of Sooki. We believe that creativity requires vulnerability and over the last four years we have worked to foster a feeling of safety within the studio. This intention is reflected in our policies, studio setup, and collective efforts.

We are fortunate to have an indoor/outdoor space that offers a safe haven, particularly for our immunocompromised community members who are at higher risk for Covid, flu, RSV, colds, and other infections. 

To ensure a safer space for everyone, we now require masks for all programming and are providing N95 and KN95 masks. Masks also protect us from clay & glaze dust that can become harmful with longterm inhalation. We ask that everyone work with us, so that we can collectively create a feeling of safety, community and connection. 

We are adjusting to the tragic new reality within our city, post-LA wild fires, and are evaluating how best to adapt our space as both a resource and to improve air quality within the studio. We are working on installing commercial grade air filters and would love to hear from those who are most affected and may need other any other accommodations.

Our property is ADA accessible. The bathroom has 3 steps and a ramp can be fitted upon request. On-site parking is available when needed along with other accommodations.

Please reach out with any questions, ideas or concerns to info@sooki.studio. We’re always happy to hear from our community and are constantly working to improve.

Sliding Scale Pricing

Sliding scale pricing is a tool for social equity, designed to make ceramics education accessible and affordable.

When signing up for a workshop, please choose the pricing tier that feels right for your current finances. This is a trust-based system, and only you know what’s comfortable and possible for you.

The high end of the scale reflects the true cost of the workshop. If you’re able to pay this, it helps subsidize others and makes our offerings more affordable.

There are limited spaces per tier to ensure balance and coverage of workshop costs. If a tier is sold out, it means all spots have been filled. An interest-free payment plan is available, allowing you to split the cost over time.

We strive to make our workshops accessible and continually improve our pricing system. If you have any questions or suggestions, please reach out!

Cancellation Policy

Workshops are non-refundable. If you can't attend, you may transfer your spot to someone else—please confirm with the studio when doing so.