Wild Clay: Timeless Ceramic Art
Before the convenience of modern mining and clay processing factories, people all over the world would harvest and process their own clay. Learn how to do this yourself, and then what to do with your hard won material!
Wild Clay: Timeless Ceramic Art has four sections, spanning 10 weeks from July 25 to October 3. You must sign up for the first section, “Mindful Extraction,” but can tailor the rest of your Wild Clay experience by adding additional sections. There is a discount if you register for all 10 weeks.
Sections
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Day 1 - July 25, 2026,
Field Trip to Misty Hollow! Come out for the day to dig up some natural clay. Learn what to look for and get dirty collecting material. Either drive yourself or carpool will be planned.
Days 2 & 3 - August 1, 2026 & August 8, 2026 from 1-4PM
Back at Eberle Studios, process the clay, remove unwanted inclusions and refine the clay to a workable consistency.
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Learn methods for shaping your clay into various vessels and sculptural forms. Coil, pinch, and slab.
This is a three-week section running every Saturday from 1-4PM starting August 22, 2026 through September 5, 2026.
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Focus on decorating your wild clay creations, utilizing Terra Sigillata. This ultra refined slip is one of the oldest ceramic decoration methods.
This is a three-week section running every Saturday from 1-4PM starting September 12, 2026 through September 26, 2026.
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Finish off your Wild Clay experience with another field trip! This time, we will be going to Carrie Blast Furnaces on October 3, 2026 from [TIME] PM. Fire your creations how people did before kilns: in a pit!
IMPORTANT: You cannot register for Sections 1 and 4 alone. You can only participate in Section 4: Pit Firing if you are present for either Section 2 or 3 as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Participants will either drive themselves or a carpool will be arranged.
Addresses
Misty Hollow, 692 Bubb Lane Ellwood City, PA 16117
Carrie Blast Furnace, 801 Carrie Furnace Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
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Register for Wild Clay: Timeless Ceramic Art here. Email us at emma@eberlestudios.art with questions or concerns.
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All participants must register for Section 1: Mindful Extraction, which costs $___.
Participation in Section 2: Hand-Building is an additional $___.
Participation in Section 3: Surface Decoration is an additional $___.
Participation in the one-week Section 4: Pit Firing is an additional $__.
If you register for all 10 weeks, it is % off at $___.
IMPORTANT: You cannot register for Sections 1 and 4 alone. You can only participate in Section 4: Pit Firing if you are present for either Section 2 or 3 as well.
Meet Your Instructors
“I grew up with clay. My father kept a kick wheel and a kiln, and some of my earliest memories are of firing my first pieces alongside him. I studied ceramics through high school and then at Sierra College in Grass Valley, California, where I found my footing somewhere between the functional and the sculptural... objects that work as intended, objects that refuse to, and objects that might work in another dimension or different reality.
It was in California that I first learned to work with wild clay... to find and dig it myself, to process it by hand, and to build and fire using methods that felt less like manufacturing and more like collaborating with the earth. Working with clay straight from the ground, from raw material to finished object, reorganized how I understood the whole practice.
When I moved to Pittsburgh I found my way into the clay community here, but I couldn't find anyone working with wild clay. So, I would love to share my experience, and explore ways of working that predate studios and supply catalogs, and that connect what we make to the ground we make it on.”
“There's a reason why ceramic material is called a clay body. Often known to have a life in it of itself, this medium is deeply rooted in tactile, physicality. Responsive and transformative, clay holds the power of transmutation through its many state changes and artistic possibilities.
After meeting this material in 2018 during my graduate program at UT Austin, my interest shifted dramatically, and my two-dimensional practice suddenly became multi-disciplinary. Collaborating with clay led me to further explore the physical body's role in making and experiencing art - so much that my multi-media thesis exhibition featured a navigable installation with subtle/ conceptual references to ceramics.
In addition, I was captivated by clay's potential and rich history. I felt like I was part of a deep lineage every time I sat at the potter's wheel or rolled out a coil. I was, and still am, the most fascinated with traditional Asian decoration techniques. From the gorgeous Mishima inlay works, to the carved, water-etched, and Nerikomi pieces, centuries of wisdom are apparent with each piece. There is a clear reverence and respect for the material and nature through years of technical refinement. These methods guided my painterly sensibilities onto 3D forms, and showed me the many ways an image can inhabit a vessel.
Now, my ceramic practice is slowly shifting from commerce-based to exploratory. At the time of writing, I am a short-term resident artist at Misty Hollow Residency in Ellwood City, PA. Here I am creating a land-based installation that will become a stage for a sound-bath and Reiki energy performance. As a Reiki Master practitioner and teacher, my practice is rooted in the belief that consciousness resides in all things. The project emerged through connecting with the land and allowing it to guide my making. I was first lead to the site, and then upon working with the area a vein of stunning clay was discovered. Since the entire stage is mostly clay, I am building a low-structure directly out of the ground to support the performance. There is something beautiful of working with clay right from its source, and I am honored to work with the material in its most natural state.
While this is a new endeavor, a wild clay project has been on my heart for many years. Now I have a chance to bring it into through direct land engagement.”
Bio here
Katie Botterman is a ceramic artist, instructor, and ancient history nerd working in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned her BFA from Ohio University in 2021. Botterman has completed a residency at New Harmony Clay Project, in New Harmony, Indiana, and she was recently the ceramics artist in residence at Pittsburgh Center for Arts + Media. By teaching at multiple studios, she continues to share her love of clay with others while pursuing her own new works. Her work often revolves around permanence and remembrance, writing in cuneiform to connect across time. When not in a studio, she can be found adventuring outdoors: skiing, kayaking, or backpacking.
Location
Eberle Studios and Gallery, 229 E 9th Ave, Homestead, PA 15120
