Using traditional konnyaku, non-traditional tapioca, dried pigments, crisco and Dolph's magic mix, participants in a two-day workshop will crumple, fold and otherwise alter the surface while maintaining the feel of paper. Paper spinning will be taught using both traditional and non-traditional methods to achieve results from fine to relatively coarse. No papermaking experience is required. This workshop is especially recommended for collage artists, book artists, paper artists and art teachers. Workshop dates: Feb 19 & 20, 2005

Dorothy Field uses handmade paper for sculptural work and artist's books. She received an MA in Design with a specialty in textiles from University of California at Berkeley. She has traveled extensively in Asia researching papermaking techniques. Her book Between Gardens is illustrated with her photos and Polaroid transfers on handmade paper.

Through the direct application of light-fast silk dyes to a silk warp, ithe warp can play an exciting role in the weaving process. This workshop will teach student-artists a variety of low-tech methods of printing and applying color to warp which can be enhanced through weaving. Matlock has developed new ways to apply dyes, and each workshop students will be encouraged to find individual ways to work with the resulting color through appropriate weaving techniques and threadings. Jointly presented with the SA Handweavers Guild, February 25 - 27, 2005.

Ann Matlock earned a BFA and a MFA from the University of Texas. She was a studio artist for 20 years before accepting a teaching position at the School of Art, Ohio University. Matlock is presently head of the fibers and art education programs at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX.

In this workshop, participants will learn the ancient decorative technique of granulation, by learning how to fuse tiny granules (spheres) and wires of fine silver onto fine silver sheet. The process uses no solder alloy to create the bond; instead, a precisely controlled use of heat promotes the surface-to-surface fusion phenomenon. Students will learn how to prepare granules, application techniques for placing granules on flat and three-dimensional forms, and the kiln and torch heating process that achieves fusion. Several sample pieces will be completed. Each student will receive a materials kit that includes fine silver granules, wire and sheet. Workshop attendees should have mastered basic jewelry skills.  Workshop March 4 - 6, 2005 

Ronda Coryell, a goldsmith and jewelry designer, is currently the studio manager for the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts where she also teaches granulation, casting, and anticlastic raising. Her work has received national recognition, and in 2002 Ronda was the First Place Winner in the Saul Bell Design Award Competition sponsored by Rio Grande.

Tsuchi-kago literally means “clay basket”. In this workshop Ikeda will construct intricate flower arranging vessels using numerous techniques, but emphasizing on tsuchi-kago, the use of clay coils and slabs for weaving. Through these demonstrations students will learn to create the skeleton of the basket form and its appropriate dimensions. Students will learn how to braid with flat coils to create a three-twined braid, and notching and wrapping with the round coil. Students will be able to complete a small woven basket by the conclusion of this workshop. Alternative methods of finishing will be discussed including colored clays, matte glazes, and iron and manganese washes. Workshop dates March 18 - 20, 2005

Shuji Ikeda, born in Okayama, Japan, came to the United States in 1973. He attended Holy Names College before transferring to San Francisco State University where he majored in film making, graduating cum laude. He has been awarded the certificate of Professor from the Ikenobo Ikebana School in Japan, the oldest Japanese school in flower arranging, and teaches classes at his studio in Berkeley.

Join internationally known Ethnomusicologist Endo Suanda in discussing the music, masks, puppetry and dance of Indonesia at a free public lecture during his visiting artist residency at the school on Saturday, May 14, at 1PM.

A beloved cultural spokesperson for his homeland of Indonesia, Endo Suanda is a leading Ethnomusicologist who studied at the University of Washington and who has taught classes and performed worldwide. As a respected expert in gamelan music and topeng masked dance of Indonesia, has lectured, taught, and performed throughout the world. Between May 16 and May 18, Suanda will lead masking-making workshop for elementary school students, which will be open to the public for observation. He will also be leading a Teacher Training workshop on Saturday, May 14. Please call Barbara Hill at 210-224-1848, ext 339, for additional information.

This workshop will challenge the participant to consider essential relationships between body ornament and the human body: how the structure and placement of ornament, and structure and movement of the body work together. Three design exercises will be presented that will require fresh analysis of scale, anatomy, energy, perception, and integration. Participants will use visual imagery and mixed media in the hands-on exercises. The focus is on intellectual design concepts, not technical information. Enrollment is by permission of the Metals Department Chair, Claire Holliday. Workshop dates are July 18 - 19, 2005.

Rachelle Thiewes has been a professor of Art Metals at the University of Texas at El Paso since 1976. She balances her academic life with an active career as a studio artist. Her jewelry has been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally, and is in the permanent collections of the American Craft Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museums of Scotland, and the Royal College of Art, London.

Join Hughes, a pioneer of innovative approaches to polymer clay for over thirty years, as she presents a three-day, very hands-on workshop exploring polymer clay as the quintessential mixed-media material. Students will investigate 2-D and 3-D processes, beginning with controlling the color, opacity, and texture of the clay body itself, and will explore a wide range of surface effects, including image transfers, metallic foils and powders, scribing and carving, onlay and inlay techniques, patterning and embossing and mimicking the look of natural materials. Surface, form, and integration with other media can be worked simultaneously and very deliberately with polymer; polymer elements can be added to non-polymer pieces; and non-polymer elements can be incorporated into polymer. This leads to larger and more dimensional pieces, with endless possibilities. Workshop dates are June 24, 25, 26, 2005. 

Victoria  (Tory) Hughes received her BA from Smith College, PA. She exhibits and has taught workshops in the use of polymer clay as an art medium for over 20 years. Hughes is author of the book Polymer – The Chameleon Clay and videos, Mastering the New Clay with Tory Hughes, a 15-volume series. Her work has been published numerous magazines.

One of the most important pieces of equipment for the papermaker is the mold and deckle. Construct a simple quality version of a production brass screen mold. The 12x18 mold made from hard wood will allow you to create 11x17 sheets or smaller. Workshop dates are June 25 - 26, 2005.

Sylvia Ramos Alotta has an MFA in Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts from Columbia College and a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. In 1995 she received two patents for a creative journal system called “underaps” as proprietor of designalotta. She resides in Chicago and is a bookbinder for the Paper Source.

The class will include instruction on how to set up a loom correctly for rug weaving. Explore three-end block weaves, the same structure Collingwood uses to weave all his rugs, starting with simple two-color designs and moving on to designing within the blocks and introducing a third color. Techniques such as clasped wefts and dovetailing will be explored at to further increase the design scope of this structure and 2/1 double-faced twill will also be covered. Special emphasis will be placed on shaft switching, with students adapting their looms in class to try out this exciting technique. Twining at the beginning and end of the rug, darning of the loose ends, use of the temple and many other invaluable tips for successful rug weaving. The class concludes with a look at rug finishes. A pre-warped, four harness table or floor loom is required for this workshop. Dates are July 11 - 13, 2005.

Jason Collingwood began studying weaving with his father, renowned weaver, Peter Collingwood, in 1987. Jason's rugs have been exhibited widely throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. Collingwood spends eight to twelve weeks per year teaching rug weaving techniques in the United States and Canada.

A two-day workshop assembling models of two historical book structures with many contemporary applications for book artists. The Secret Belgian binding, rediscovered by Hedi Kyle, features covers that are sewn onto a separately sewn text block using a pattern of stitches which traps the spine in place with a set of loops. This binding yields an attractive and very sturdy book with a decorative pattern of colored waxed linen threads on the spine. Limp cover bindings, originally done with vellum and goat-skin laces, is a non-adhesive binding with visible lacings on the cover, with an option of including tie closures as well. Workshop dates: September 25 & 25.

Emily Martin earned an MFA in painting from the University of Iowa in 1979. Since then she has been producing narrative paintings, sculpture and books. In 1995, Martin began the Naughty Dog Press, producing books using text either alone or in combination with visual imagery. Her books are in public and private collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago, The Walker Art Center, and the Rhode Island School of Design. She teaches at the University of Iowa Center for the Book and in workshops around the country.

The mezzotint, although laborious, yields intaglio prints unlike any other process — soft and  tonally varied — the richest blacks possible. A three-day class led by visiting artist Jeffrey Dell will explore both traditional and experimental techniques, as well as related non-acid printmaking techniques. Special class dates: September 30 - October 2.

Jeffrey Dell grew up in Oregon, but has lived in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Venice, Italy. He received his MFA from the University of New Mexico, and currently teaches at Texas State Univeristy-San Marcos. Before coming to Texas, he was a two-year fellow at the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica in Venice, Italy. He exhibits prints and drawings regularly in Houston, Austin, Portland and Italy.

During a special 3-day class, Fisch will teach a broad range of textile structures that can be used in metal, including weaving, braiding, basketry, knitting, and crochet. Demonstrations will be followed by hands-on experience working in thin sheet metal and small gauge wire. Class dates: October 14 - October 16.

Arline Fisch, Professor of Art (Emerita) at San Diego State University, first published her landmark book Textile Techniques in Metal in 1975, with revised editions being published in 1996 and 2001. Recently retired from her university post, Fisch now focuses on exhibiting as an artist and jeweler, and frequently lectures and conducts workshops in the US and abroad.

Kathryn Finnerty’s work employs the use of hand-made plaster tablets that are incised with images and patterns.  When transferred to a clay surface this process produces a raised line relief.  Finnerty will demonstrate her particular approach to constructing ceramic forms with slabs, thrown parts and plaster pressed elements.  She will lead discussions on the relationship between form and surface, and on how drawing and decoration should be utilized as an integral component in the making process.    Workshop dates: October 22 & 23, 2005.   Public lecture: Friday, October 21, 6:30PM, Ellison Lecture Hall, Navarro Campus.

Kathryn Finnerty received her MFA from Louisiana State University and her BFA from Nova Scotia College of Art & Design.  She has also studied at Sheridan College of Applied Arts and George Brown College of Applied Arts, Ontario. She has been an associate professor at the University of Manitoba as well as a visiting lecturer at such institutions as Ohio State University, University of Alaska, and Alberta College of Art & Design, among others.  Her publications include:  500 Teapots; Ceramic Spectrum; and The Art of Contemporary American Pottery.  Finnerty is now a studio potter and the co-owner of Pleasant Hill Pottery in Oregon.

Pojagi is the name of Korean wrapping cloths that were first created during the Chosen Dynasty (14th century). The cloths were used to wrap ordinary household items, as well as precious ceremonial objects. The wrapping cloths are notable for their combination of different fabrics pieced together with a triple-stitch seam that creates contour lines unique to each cloth. In a 2-day workshop, students will explore sewing methods associated with pojagi and, using modern technology, apply these methods to their own 2- or 3-dimensional work. Workshop dates: October 22 & 23.

Jack Brockette is a native Texan who has worked in the fiber arts for the past 50 years. He is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, where he received an MA in Art Education with a concentration in Fibers. Brockette spent 40 years as an educator in grades K-12 and at the university level and has been a visiting artist throughout the US.

Primanis will lead a day-long class exploring how to repair books through discussion, demonstration, and hands-on work. Techniques include consolidating leather covers that have red rot; general refurbishing of covers by repairing delaminated corners of covers and reattaching loose leather, cloth, and paper; and reattaching covers of books using Japanese paper. Workshop date: November 5

Olivia Primanis received her training through an apprenticeship in hand book binding and book conservation beginning in 1974 with Jean Gunner at Hunt Botanical Library, Carnegie Mellon University. Since 1990, Primanis has been Senior Book Conservator at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center in Austin. She lectures and presents classes on general conservation and preservation subjects relating to library and museum materials as well as specific topics, such as mold, disaster recovery, and photo album structure and history. 

Mangham will let loose a wild (and perhaps wacky) weekend of fun and creativity designed for the artist/collector in all of us, at all levels of ability. This workshop will reinforce basic multi-media tool usage, teach joinery techniques and discuss the use of adhesives. Students will explore the marriage between urban trash and traditional art materials as a way of making concepts and feelings visual.  Urban cast-offs and objects of nature will now have new purpose -- and the “hunt” can redefine how you will see cast-off material. Workshop dates: November 5 & 6.

Beverly Mangham is a studio artist exhibiting work in galleries and shows throughout the US.  Mangham has served on the faculty of the Austin Museum of Art for 10 years and has taught workshops at numerous institutions, including Sierra Nevada College, Metchosin International Summer School for the Arts Foundation, and Anderson Ranch Art Center.  She is also Artist-in-Residence for the Utah Arts Council.

A special class led by Simon will focus on the creation of clasps fashioned out of Precious Metal Clay, sterling wire and fine silver wire. Several types of clasps and related findings will be taught. Class date: November 8.

Barbara Becker Simon has been a goldsmith and teacher for over 35 years. Presently she is a Senior Instructor for the Rio Rewards Precious Metal Clay Certification Program. In 2001, her necklace, Winter earned the Grand Prize in Millennial Metal, The Art of Precious Metal Clay, held at the Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield, CT. Her work appears in Creative Metal Clay Jewelry: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration by CeCe Wire, and The Art of Metal Clay by Sherri Haab.

In a two-day workshop, students will learn to construct a pair of round nesting Nantucket baskets (the second and third size in a five-piece set), using hand cut and shaped white oak staves, premium cane, cherry bases, hand carved reed rims, oak handles and bone knobs. Molds for all five sizes are included for each student. Workshop dates: November 13 & 13

John McGuire is considered one of the country's leading authorities on traditional New England style basketmaking. He has authored four books on the subject as well as an instructional video. His work is exhibited worldwide and his teaching venues have included Australia and Tasmania. Recently, McGuire was honored by the Peters Valley Craft School as a "living cultural treasure" in the United States.