Community Arts Program

2-Day Workshop: All day (with break for lunch)
Instructor: Christine Wolf
Dates: May 5 and May 6
Days and Time: Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Ages: 18 and Up
Skill Level: All Levels
Class Size: 6 minimum, 10 max
Tuition: $255 ($212 + $43 materials fee) 
(All bookbinding materials provided: hardcover sketchbook kit $25, soft cover kit $18)
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Vollum Building, 2nd Floor, room 202
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon
 
Course Description: In this 2-day workshop we will make two different sketchbooks. One will be a hardcover book with an inset label on the front and an elastic band closure. The other will be a paper covered book with a removable cover. For both books we will fold and sew our text blocks and create our covers by hand using beautiful materials and handmade or Japanese papers, depending on the book. Both sketchbooks are designed to lay flat when opened, making them easy to use, and the paper inside is suitable for a variety of mediums. 

You will leave class with two complete ready-to-use books and a new set of skills. All materials and tools will be provided for use during class. If you have favorite bookbinding tools you have used in the past, feel free to bring them. If not, no worries. Everything you need will be available for you. No bookbinding experience needed.  We will start the books on day one and finish them on day two. Please plan to attend both days for the whole day; we will need the full time to complete them. I can’t wait to work with you! 

Christine Wolf graduated from Willamette University in 1994 with a BA in Studio Art and Art History. After earning a master’s degree in Organization Management, she spent years working in the tech and education fields and raising her two sons. She returned to her love of art full-time in 2014 and received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Book and Print from Oregon College of Art and Craft. She stayed on at OCAC, working as the studio manager for the Book and Print department until the college closed in 2019. Since then, she has continued working in her own studio and is excited to return to working with students. She has shown her work in multiple shows at OCAC, Portland, and San Francisco, and currently has one of her box projects traveling on exhibit in the Netherlands. 

Questions? Please contact: christine.wolf@gmail.com

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9 Week Class: 3 Hours Per Day
Instructor: Jef Gunn
Dates: April 2 - May 28
Days and Time: Thursdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Ages: 18 and Up
Skill Level: All Levels
Class Size: 6 minimum, 10 max
Tuition: $415 ($390+ $25 materials fee)
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Vollum Building, 2nd Floor, room 202
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon
 
Course Description: Let’s make relief prints! Printing images and text by wood block has been around since ancient China. It was the first printmaking process and is still done the world over in many ways. For this introductory class, we’ll learn about designing the image in reverse, carving linoleum blocks and/or wood blocks. We’ll print with black ink on white or colored paper. More complex prints with other colors might be possible toward the end of the term.
Here’s What We’ll Cover: 

• Tools: carving tools: purposes, sharpening and safety; ink brayers and palettes; wooden spoon, baren, and etching press.
• Materials: wood or linoleum for the block; inks (we can use either oil- or water- based inks; papers (lightweight printmaking papers)
• Process: Design in black and white; cutting; proofing; printing and editions

Materials List: You are welcome to bring any of your favorite chisels and gouges, brayers, barens or wooden spoons. We’ll review this in our first class. Each student will be provided with 2 linoleum blocks, inks, some papers, and access to cutting tools, brayers, barens and the press. 

Jef Gunn has studied and practiced drawing and painting since the 1970s, with formative experiences in California, Barcelona, and Paris. He began working in encaustic in 1985, integrating materials such as paper, ink, tar, fabric, and gold leaf to explore layered meanings influenced by Asian art. His work has been exhibited nationally, including solo and group shows at Oregon State University, Marylhurst University, and the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. In 2006, he co-curated the national encaustic show Impulse. Jef has taught painting and drawing in Seattle and Portland since the mid-1990s, and his work is represented by galleries in Seattle, Edison, Honolulu, and Portland.

Have questions? Please contact Jef Gunn.

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8 Week Class: 3 Hours Per Day
Instructor: Ronna Fujisawa
Dates: March 30-May 18
Days and Time: Mondays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Ages: 18 and Up
Skill Level: Beginning and Intermediate
Class Size: 6 minimum, 12 max
Tuition: $370 ($360+ $10)
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Vollum Building, 2nd Floor, room 205/206 
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon
 
Course Description: During this eight-week course, students will be painting in the studio from photographs of landscapes, learning basic watercolor techniques, and how to plan a painting. We will explore various techniques of painting in a loose and expressive style of watercolor, both realistically and leaning towards abstraction. During this spring course the focus will be on mountains and oceanscapes. 

Materials List: Will be provided after registration. Recommended supplies for this class are fine watercolor and some gouache paints, good quality watercolor paper such as Arches, and a variety of watercolor brushes.
 
Ronna Fujisawa is a long-time watercolor/mixed media painter, educator, and MFA graduate in Applied Craft and Design/OCAC and PNCA. 
 
Questions? Please contact: ronnafujisawa@me.com.

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9 Week Class: 3 Hours Per Day
Instructor: Jef Gunn
Dates: April 1- May 27
Days and Time: Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Ages: 18 and Up
Prerequisites: Beginning painting or equivalent.
Class Size: 6 minimum, 12 max
Tuition: Tuition: $390
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Vollum Building, 2nd Floor, room 205-206
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon
 
Course Description: The idea with this class is to become free in your own painting. We’ll learn how to bring life and energy, through structure, distortion, and well considered color into a composition that will enliven anything you do with paint. Central to this class is color mixing and color interactions and…importantly…fun.
 
We’ll work on at least five paintings, hopefully finishing all of them. Our work will take place outdoors when the weather permits. Being spring, after all, we’ll likely hold most classes in the upstairs studio at Catlin Gabel East Campus. There will be lectures, slide shows and demonstrations during most classes and plenty of time for students to practice. It is hoped that you’ll be painting during the week too. The first two or three classes will be the most dense with information, so don’t miss those.
 
Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Learn basic and advanced dynamics in 2D composition
• How Cézanne and other painters organized a picture
• How to analyze a painting
• Learn terms common to art composition and color
• Deepen your looking and your painting
• Ways to see through space regarding perspective 
• Realism and Abstraction
• Problems of scale and control of volume and space

Materials List: Provided upon registration

Jef Gunn has studied and practiced drawing and painting since the 1970s, with formative experiences in California, Barcelona, and Paris. He began working in encaustic in 1985, integrating materials such as paper, ink, tar, fabric, and gold leaf to explore layered meanings influenced by Asian art. His work has been exhibited nationally, including solo and group shows at Oregon State University, Marylhurst University, and the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. In 2006, he co-curated the national encaustic show Impulse. Jef has taught painting and drawing in Seattle and Portland since the mid-1990s, and his work is represented by galleries in Seattle, Edison, Honolulu, and Portland.

Questions? Please contact Jef Gunn.
 

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9 Week Class: 3 Hours Per Day
Instructor: William Hernandez
Dates: April 2 - May 28
Days and Time: Thursdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Ages: 18 and Up
Skill Level: All Levels
Class Size: 6 minimum, 12 max
Tuition: $390, no materials fee, list will be provided after registration
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Vollum Building, 2nd Floor, room 205/206
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon
 
Course Description: This painting class is taught by renowned artist William Hernandez. He will introduce still life painting, composition and color, drawing exercises, figures and portraits, and landscapes. “I want students to learn to trust their own voices and be honest without worrying about making mistakes. I try to show students the ‘big picture’ of the amazing process of making art.”
 
Materials List: Will be provided after registration.
 
William Hernandez is a Portland-based painter whose vibrant artwork reflects his rich cultural heritage and personal experiences, fostering a sense of connection and community. Trained at Lima's prestigious Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, Hernandez worked as a fine artist and graphic designer for public and international institutions in Lima before settling in Portland in 2009. His surreal subjects and graphic, illustrative style create layered narratives infused with lingering emotions from whimsy to melancholy.   

Hernandez is a highly creative muralist and teaching artist with 20+ years of experience delivering visual art education in drawing, painting, and mixed media. He has been an artist-in-residence at the Milagros Theater, held workshops through the Portland Art Museum, taught art in public and private schools, and has been teaching painting classes at the East Campus for the last four years. 
 
Have Questions? Please contact William Hernandez

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8 Week Class: 3 Hours Per Day
Instructor: WiL LaBelle
Dates: March 30-May 18 (No class on Memorial Day)
Day and Time: Mondays, 6-9 p.m.
Ages: 18 and Up
Skill Level: Beginning and Intermediate
Class Size: 6 minimum, 12 max
Tuition: $450 ($390 + $60 materials and firing fee)
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Ceramics Building
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon

Course Description: This class is for both beginning and intermediate level students. For beginners, with little to no experience, it will highlight the basic tenets of function regarding utilitarian pottery while covering basic shapes that will include the mug, the bowl, and the plate.  For intermediate level students this class will explore more advanced projects such as: Teapots, Pitchers, altered vessels, and lidded jars, while incorporating slab and coil techniques. Glaze demonstration will include application and discussion. Students are expected to follow the curriculum and do a majority of the assignments.

Included are 3 Open Studio sessions per week as a part of tuition. Open Studio hours are Monday 2-6  p.m., Tuesday 2-6, Wednesday 3-7  p.m., Thursday 12-4  p.m., Friday 12-4  p.m. (Days and Times subject to change). We will make every effort to get work glaze fired but may not get everything fired by the end of the term. The studio is for educational and recreational use, commercial or production work that is produced for sale, is not allowed.

Materials List: Students are required to bring their own towels, tool kits, aprons, and masks. Studio equipment such as wheels, buckets, bats, and shelf space will be provided. Important Materials Fee Change: Material/firing fee includes 1 bag of studio made clay per student and glaze/bisque firing of pieces. You may purchase additional bags of clay, limited to 5 bags per term.

Have questions? Please contact WiL LaBelle.

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9 Week Class: 3 Hours Per Day
Instructor: WiL LaBelle
Dates: March 31-May 26
Day and Time: Tuesdays, 6-9 p.m.
Ages: 18 and Up
Skill Level: Beginning
Class Size: 6 minimum, 12 maximum
Tuition: $495 ($435+$60 materials and firing fee)
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Ceramics Building
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon

Course Description: This class will highlight the basic tenets of function regarding utilitarian pottery, while covering the three basic shapes. Projects will include the mug, the bowl, and the plate. Basic glaze demonstration will include application and discussion. This course is geared toward beginners with little to no experience. Students are expected to follow the curriculum and do a majority of the assignments.

Included are 3 Open Studio sessions per week as a part of tuition. Don’t come to Open Studio until you have attended the first class. Open Studio hours are Monday 2-6 p.m., Tuesday 2-6 p.m., Wednesday 3-7 p.m., Thursday 12-4 p.m., Friday 12-4 p.m. (days and times subject to change). We will make every effort to get work glaze fired but may not get everything fired by the end of the term. The studio is for educational and recreational use, commercial or production work that is produced for sale, is not allowed.
 
Materials List: Students are required to bring their own towels, tool kits, aprons, and masks. Studio equipment such as wheels, buckets, bats, and shelf space will be provided. Important Materials Fee Change: Material/firing fee includes 1 bag of studio made clay per student and glaze/bisque firing of pieces. You may purchase additional bags of clay, limited to 5 bags per term.
 
Have questions? Please contact WiL LaBelle.

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9 Week Class: 3 Hours Per Day
Instructor: Kurtis Piltz
Dates: April 2-May 28
Day and Time: Thursdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Ages: 18 and Up
Skill Level: All Levels
Class Size: 6 minimum, 12 maximum
Tuition: $495 ($435+$60 materials and firing fee)
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Ceramics Building
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon

Course Description: This is an all-levels class that will focus on the fundamentals of throwing and hand-building. Besides basic throwing and trimming techniques demonstrations will include slab-building both soft and hard, coils, handles, throwing off the hump and simple alterations. No prior experience is necessary. Students are expected to follow the curriculum and do a majority of the assignments. Included are 3 Open Studio sessions per week as a part of tuition. Don’t come to Open Studio until you have attended the first class. Open Studio hours are Monday 2-6 p.m., Tuesday 2-6 p.m., Wednesday 3-7 p.m., Thursday 12-4 p.m., Friday 12-4 p.m. (days and times subject to change). We will make every effort to get work glaze fired but may not get everything fired by the end of the term. The studio is for educational and recreational use, commercial or production work that is produced for sale, is not allowed.

Materials List: Students are required to bring their own towels, tool kits, aprons, and masks. Studio equipment such as wheels, buckets, bats, and shelf space will be provided. Important Materials Fee Change: Material/firing fee includes 1 bag of studio made clay per student and glaze/bisque firing of pieces. You may purchase additional bags of clay, limited to 5 bags per term.

Kurtis Piltz has been teaching at the Multnomah Arts Center for many years. He is adept at both throwing and building slab forms. 

Have questions?  Please contact Kurtis Piltz.

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7 Week Class: 3 Hours Per Day
Instructor: Dale Rawls
Dates: April 17-May 29
Day and Time: Fridays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Ages: 18 and Up
Skill Level: Beginning and Intermediate
Class Size: 6 minimum, 12 maximum
Tuition: $400 ($340+$60 materials and firing fee)
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Ceramics Building
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon

Course Description: A beginning level class for students new to pottery and a review for returning potters. All levels welcomed. Hand-building techniques will include slab, coil, and press-molds. Throwing techniques will include basic throwing, trimming, and introduction to appropriate potter’s tools. Surface design will focus on slips, oxides, underglazes and stoneware glazes and application. No prior experience is necessary. Students are expected to follow the curriculum and do a majority of the assignments. Included are 3 Open Studio sessions per week as a part of tuition. Don’t come to Open Studio until you have attended the first class. Open Studio hours are Monday 2-6 p.m., Tuesday 2-6 p.m., Wednesday 3-7 p.m., Thursday 12-4 p.m., Friday 12-4 p.m. (days and times subject to change). We will make every effort to get work glaze fired but may not get everything fired by the end of the term. The studio is for educational and recreational use, commercial or production work that is produced for sale, is not allowed.

Materials List: Students are required to bring their own towels, tool kits, aprons, and masks. Studio equipment such as wheels, buckets, bats, and shelf space will be provided. Important Materials Fee Change: Material/firing fee includes 1 bag of studio made clay per student and glaze/bisque firing of pieces. You may purchase additional bags of clay, limited to 5 bags per term.

Have questions? Please contact Dale Rawls.

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9 Weeks During Open Studio Times
No Instructor: Studio Manager approval required for sign up
Dates: March 30-May 29
Days and Time: Monday 2-6 p.m., Tuesday 2-6 p.m., Wednesday 3-7 p.m., Thursday 12-4 p.m., Friday 12-4 p.m. (Days and times are subject to change)
Ages: 18 and Up
Skill Level: Experienced Artists, Intermediate to Advanced
Class Size: TBD
Tuition: $475 ($435+$40 materials and firing fee)
Location: Catlin Gabel East Campus, Ceramics Building
8245 SW Barnes Road, Portland, Oregon

Description: Maker Space participants work in a self-directed course of study (no teacher). Artists need to have appropriate training, understand how a clay studio functions and fully understand clay and glazes. Registration is contingent upon meeting the criteria in the Maker Space Application and upon Studio Manager’s approval. The Maker Space Application will guide the selection of Maker Space participants. To that end, applicants will describe their thesis, skills, training, and studio histories. You must have the Studio Manager’s okay, to work in Maker Space. You will need to complete an application for Maker Space Ceramics and turn it in by email to the Studio Manager before the term starts, Thursday, March 26. There will be a mandatory Maker Space meeting, Monday March 30, at 2:00 p.m.

Please note that fees do not cover materials. Bags of clay can be purchased from the studio manager, limited to 5 bags per term. All materials must be purchased through the Ceramics Studio Manager. Any materials being brought in by students must have prior approval for use. No outside glazes and clay bodies can be used unless they are approved by the studio manager and tested for use in the studio. Failure to do this may result in loss of studio access. We will make every effort to get work glaze fired but may not get everything fired by the end of the term. The studio is for educational and recreational use, commercial or production work that is produced for sale, is not allowed. Maker Space Ceramics is not available for outside firing.

Do not register online for Maker Space Ceramics. To receive the Maker Space Application please contact the Studio Manager, Dale Rawls.