Build a Reliquary!
Join Margaret Haydon* this summer for a 4-week class in hand-building a ceramic reliquary. No prior experience in ceramics is necessary. Over four classes, you will learn to build your own reliquary using the slab building technique.
Dates and Time: Tuesdays, July 7-28 10AM – 12:30 PM, plus one final meeting for unloading and celebration, date and time TBA.
Location: Boulder Potters Guild, 3185 Sterling Circle, Boulder CO, 80301.
Class fee: $200, to include: All clay and glaze materials, and firings are included in the fee. Instruction will be delivered through hands-on demonstration and visual presentations that will clarify the project and inspire.
100% of this fee will be donated to the Boulder Nablus Sister City Project to support the purchase of a new fire truck for the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestine.
Complete the form at the end of this page to register for the course —
space is limited to six registrants so sign up today!
*Learn more about Margaret Haydon, the course teacher, below the images
What is a Reliquary?
A traditional reliquary is a special container or vessel that holds relics, sacred objects, or objects that have significance, generally in a religious context. We will use the concept of a reliquary as a springboard to make a container that formally reflects the importance of the object, idea, or belief system it holds.
You will design and build a container to hold objects or concepts dear, sacred, or particular to you. The meaning may be conveyed visually in different ways, through the form or construction itself or through surface design/additions. The first three classes will be devoted to building the reliquary. The final class will be time for you to glaze your piece. We will then schedule a final meeting convenient to all, to unload the kiln and celebrate your finished work.
What objects/ideas/concepts are important to you? This class may be a time of reflection on the things, ideas, people…. in life that are important to you. It will also be a time to learn a new skill working with clay, to manifest your ideas in a personal object.
Margaret Haydon earned her MFA in Ceramics in 1989 from San Francisco State University, after which she developed a long teaching career. She is currently Professor Emeritus of Ceramics at the University of Wyoming, where she taught and managed the Ceramics area from 2001 to 2021. Post retirement, Haydon maintains an active studio practice in Boulder, Colorado. She also is on the Board of the Boulder Potter’s Guild where she is currently serving as Workshop Chair.
Haydon’s work is driven by curiosity about the natural world. Raised on the North Atlantic coast, she has made her home in the Rocky Mountain region since 1991. Spending time in the woods and mountains continues to inspire her admiration for the beauty of natural systems. Her current work references the natural world in porcelain. Images include aspen trees, bats, sturgeon, bees. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Between 2010 and 2019, Haydon sought opportunities to connect with naturalists. Working with fish biologists in the United States, Canada and Hungary, and participating in a Biophilia residency in Quebec, Haydon anchored her aesthetic work in the study and observation of the species she depicts.
See Margaret’s work on her website: https://margaretkhaydon.com/ and at this website: http://artaxis.org/margaret-k-haydon/
Register for the four-week class to build a Reliquary
Apologies but we have reached our limit of six registrants. If you wish to be added to a wait list in case someone drops out - please send an email to: MKHaydon@uwyo.edu and let her know of your interest.
