Artist Workshop: Peter Callas – Expressionistic Forms
Saturday & Sunday, March 26 & 27, 2022 • 11 AM–4 PM (Pacific)
Instructor: Peter Callas • In-person • $375
Join us for the launch of the Artist Workshop Series with a special masterclass by artist Peter Callas, internationally renowned for his skill and mastery of wood-firing with the Anagama kiln.
At this two-day, ten-hour hands-on/demonstration workshop you will learn the art of “One of Kind Forms,” using both on and off wheel construction. Callas’s artistic approach emphasizes how to deal with clay’s expressionistic challenges of constructing sculptural objects. Callas will also share his artful and inspirational techniques for abstracting wheel thrown vessels.
As part of the workshop, Callas will present a comprehensive PowerPoint on his aesthetics, his inspirations in life, and his 45 years of experience firing Anagama kilns. He will screen an unreleased 1993 film on his 23 year-long collaboration with renowned California ceramic artist Peter Voulkos, entitled: “Voulkos: The Lost Tapes.”
Participants will also receive access to the comprehensive career retrospective currently on view at the Museum: Peter Callas: An Enduring Legacy. The exhibition presents over 50 works, including Callas’s innovative expressionist sculptures and abstracted container forms, and premieres a 2022 documentary “Callas: Life on Fire.” Copies of the exhibition catalog will be available to purchase through the Museum.
Workshop Policies
Refunds are not allowed after the workshop begins. Refunds requested during the week prior to the start of the class will be honored at 50%. Refunds requested prior to this will be honored minus Eventbrite fees. If you would like to request a refund, email studio@amoca.org.
Every student is required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination at the beginning of the workshop. If a student cannot provide proof of vaccination, the student will be unable to continue with the class. Thank you in advance for your understanding!
Workshop Registration
Register using the button below (it may take a moment to load). If you have any problems, call the studio at (909) 622-0464 or email studio@amoca.org.
About the Artist
Peter Callas has forged a career spanning 50 years earning him a worldwide reputation for both his pioneering work with the Anagama kiln and his unique style of ceramic art.
Early in his career, Callas traveled to Japan, where he was introduced to the aesthetic philosophies and wood-fired glazing techniques that motivated his future work. Inspired to construct his own anagama kiln in 1975—the first used in North America—Callas later set up a studio in New Jersey, where he continued to experiment with tunnel kilns. In his own words, kilns became Callas’s “engines for creative innovation” and allowed him to embrace rustic effects like scorch marks or asymmetrical firing. His innovations in wood-fired ceramics inspired countless others, including acclaimed ceramic artist Peter Voulkos, who became a longtime collaborator.
The recipient of grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the Windgate Foundation, Callas has exhibited extensively, including at the Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art (Japan), the Powerhouse Museum (Australia), and the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art. His works are held in many museum collections nationally as well as in Asia, Europe, Australia, and South America. This comprehensive retrospective is Callas’s first solo exhibition at the American Museum of Ceramic Art.
Learn more at PeterCallas.com or follow him on Instagram.