My traditional coil pottery classes are designed to give students the full experience, exploring ancient ruins, examining museum collections and recreating prehistoric coil pottery as accurately as possible. Keep reading to discover what is involved.
Some things are really hard to learn from reading a book (or a blog post), and that is especially true when it comes to learning how to make pottery. Learning from watching an expert and having that person available to answer questions is the best way to learn a craft like coil pottery. Unfortunately we don’t all have the luxury of having an expert available, this is especially true as it relates to less common pottery techniques such as traditional coil pottery. This is one of the main reasons why that I teach coil pottery classes, to help people to learn pottery techniques that are not commonly taught today.
A Lost Art Form
Many centuries ago, probably around 200 BC, but nobody knows exactly, pottery technology spread north from Mexico into what is today the American Southwest region. Back then it was taught one person to the other, in person with demonstration and questions and answers. Over the years it was taught mother to daughter or grandmothers or aunts, generation to generation the art of traditional coil pottery was handed down. It was all demonstration and question and answer, it was the best way to teach pottery way back then as it remains so to this day.
Many potters and archaeologists have worked hard for decades to unravel the secrets of how pottery was made in the ancient Southwest. Through science, trial and error and observing Native American potters who are continuing some of those ancient traditions, much has been learned about how those ancient potters worked. Still many questions remain to be answered and new research is being done all the time on prehistoric pottery technology by experimental archaeologists and inspired artists.
A good coil pottery class should give insights into how things were done in the distant past while at the same time teaching the best ways to work today. My pottery classes are designed to bridge that gap between the past and present, offering a glimpse into what life was like in the ancient Southwest, how potters worked at that time and the best ways to make coil pottery today. I stay abreast of the latest archaeological research and pottery replication techniques to provide my students with the most best possible information.
What You Will Learn
There are four main areas of study involved in my traditional coil pottery classes, they are:
- Wild clay location and processing
- Forming pottery using the coil method
- Finishing and decorating
- Outdoor pottery firing
Most of my classes will take you into the field to see and collect native clay. This hands-on experience with wild clay really helps students to learn how to find clay themselves. The discussions we have on these field trips also help the students to understand what is involved in finding, testing and processing clay. Even if they never do it again, it gives students a new a better appreciation of the work that goes into southwestern coil pottery making.
We will make pottery that same way that the ancient Anasazi and Mogollon potters did from about 200 AD on. Using the method that archaeologists call the “coil and scrape” method everyone in the class will make at least one pot and often several pots. I provide traditional tools like gourd scrapers, deer rib scrapers and polishing stones and I also have more modern tools on hand for those students who are so inclined.
Depending on the subject of the particular workshop, finishing the pottery may simply be painting designs on the pots or can be much more involved. In classes where polychrome pottery is produced there are other steps like applying slip and stone polishing. Brushes made from the leaves of the yucca plant are provided and paints are made from various natural and hand made materials. We always have a beautiful and eclectic collection of student pottery in the end.
The exciting climax of every class is the outdoor pottery firing. The finished and fully dried pottery is placed in a large teepee of wood and fired to around 1400 degrees Fahrenheit (800 C). This trial by fire sometimes results in some pottery breakage, but most often results in gorgeous traditionally made Southwest pottery. Once the pots are cool enough to handle the students gather for a group picture before saying their goodbyes and heading home.
Typical Coil Pottery Class Schedule
Schedules different depending on the number of days, the location and the type of pottery being made but are most frequently structured like this.
- Day 1: Learn about the history of Southwest pottery and the type of pottery this workshop will focus on. Then begin forming pottery using coil method.
- Day 2: Finish forming pot, make a second pot if time permits. Visit a local museum to view their pottery collection while the pots dry some. Then return and work of scraping and smoothing pottery.
- Day 3: Finish smoothing pots if necessary, then begin to slip, polish and paint designs on pots. We may take a field trip to collect natural clay if time permits and if there is a nearby clay deposit available.
- Day 4: All pottery must be completed by this morning because the pottery is left to dry while the class takes a field trip to explore some prehistoric ruins for the day.
- Day 5: Usually starts early getting the fire going and preheating the pots around the fire. The pottery will be all fired and done before noon to finish the class.
Check out this gallery of photos from my summer 2018 class to see how much fun we had. Link to photo gallery >>
Class Field Trips
My classes almost always have trips and tours to ruins and museums in order to give a good understanding of the prehistoric cultures of the Southwest who made the pottery we are recreating. Here are a few of the trips we have taken with previous classes.
- Archaeologist led backcountry tour of Casa Grande Ruins National Park.
- Guided tour of Mesa Grande Ruins.
- Tour of back-room pottery collection at the Arizona Museum of Natural History.
- Visit to Tonto Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
- Tour of Besh Ba Gowah ruins and museum.
- Tour of the basement pottery collection at the Amerind Museum.
- Visit to the pottery collection exhibit at Cochise College.
- Visit to un-excavated ruins of Pinal Pueblo.
- Visit to un-excavated ruins of Chiricahua Pueblo.
- Trips to dig clay all over the place.
The field trips are a lot of fun and we often stop and have lunch in a cafe while we are out. They offer the opportunity to get to know each other better. The trips also break up the pottery work so you can stay excited about the pots, come back refreshed and ready to get back to the clay.
Past Workshop Locations
I have taught traditional coil pottery classes all over the Southwest in some great locations. Here is a list of some of the places I have been privileged to teach prehistoric pottery.
- Besh ba Gowah Archaeological Park
- Mesa Grande Cultural Park
- Q Ranch
- Old Pueblo Archaeology Center
- Tohono Chul Park
- Southwest Kiln Conference
- Silver City Clay Festival
- Upper Gila Preservation Archaeology Field School
In-Person vs Online Pottery Classes
In-person pottery classes are not for everyone. Maybe a person can’t get away for several days in a row or they can’t afford it or perhaps they don’t like being around groups of strangers. For those people I also offer some really great online traditional coil pottery classes, you can check them out here.
Online pottery classes offer several advantages over the more traditional in-person pottery class.
- Convenient, learn from the comfort of your own home when you have time.
- Affordable, online workshops cost much less than the in-person variety.
- Replayable, you can re-watch any parts you are having trouble with over and over again.
Of course online classes miss out on the fun and camaraderie of in-person classes. They miss out on the field trips, the trips to museums and the total experience that is the heart of an in-person pottery class.
Sign Up For a Coil Pottery Class
I try to have a few future coil pottery classes scheduled at all times, but sometimes there are none available. Below is the list of my upcoming in-person coil pottery classes, if you are interested just click and follow the instructions to register for the class.
Experimental Archaeology in Southwest Ceramics Workshop
Prehistoric Cooking Pottery Class
Ancient Salado Pottery Class
Online Pottery Classes Available
My online pottery classes are always available and come with a 100% money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. Here is a list of those, just click on the class you are interested in. You could potentially be signed up and taking the class in a matter of minutes.
Chupicuaro Tripod Pot
Build along lesson for a Chupicuaro Tripod Pot
Hohokam Sheep Effigy
Build along lesson for a Hohokam sheep effigy
Tonto Polychrome Jar
Build along lesson for a Tonto Polychrome jar
Mesa Verde Kiva jar
Build along lesson for a Mesa Verde kiva jar
Recurve Rim Bowl
Build along lesson for a recurve rim bowl
Effigy Pot
Build along lesson for an effigy pot
Salt and Pepper Shakers
Build along lesson for a salt and pepper shakers
Fourmile Polychrome Bowl
Build along lesson for a Fourmile Polychrome bowl
Tall-Necked Jar
Build along lesson for a tall-neck jar
Chaco Cylinder Jar
Build along lesson for a Chaco canyon cylinder jar
Round-Bottom Mug
Build along lesson for a round-bottomed mug
Bilobal Pot
Build along lesson for a bilobal pot
Mimbres Polychrome Bowl
Build along lesson for a Mimbres polychrome bowl
Neck-Banded Jar
Build along lesson for a neck-banded cooking pot
Sheep Effigy Pot
Build along lesson for a black on white (Anasazi style) sheep effigy pot
St. Johns Polychrome Bowl
Build along lesson for a Saint Johns Polychrome Bowl
Hopi Teacup
Build along lesson for a Hopi Teacup
Kayenta Canteen
Build along lesson for a Kayenta Canteen
Culinary Shoe Pot
Build along lesson for a culinary shoe pot
Burden Basket Effigy
Build along lesson for Pinedale Black-on-white Burden Basket Effigy
Learn More
I have a lot of free information on this website to help people who are interested in learning to make coil pottery, so go ahead and see what there is, this link will show you all articles available. I also have a YouTube channel with some great videos showing how coil pottery is made, you can check that out by following this link.
