AMOCA Ceramics Studio

It's time to get your hands dirty, relax, and have fun! Our next Introductory clay classes in the AMOCA Studio are coming up Friday, May 8, and we have a few seats still available. This week we're offering a special hand-building introductory class at 5:30 pm -- you’ll learn the basics of hand building and craft your own whimsical garden gnome, perfect for your patio, desk, or bookshelf. Our 7:30pm class is a 1-hour introductory sessions, where you'll learn the basics of throwing on the potter’s wheel. If you successfully create a bowl, staff will glaze and fire it after the class is completed—all included in the price of the class. Along with your class comes a pass for complimentary admission to the Museum’s galleries. You can explore one of the largest collections of ceramic art in the United States! To learn more and register for an introductory clay class at 5:30pm or 7:30pm on May 8 visit amoca.org/studio1/classes/ or follow the link in our bio. Pictured: Garden gnomes created by Kat Hopkins; an introductory class in the AMOCA Studio; throwing on the wheel

📣We are so excited to announce AMOCA's 2026-2027 Artists in Residence! Join us in congratulating the following artists (in order of arrival): Lindsey (Lou) Howard (@lindseylouhoward ) of Brooklyn, New York; Randi O’Brien of Running Springs, California; Priscilla Dobler Dzul (@priscilladoblerdzul_studio ) of Tacoma, Washington; and Mary Duman (@marydumanart ) of Sacramento, California. 🎉 Launched in 2012, AMOCA’s Artist in Residence program is one of the few long-term fellowship opportunities for ceramic artists on the West Coast. Located an hour from the desert, mountains, and beaches of Southern California and forty minutes east of Los Angeles, the residency space provides artists an opportunity to produce or develop a new body of work while also participating in AMOCA’s programs. Shorter residency opportunities for artists commuting from Southern California locales encourage artistic exchange with artists visiting from other parts of the world. To learn more about the 2026-2027 artists and AMOCA's residency program, visit /studio1/artist-in-residence/ The Artist in Residence program at the AMOCA Ceramics Studio is made possible with support from the Windgate Foundation and the Laguna Clay and Glaze Company. (p.s. -- we accidentally listed the incorrect year on Mary's picture. Mary Duman will be in residence at AMOCA April-September 2027.)

Don't miss the chance to get some insight from Kristy Moreno, one of our current Studio Artists in Residence! At noon (PDT) Tuesday, April 28, Kristy Moreno (@kristy.moreno ) will offer a virtual artist talk so share about her practice, past work, and future directions. There will be an opportunity for Q & A following the presentation. Register today, and we'll send you a zoom link to join the day of the talk. Learn more at amoca.org/events/artist-talk-kristy-moreno/ Kristy Moreno received her Associates in Arts from Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, CA and her BFA in ceramics from California State University, Chico in Chico, CA. Moreno’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at venues including MUZEO Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, CA; Glassell Gallery in Baton Rouge, LA; Lucy Lacoste Gallery in Concord, MA; Volery Gallery in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and at Thinkspace Projects and Tlaloc Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Her work has been featured in publications including Voyage LA, Las Vegas Weekly, Beautiful Bizarre, and Artfix Daily. Moreno is the recipient of various awards and residencies including the Taunt Fellowship, the Windgate-Lamar Fellowship, and the Jack Winsor Memorial Scholarship. Moreno will be in residence at AMOCA through October 2026. AMOCA’s Artist in Residence Program, established in 2012, is one of the few long-term fellowship opportunities for ceramic artists on the West Coast. This residency provides artists an opportunity to produce or develop a new body of work. The program is funded through generous support from Julianne and David Armstrong, Laguna Clay, and the Windgate Foundation. Since 2022, thanks to enhanced support from the Windgate Foundation, additional short-term residencies are available for artists based in Southern California. Pictured: work by Kristy Moreno, on view at @amocamuseum in AIR 2026: Compulsion.

Picture yourself here -- spring clay classes begin this week, and it's time to get your hands on some clay! We have a few seats left in our 6-week spring clay class sessions, including in Introductory and Intermediate Wheel Throwing and Beginning Hand Building. Evening, daytime, and weekend classes are available! 6-week classes encourage development of ceramic skills and are for adults ages 18 and over (students 16+ may attend when accompanied by a paying adult). Register today! For more all the details, follow the link in our bio or visit amoca.org/studio1/classes/

👏 Join us in welcoming our newly arrived AMOCA Studio Artist-in-Residence Liz Stringer 👏 Liz Stringer is a multidisciplinary artist based in Long Beach, CA, whose work explores embodiment and corporeality through ceramics, sculpture, and installation. She holds a BA in Art and a BS in Biology from UC San Diego, as well as an MFA from UC Irvine. Drawing from science fiction, biopolitics, and feminist theory, her practice examines the intersections of physical and metaphysical narratives, challenging societal constructs and prompting reflection on vulnerability, transformation, and resilience. Stringer has had solo exhibitions at the Contemporary Art Center Gallery at UCI (2024) and Bread and Salt in San Diego (2025). Her work has also been included in group exhibitions at UCSB’s College of Creative Studies Art Gallery, the BEALL Center for Art + Technology, Phase Gallery, Bonita Museum and Cultural Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library San Diego. Stringer will be in residence at AMOCA from April–September 2026. Stringer (@surgeon_hands ) will be in residence at the Studio April–September 2026. Be sure to say hello when you see her around the studio! Pictured: Liz Stringer, Showing #4, 2024. Ceramic, 30 x 30 x 65 inches, image courtesy of ARTIFAX Liz Stringer, Showing #6, 2024. Ceramic, Steel, 18 in x 18 in x 14 feet, image courtesy of ARTIFAX Liz Stringer, Showing #1, 2024. Ceramic, Cinderblocks, 30 x 36 x 40 inches, image courtesy of ARTIFAX

🎨🖌 6-week Spring clay classes begin next week! It's time to get your hands dirty and hone your skills🏺 We have seats available in Introductory and Intermediate Wheel Throwing classes as well as in our Beginning Hand Building classes. 6-week classes encourage development of ceramic skills and are limited to 12 participants. AMOCA's studio classes are for adults ages 18 and over (students 16+ may attend when accompanied by a paying adult). For more information or to register follow the links in our bio or visit amoca.org/studio1/classes/

Ready to get your hands dirty, relax, and have fun? Our next Introductory clay classes in the AMOCA Studio are coming up Friday, April 10. In our 1-hour introductory sessions, you'll learn the basics of throwing on the potter’s wheel. If you successfully create a bowl, staff will glaze and fire it after the class is completed—all included in the price of the class. Along with your class comes a pass for complimentary admission to the Museum’s galleries. You can explore one of the largest collections of ceramic art in the United States! To learn more and register for a 1-hour class at 5:30pm or 7:30pm on April 10 follow the link in our bio or visit amoca.org/studio1/classes/

Register today! Bianca MacPherson's "Monumental Abstraction" Workshop is coming up on April 10, 11, & 12, and we have just a few seats still available. In this hands-on weekend workshop, you'll explore the intersection of personal reference, conceptual thinking, and large-scale handbuilding in clay. Using your own ideas, experiences, and visual references as a foundation, participants will investigate abstraction as a visual language and learn strategies for translating concepts into physical forms. Emphasis will be placed on exploring scale, surface, and structural approaches to building large, expressive works. This workshop is appropriate for intermediate and advanced students. Learn more and register at the link in our bio or amoca.org/studio1/workshops/ Pictured: Bianca MacPherson, "The Deity" (detail), 2024. Ceramic, Glaze, 44 x 27x 19 inches.

In the Ceramics Studio, we strive to create an environment that is accessible and welcoming to learners and artists of all levels and experiences. AMOCA is aware that costs can be a barrier to accessibility, and we want to ensure that new and returning artists have a chance to get their hands dirty with clay! This Spring, we are excited to be able to offer a limited number of Studio Scholarships for Adult students (ages 18+) 🌸 Scholarship recipients will be awarded 50% off the price of an adult class or workshop. Studio Scholarship Applications are open now through March 31st for Spring 2026 classes and workshops. Learn more and apply today at amoca.org/studio1/studio_scholarship/ or follow the link in our bio

Ready to learn something new or hone your skills? 🌼 Spring clay classes begin mid-April! AMOCA's studio classes are for adults ages 18 and over (students 16+ may attend when accompanied by a paying adult). 6-week classes encourage development of ceramic skills and are limited to 12 participants. This spring, the AMOCA Ceramics Studio offers beginning, mixed-level, and intermediate wheel throwing classes, as well as beginning hand building classes. Partial scholarships are available -- apply by March 31 for scholarship consideration! For more information or to register, follow the link in our bio or visit events.humanitix.com/host/amoca-ceramics-studio

Here in the Ceramics Studio, we strive to create an environment that is accessible and welcoming to learners and artists of all levels and experiences. AMOCA is aware that costs can be a barrier to accessibility, and we want to ensure that new and returning artists have a chance to get their hands dirty with clay! This Spring, we are happy to be able to offer a limited number of Studio Scholarships for Adult students (ages 18+) 🌸 Scholarship recipients will be awarded 50% off the price of an adult class or workshop. Studio Scholarship Applications are open now through March 31st for Spring 2026 classes and workshops. Learn more and apply today at amoca.org/studio1/studio_scholarship/ or follow the link in our bio

Sometimes the most meaningful monuments are the ones no one sees. In this three-day hands-on workshop, I’ll show you how I bring the invisible into the light through clay, guiding you in creating your own symbology, using your personal experiences to shape forms and ideas that carry your stories, memories, and ways of seeing the world. We’ll explore techniques that help you build bigger and faster while shaping a conceptual framework that’s all your own. I’ll share the methods I use to move past creative blockages and ride the ripples of ideas. Let it go. Let it flow. 🌊 Through guided exercises and hands-on making, you’ll learn how to turn your ideas into large, expressive ceramic forms while experimenting with scale, structure, and surface. We’re going to build big, push ideas, and have a blast doing it! Register online!! 🌚🌝 /studio1/workshops/