Pottery has a long tradition in North Carolina and Randolph County. The industry produces a wide variety of decorative and useful items, which include valuable works of art, inexpensive dinnerware, vases, and other household items. Select pieces can sell for hundreds of dollars. If you have long admired the beautiful pottery pieces produced from local kilns and always wanted to try it for yourself, Randolph Community College's Pottery program could be your chance to obtain those basic skills.
RCC currently has openings in its Continuing Education Pottery program on the Asheboro Campus. Limited seats are available in all of the sections: the morning class, which meets from 9 a.m.-12 noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 23-Feb. 11; the afternoon class, which meets from 3-6 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, Oct. 22-Feb. 12; and the evening class, which meets from 6:30-9:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 23-Feb. 11 Louis Ragsdale is the instructor.
The RCC Pottery program is divided into four distinct, sequential sections requiring about two years to complete. In the first semester, all students will begin with Clay Properties, Handbuilding, and Introduction to the Wheel. After that introductory course, students will complete a sequential program that includes wheelwork, glaze chemistry, and firing dynamics. Each course involves two sessions a week. By the final portion of the program, students are expected to have developed a distinctive style of their own and be capable of producing marketable work.
Costs include $60 per section registration fee plus approximately $50 for supplies per semester. Registration fees are waived for those 65 years of age or older. For more information or to register, contact Kathy Thornburg at Randolph Community College, 336-633-0216, or e-mail kwthornburg@randolph.edu.
