Release Your Spirits with Hanako O'Leary, July 19th and 20th from 1-3pm
In this 2 day workshop, you will spend 5 hours learning the techniques used by Hanako for building small to medium spirit masks. Students will be given a base, “face,” shape and your instructor will teach you how to personalize it. After the face is built, you will be guided through Hanako's personal approach for underglaze and non-ceramic surface design.
You will practice the skills of sculpture on top of the foundational ceramics techniques like pinch pots to scoring and attaching clay. With a sculptural touch, you will practice the skills face construction and make something that leans away from functionality.
This all-levels class is recommended for students 15 years and older. The pottery wheel will not be used in this workshop. The materials will be provided on-site. All firing services are included in cost, and an instructor will glaze your pieces in a clear for you.
Hanako O’Leary is a craft based sculptor and installation artist. She was born and raised by her Japanese mother and American father in the American Midwest. She grew up speaking Japanese at home, but English in school and everywhere else. Until Hanako turned 18, every year, for 2 months during the summer, her mother Sumiko brought her and her siblings back to their maternal home in the Seto Inlet Sea of Japan. This deeply influenced her spiritual beliefs, artistic voice, and feminine ideals.
Building off this personal history, Hanako looks to Japanese folk traditions of the Setonaikai Islands as a basis for her artwork. Through handmade objects, installations, and storytelling, Hanako explores this relationship with her matriarchal lineage and the complexities of feminine love, sexuality, and power.
Her major artistic accomplishments include a solo show in galleries such as Method, Edmonds Community College, King Street Station, and most recently Frye Art Museum and Gallery 4Culture. Major awards include the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture City Artist Grant, Bernie Funk Fellowship, Robert B. McMillen Grant, Neddy Award Finalist and Artist Trust Fellowship to name a few.
Workshop registration is time/class-specific and is non-refundable. We no longer provide refunds for COVID-19. If you can't attend your workshop, we encourage you to give your spot to a friend.
