Pottery Workshops
Kathy Skaggs Workshop: Printing on Clay with AMACO Inks
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Fee: $30 per person, including lunch
Location: MCC Pottery Studio, A145
Call the MCC Registration office at (815) 455-8588 to reserve your space; seating is limited.
About the Workshop
Discover how to print on clay using AMACO Printing Inks. This workshop will feature demonstrations and discussions covering a range of printing techniques suitable for both hand-built and wheel-thrown forms. We will use a variety of silk-screening methods—from simple HTV vinyl screens to more complex designs using light-sensitive emulsion sheets, ideal for incorporating photographic imagery. We’ll explore both direct silkscreening onto clay and indirect methods using newspaper transfers.
After printing, you’ll learn how to construct ceramic forms from the freshly printed, moist slabs.
About the Artist
Kathy Skaggs holds an M.A.E. in Education from the Rhode Island School of Design and an M.F.A. in Ceramics from the University of Florida. Her ceramic work has been featured in Studio Potter, and she received a grant from the NAE to build her first kiln and studio. Kathy has served as a studio assistant at the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Penland School of Crafts. She has taught ceramics at both the University of Florida and the University of North Florida, and spent over 30 years teaching ceramics in Florida public schools while running Atlantic Pottery Supply. Now, Kathy works as a Ceramic Education Consultant for AMACO, training educators on how to integrate clay into the classroom and teaching studios about printing and glazing ceramics.
Taylor Sijan Workshop: Exploring Layered Surface Techniques
Date: April 17 and 18, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Fee: $125 for both days, including lunch and a workshop supply kit
Location: MCC Pottery Studio, A145
Call the MCC Registration office at (815) 455-8588 to reserve your space; seating is limited.
About the Workshop
Are you looking to learn how to add rich depth to the surfaces of your ceramic work and expand your decorating skills? In this skill-building workshop, Taylor will demonstrate how she creates layered surfaces on unfired clay. Students will experiment with decorating techniques such as stamping, slip trailing, carving, and underglaze painting using paper resists on tile. Strategies for harmonious, asymmetrical surface compositions on vessels and choosing color palettes will be touched on throughout the demonstrations. The instructor will provide laser-cut stencil packets.
About the Artist
Taylor Sijan is a full-time studio potter living in New Jersey. She earned a BFA in 3-D Arts from Bowling Green State University (2016) and an MFA with ceramics emphasis from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2021). In 2020, Taylor was named one of Ceramics Monthly’s Emerging Artists for crafting colorful porcelain pottery layered with botanical imagery. She enjoys traveling to present at conferences, teach workshops, and participate in pottery shows across the US and abroad. When she isn’t in the studio, she is usually gardening, treasure hunting, or spending time with her bladesmith husband and their two cats.
Each semester, MCC's art department partners with the Clayworkers' Guild of Illinois and the MCC Clay Club to bring in award-winning ceramic artists to lead a hands-on workshop. We charge a minimal fee per workshop and open them to the public.