Learn at Craft Contemporary

Craft Contemporary offers a variety of workshops and classes, art talks, readings, and participatory projects for all ages. View our chronological list of events.

January 

Craft Contemporary galleries will be closed for installation from January 6 – 24. 
Craft Contemporary Shop will maintain its regular hours.

Members-Only Preview:

The Body, The Object, The Other
Wednesday, January 22 | 1 – 3 PM


Join curators Holly Jerger and Andres Payan Estrada, along with exhibition artists, for a behind-the-scenes look at the installation of our second clay biennial. Register

SoCal Museums Free-For-All Day
Saturday, January 25 | 11 – 6 PM | Free


Along with thirty other museums across LA, Craft Contemporary will celebrate the 15th Annual Museums Free-For-All Day by offering free admission to its galleries and art-making activities. More Information

February 

Opening Reception for The Body, The Object, The Other
Saturday, February 1 | 6 – 9 PM
$10 entry / Free for members

For more information email: info@craftcontemporary.org

CraftNight: Self-Reaffirming Pots with POT Studio
Thursday, February 6 | 7 – 9 PM
$12 / Free for members (includes materials, drinks, snacks, and firing)

Join POT, a ceramic studio focused on creating safe and uncensored clay education space for activists, abuelas, and everything in-between, to create a ceramic pot using hand building techniques. Imbue your pot with positive energy by adding healing or reaffirming messages with painted underglazes or other decorations. Register 

Winning! Clay Trophies and Sculptures
A CraftLab Family Workshop
Sunday, February 9 | 1:30 – 3:30 PM
$10 adults / $7 children / Free for members
(includes materials and clay firing)

Everyone deserves an award! Learn basic hand building techniques to create your very own clay trophy, award, figurine, or sculpture. Fired pieces will be available for pickup at a later date. Register

Master Class: Hand Embroidery with Shizuka Kusano
Saturday, February 15 | 12 – 2 PM
$65 / $60 members (includes embroidery kit)

Work one-on-one with Shizuka Kusano, one of Japan’s most well-known kimono embroidery artists, to make a compact mirror cover using traditional Japanese embroidery techniques. This program is presented in collaboration with Japan Foundation Los Angeles. Register

Shizuka Kusano Trunk Show
Saturday, February 15 & Sunday, February 16
11 AM – 6 PM | Free

Craft Contemporary Shop hosts a special trunk show by Shizuka Kusano. Join us for an opportunity to shop rare handmade items from one of Japan’s most well-known embroidery artists. This program is presented in collaboration with Japan Foundation Los Angeles.

Master Class: Hand Embroidery with Shizuka Kusano
Saturday, February 16 | 12 – 2 PM
$65 / $60 members (includes embroidery kit)

Work one-on-one with Shizuka Kusano, one of Japan’s most well-known kimono embroidery artists, to make a compact mirror cover using traditional Japanese embroidery techniques. This program is presented in collaboration with Japan Foundation Los Angeles. Register

Curator Walkthrough: The Body, The Object, The Other with Holly Jerger & Andres Payan Estrada
Sunday, February 16 | 2 PM | Free

Curators Holly Jerger and Andres Payan Estrada will be accompanied by exhibiting artists as they lead a walkthrough of Craft Contemporary’s second clay biennial. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn about this momentous exhibition! RSVP

Free Legal Name & Gender Marker Change Clinic with Bet Tzedek
Wednesday, February 19 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM | Free

Non-profit Bet Tzedek will provide free legal assistance to complete petitions for legal name and gender marker changes, apply for fee waivers, and update federal and state identity documents.

Barro: Bilingual Clay Workshop with POT Studio
Saturday, February 29 | 4:30 – 7 PM
$45 / $35 members (includes basic materials, clay, and firing)

Join Isabela Munoz from ceramic studio POT, for a special bilingual beginners’ clay workshop that will introduce participants to basic clay building and underglazing techniques. Register

March 

CraftNight: Fiber Masks with Mimi Haddon
Thursday, March 5 | 7 – 9 PM
$12 / Free for members (includes materials, drinks, and snacks)

Learn a variety of techniques including fabric collage, hand stitching, and appliqué to create a soft fabric mask. From yarn to felt to thread to fabric... the possibilities are endless with this mask making workshop! Register

CraftSocial: They Came from the Trees
A Natural Dye Workshop with Andres Payan Estrada
Saturday, March 7 | 2 – 4 PM
$45 / $35 members (includes basic materials and drinks)

Experiment with natural materials collected from logwood and eucalyptus trees to dye a range of natural fiber fabrics. Participants are encouraged to bring found eucalyptus bark or leaves to the workshop. Register

Hanging Gardens with Ivan Lopez
A CraftLab Family Workshop!
Sunday, March 8 | 1:30 – 3:30 PM
$10 adults / $7 children / Free for members

Join artist and educator Ivan Lopez for a fun afternoon combining crafting and gardening. Create a hanging string garden inspired by kokedama, the Japanese art of growing hanging plants in fiber-wrapped moss balls. Register

Open Clay:
Pipe Workshop with POT Studio
Wednesday, March 11 | 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
$45 / $35 members (includes basic materials, clay, underglazes, and firing)

POT founder, artist, and instructor Mandy Kolahi hosts an open afternoon of learning basic clay skills to build pipes and other cannabis paraphernalia. For ages 17+. Register

Body Memory and Clay: A Wedging and Participatory Workshop with Nicole Seisler
Saturday, March 14 | 12 – 2:30 PM | $25 / $20 members 

Join exhibition artist Nicole Seisler to learn the basic principles of wedging clay as a way to discuss body language, learning, and labor in clay. Participants will also contribute to Nicole’s evolving gallery installation and create clay wedged drawings on paper. Register

Gallery Talk: Learning, Community, and Ceramics; Towards a New Pedagogy in Clay
Sunday, March 15 | 1 PM | Free

Hear from artists Julia Haft-Candell (founder of The Clay LA), Nicole Seisler (founder of AB Projects), and Mandy Kohlani (founder of POT) on how their various initiatives are furthering a more accessible, inclusive, and community-driven future in ceramics. RSVP

Clay Throwing Workshop with Wayne Perry
Friday, March 20 | 2:00 -4:00 PM
$45 / $35 members (includes basic materials, clay, and firing)

For beginners and experts alike, our clay studio offers space, supplies, and instruction on how to work on the wheel and create thrown forms. For ages 17+. Register

Mishima: Open Clay Studio with Eunice Lee
Wednesday, March 25 | 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
$45 / $35 members (includes basic materials, clay, and firing)

For beginners and experts alike, our clay studio offers space and supplies to work with clay. Join Eunice Lee for an introduction on hand building, as well as traditional Korean Mishima carving and surface decoration on clay. For ages 17+. Register

Clay Throwing Workshop with Wayne Perry
Friday, March 27 | 2:00 -4:00 PM
$45 / $35 members (includes basic materials, clay, and firing)

For beginners and experts alike, our clay studio offers space, supplies, and instruction on how to work on the wheel and create thrown forms. For ages 17+. Register

The Art of the Book: Crafting Our Stories by Hand
Exhibition and Culminating Event
Saturday, March 28 | 2 – 4 PM | Free

Artist Debra Disman and participants of our older adults’ workshop will host an outdoor exhibition reception, featuring the artist books they created over the course of the series, and facilitate a bookmaking activity for attendees. This program is generously sponsored by Aroha Philanthropies.

Members-Only Studio Tour with Bari Ziperstein
Sunday, March 29 | 1 – 3 PM | Free

Join exhibiting artist Bari Ziperstein, whose work is featured in The Body, The Object, The Other, on a tour of the studio space that houses her thriving ceramics practice. Check our website for registration details. Registration for this event will go live on Monday, March 9^th at noon. Return to this page for the registration link.