Be the Artist You’re Meant to Be!
JUL 8–12 | 5-Day (MON-FRI)
5 Introductory Weeklong Workshops: No Experience Necessary
$550 Member | $580 Non-Member
Plus Materials and Studio Fees
Affordable lodging and meal plans available
Introduction to Blacksmithing
with Anna Koplik
Learn how to swing a hammer at the anvil, work a coal forge, and have fun forging hot steel! Everyone will walk away with their own hand forged objects.
Only a couple of spots left!
Register Now
Introduction to Wheel-Throwing
with Stacy Larson
Learn the basics of throwing, shaping, and trimming pottery on the wheel with Stacy as your guide. Then expand on your skills with altering and decorating techniques.
Intro to Stained Glass Copper Foil Technique
with Neile Cooper
Learn the fundamentals of creating stained glass pieces with the copper foil technique. You will have your first completed project on the first morning!
Introduction to Jewelry Making
with Erika Broas
Learn the basics of traditional metalsmithing while creating a variety of jewelry forms. You will fabricate pendants, chains, rings, earrings, brooches, and more, and leave with a great base of knowledge and multiple finished pieces!
An Introduction to Drawing
with Aaron Pickens
This intensive workshop is for participants who want to learn and improve the way they draw. Be ready to explore a range of techniques using various types of materials.
Educators’ Retreat
NEW IN 2019! – EDUCATORS’ RETREAT
AUG 5–9 | 5-Days (MON-FRI)
The Educators’ Retreat provides a week for professional development that will enhance an educator’s own creativity while offering rich content that can translate to the classroom. Choose from a variety of studios and delve into the processes as you explore these techniques and share your findings with other educators/artists. At the end of the week, you will have a treasure trove of unique resources as well as a new toolbox of ideas to share with your students!
Not Just For Art Teachers!
Open to anyone but designed for K-12 educators and those studying to be educators (any subject or grade). Act 48 Credits are available for PA educators, sponsored by PAEA (Pennsylvania Art Education Association). (Touchstone is happy to work with education associations from other states to make any special requirements attainable).
Educator Retreat Scholarships – NEW!
50% – 100% Tuition Scholarships: The purpose of this scholarship is to help K-12 Educators participate in this week of programming. Various scholarships are available and open to any K-12 Educator from any district or state. PLEASE NOTE: Thanks to the generosity of the Community Foundation of Fayette County, there are ten, 100% tuition scholarships available for K-12 educators teaching in Fayette County. Touchstone has applied for financial support from several other geographic-specific foundations and we are waiting to hear how much funding of scholarships will be awarded. In the meantime, we encourage ALL EDUCATORS to apply through our general EDUCATOR RETREAT SCHOLARSHIP application process, choosing Educator Retreat workshops as your preference. Download Scholarship Application
All applications must be RECEIVED by March 15.
Please check our scholarship page for a full list of available scholarships.
EDUCATORS’ RETREAT WORKSHOPS – Choose from:
Glass
Light the Fire with Lampworking Techniques
with Joy Knepp
Light the torch of possibilities and see the magic of chemistry as we experiment with reduction glass and color combinations.
Metals & Jewelry
Precious Metal Clay: From Bead to Box
with Lora Hart
Experiment with Metal Clay, a relatively new technology that transforms powder metallurgy from an industrial use to a creative art form.
Drawing & Painting
Creative Journaling
with Roger Hyndman
Take a creative journey into journaling while you explore a variety of materials and discover the many benefits of keeping an artistic journal.
Ceramics
Murals in Clay
with Chuck Purviance
Learn the ins-and-outs of creating murals in clay as a group project in the classroom or the surrounding community.
Blacksmithing
Forged Fashion
with Ellen Durkan
Step outside your comfort zone and try something new – forge something wearable!
For more information visit: Educators’ Retreat
New in 2019! 1-Day Workshops at Touchstone Center for Crafts
Touchstone offers a variety of programming to fit your needs, schedule, and budget. One day workshops are perfect for the person who has little to no experience or an artist who wants to learn a new skill. Our 1-Day Workshops offered on June 15th, 16th, and 22nd are designed for ages 14-Adult. If you’re looking for an experience to share with your son, daughter, niece, or nephew, consider taking a workshop together!
Beginner (Ages 14-Adult)
$165 Member | $195 Non-Member Plus Materials and Studio Fees
Blacksmithing
JUN 15 | 1-Day (SAT)
Crash Course in Forging Utensils I
Instructor: Nathanael Weiss
Register Now
In just one day, you will take an ordinary bar of steel and turn it into a functional object.
Read More…
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JUN 16 | 1-Day (SUN)
Crash Course in Forging Utensils II
Instructor: Nathanael Weiss
Register Now
Taking ‘Crash Course I’ is not required in order to enroll for this course. Those who have taken ‘I’ will have the opportunity to advance their skills.
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Ceramics
JUN 15 | 1-Day (SAT)
Introduction to Handbuilding
Instructor: Meghan Burke
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Discover the many methods and endless options of handbuilding with clay.
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JUN 16 | 1-Day (SUN)
Wheel-Throwing 101
Instructor: Travis Winters
Register Now
Have you ever wanted to try your hand at the potter’s wheel? In this one-day introductory workshop, you will!
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JUN 22 | 1-Day (SAT)
Pinching and Coiling: Handbuilding with Clay
Instructor: Meghan Burke
Register Now
Take a dive into handbuilding with clay and create a variety of forms. Nothing is off limits with handbuilding!
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Glass
JUN 15 | 1-Day (SAT)
Makin’ MarbleZ I
Instructor: Chad Parker
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Learn how to make a round marble out of a rod of glass!
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JUN 16 | 1-Day (SUN)
Makin’ MarbleZ II
Instructor: Chad Parker
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Dive deeper into marble making techniques. It is not required that you take ‘Makin’ MarbleZ I’ in order to enroll in this workshop.
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Metals & Jewelry
JUN 15 | 1-Day (SAT)
Rings and Things: Jewelry from Roller Printed Metal
Instructor: Maia Leppo
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Use found textiles and materials to imprint patterns onto copper and other metals.
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JUN 16 | 1-Day (SUN)
Found Objects: Rings and Pendants
Instructor: Maia Leppo
Register Now
Learn to set your found objects into rings and pendants in this fun, one-day workshop!
Read More…
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Heather Nuber is one of our ‘A Taste of Touchstone’ Artists who will also be teaching at Touchstone in 2018!
Visit The Allegany Arts Council’s Saville Gallery in Cumberland, MD from February 3-17, 2018 for ‘A Taste of Touchstone’ Gallery Exhibit. More information
Hurry, the exhibition closes this Saturday, Feb. 17!
Heather Nuber is a metalsmith, contemporary jeweler, installation artist, and MFA candidate and associate instructor at Indiana University. She received her BFA in metalsmithing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2015, and has studied at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Penland School of Crafts and Peters Valley School of Craft. She has exhibited work nationally in juried and invitational shows, and was an artist-in-residence with the Birdsell Project in South Bend, Indiana. Her work focuses on the dynamics of personal relationships and social interactions.
To see more of Heather’s work visit heathersnuber.com and follow her on Instagram @heather.s.nuber
Heather will be teaching ‘Make It Your Own: Unique Chains and Design’ at Touchstone from July 30—August 3, 2018. In this class, students will draw on the beautiful surroundings of Touchstone to create unique designs that incorporate equally dynamic chain. You will learn various methods to produce one-of- a-kind chains that carry your design throughout the entire piece, increasing visual interest and value to your work. Skills learned and utilized will include: making jigs, soldering, piercing, forging, and finishing. You will leave the workshop with a collection of chain samples, skills for distilling design, and at least one finished wearable piece that is yours…all yours! This workshop is suitable for All Levels.
Dan Neville and Zach Lihatsh are two more of our ‘A Taste of Touchstone’ Artists who will also be teaching at Touchstone in 2018!
Visit The Allegany Arts Council’s Saville Gallery in Cumberland, MD from February 3-17, 2018 for ‘A Taste of Touchstone’ Gallery Exhibit. More information
Hurry, the exhibition closes this Saturday, Feb. 17!
Zachary Lihatsh is an artist, designer, and blacksmith. He gathers much of his inspiration from the desert landscape, abandoned mines, and remnants of bygone industry. Born and raised in the Northeast, Zach now calls Tucson, Arizona his home. He received his masters’ degree from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He has taught blacksmithing at the high-school and college level. His work has been published in The Anvils Ring, Hephaistos, as well as multiple design publications. He has taught and exhibited his work both nationally and internationally.
To see more of Zach’s work visit zachlihatsh.com and follow him on Instagram @lihatsh
Dan Neville received his BFA in metalsmithing from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and recently his MFA degree in metalsmithing at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Dan has taught at numerous schools and universities including the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and Austin Community College in Texas. Dan has exhibited his work extensively at venues such as the Metal Museum in Tennessee, the Evansville Museum in Indiana, and the Tsubame Industrial Materials Museum in Japan. Dan has been awarded several research grants through the Windgate Foundation and other organizations.
To see more of Dan’s work visit nevilleforge.com and follow him on Instagram @nevilleforge
Zach and Dan will both be teaching ‘From Forge to Bench’ at Touchstone from August 13–17, 2018. In this class, students will focus on the use of forged steel and formed brass to create functional kitchenware, as you spend half the week in the blacksmithing studio and the other half in the metalsmithing studio. In blacksmithing, we will cover handle design, basic forging, and punching steel. In metalsmithing, we will cover forming and planishing brass. This workshop is suitable for All Levels.