Artist Workshop: Monumental Abstraction w/Bianca MacPherson

Artist Workshop: Monumental Abstraction w/Bianca MacPherson

April 10, 11, and 12, 2026, 10 AM - 2 PM

In this hands-on workshop, students will explore the intersection of personal reference, conceptual thinking, and large-scale handbuilding in clay. Using their own ideas, experiences, and visual references as a foundation, participants will investigate abstraction as a personal code or visual language.

Through guided exercises and one-on-one mentorship, students will learn strategies for developing concepts and translating them into physical forms. Emphasis will be placed on exploring scale, surface, and structural approaches to building large, expressive works. By the end of the workshop, students will have cultivated both a deeper understanding of their own visual language and practical techniques for constructing monumental handbuilt pieces.

This workshop is appropriate for intermediate and advanced students; students should be comfortable and have prior experience with basic clay construction methods such as pinch, coil, and slab building. Familiarity with working independently in a studio setting and a willingness to experiment conceptually are strongly encouraged.

One bag of clay per person is included in the class price; additional bags may be purchased at the studio for $22 per bag, as needed.

Day 1: Friday, April 10 - Concept & Initial Build: Laying the Foundation

This first day, we’ll discuss abstraction as a type of visual language; Bianca will share her own approach to mirroring forms and drawing from archives. We’ll have time to think and brainstorm, and then we’ll begin sculpting our initial forms.

Day 2: Saturday, April 11 - Building & Structural Strategies: Expanding and Stabilizing

On Saturday, we’ll continue building our forms, exploring internal scaffolding, modular stacking, and sectional construction. There will be opportunities for troubleshooting, and we’ll set aside time for refinement and reflection as well.

Day 3: Sunday, April 12 - Surface & Finishing Approaches - Bringing Work to Life

This last class day will offer an overview of surface techniques; we’ll learn underglaze spraying and painting, texture, markings, and underglaze transferring. We’ll make our final build adjustments, smoothing, texturing, and enhancing our forms.

Tools Participants will need to bring:

• Mudtools Red rubber rib any size (+any additional rubber ribs)

• Serrated Rib 

• Wooden Dowel Tool 

• Any helpful Loop tool 

• Sketchbooks + Pens 

• Any visual reference or object / Personal relic / historical 

• Any ceramic tools of their preference that would aid in sculpting

Pictured above: unfired work (The Deity) created by Bianca MacPherson

About your Instructor:

Bianca MacPherson’s ceramic work solidifies the psychological unseen. Drawing from the complexities of American history and personal experience, her forms instigate dialogues around identity, race, and perception, forcefully pressing us to confront the tension between what is seen and what is assumed through abstraction. Originally from Buffalo, New York, her work has been exhibited nationally. MacPherson received her MFA from Penn State University and her BFA from Buffalo State University, and has participated in residencies at Penland School of Craft, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. MacPherson will be in residence at AMOCA from August 2025–July 2026.