First cohort of ceramics students graduate

The NWTC Artisan and Business Center is unique in the Wisconsin Technical College System as a stand-alone location for student and community education in the arts. The center offers both credit and noncredit courses in various mediums, including clay.

In spring, the first cohort of students graduated from the for-credit ceramics program. The program, the 12-credit Clay certificate, consists of three levels of instruction – introductory, intermediate, and advanced – and finishes with a capstone focused on starting a studio.

Kelly Bresnahan, a part-time woodturning instructor and one of the four clay program graduates, said he “enjoyed learning a new medium that was so different from wood... one where you usually add material instead of remove.” Since graduating, he has built a clay studio at home, where he loves experimenting with different chemicals and glazes to get unique finishes for his pieces.

Open to the public, the Artisan and Business Center offers classes in art metals, textiles, glass, painting, wood, and other mediums. In addition, open studio hours are available for community members to work on their craft.

Learn more about the center, including open studio fees, classes and workshops at nwtc.edu/ArtisanCenter