Flickering Lights over Nature I: Ceramics

– The effects of climate change expressed in ceramic.

Join Chicago artist Anne Farley Gaines in creating ceramic sculptures that depict the mysteries, beauty, and the light of nature. In this 2-day workshop in clay, participants have the opportunity to create artwork that encourages dialogue about the significance of nature, environment, and climate. During the course, you can learn how you may incorporate illumination into your works as Anne does. In our workshop, we combine the hands-on, emotional language of art with thematic environmental education, while also encouraging everyone to communicate with others about climate change. You are encouraged to enroll in both weekends! See the Part II description!

For references, Anne will bring to the workshop several photos she has taken in areas of the Midwest and Southeast that show the effects of climate change.  Attendees may be inspired by these for their work, or they can bring nature references and images of their own.

The week between Part I and Part II will incorporate finishing and drying time for the clay. Clay works will be fired on Monday, June 19 following the Multimedia class. During that period, ceramics students can independently work in the pottery studio. Open-studio hours are structured around other ceramics classes and will be announced.

This workshop will accompany an exhibit at The Waldron Arts Center by the instructor and participants (with students’ permission). Works may be for sale with no commission. In keeping with the theme, for the exhibit Anne will display about 15 of her own nature-based wall plaques in ceramic and in mixed-media that will contain battery-operated candles of flickering lights, reminding us to take care of nature and to not take its existence for granted. Her subjects focus on her passion: disappearing coastlines of the Great Lakes, decaying trees uprooted by rising waters from glacier melt, animal species in states they had never been seen before due to global warming migration, and forest fires, violent storms, and their aftermath.

Learn more about Anne Farley Gaines at https://www.annefarleygaines.com/.

See the workshop supply list.

NOTE: The Mission of Artists for Climate Awareness is to provide education and awareness of environmental concerns and climate change. In the context of learning artistic techniques, we discuss how our art can serve civic engagement. Accordingly, in each event there will be some related discussion.

Artists for Climate Awareness is a 501(c)3 organization and cannot advocate for any partisan cause. 

IVY TECH EMPLOYEE NOTE: This class is not eligible for fee remission for Ivy Tech employees. Please see our CLL fee remission guidelines for more information.


A portion of the workshop fee will go toward a Contributors membership in Artists for Climate Awareness. Joining at the Contributors level ($35) enables you to receive the entire amount as a discount in a future workshops. Contributors also get news and enhanced insider participation. For more information, please visit the Artists for Climate Awareness Website.