Grant Gelhardt Returns to Lead Alternative Firing Workshops at LeMoyne Arts

LeMoyne Arts is proud to welcome back ceramic artist Grant Gelhardt to lead a series of public workshops in alternative firing techniques at the Rockwood Ceramics Pavilion.

Gelhardt’s return is both a homecoming and a celebration of LeMoyne’s ceramics legacy. In the early 1980s, he taught introduction and intermediate pottery classes in LeMoyne’s original basement studio space—now known as the Nancy Jefferson Pottery Studio. Decades later, after a career that included studying art at Florida State University and serving as Director of the Center for Participant Education (CPE) Pottery Studio at FSU for seven years, Gelhardt returns to the very campus where he once taught.

“When I came back to help Nancy, I noticed one of my clay mask sculptures was still hanging on the wall of the studio,” Gelhardt shared, reflecting on the enduring connection between his work and LeMoyne’s creative spaces.

Today, he maintains a home studio and has specialized in pit firing and other atmospheric techniques for more than 20 years. These process-driven methods—where smoke, flame, minerals, and combustibles create unpredictable, organic surface effects—will be the focus of this public workshop series.

The workshops will take place at the Rockwood Ceramics Pavilion, a facility made possible through LeMoyne’s Art for Always Capital Campaign, which honored the legacy of longtime ceramics instructor Nancy Jefferson and was supported by a transformative gift from Charles Rockwood. The Pavilion serves as both a daily workspace for ceramics students, with multiple electric kilns, and an outdoor learning environment designed specifically for alternative firing methods including Raku, saggar, pit, and horsehair firing. It has also become a popular gathering place within LeMoyne’s garden campus near the trellis and Lillies Garden.

This tradition of alternative firing at LeMoyne has long been part of its educational outreach, including past collaborations that brought Raku demonstrations into the community. Gelhardt’s workshops continue that hands-on, experiential learning tradition for today’s artists.

Workshop Schedule

Saggar Firing Workshop (Up to 6 students)

Firing: Monday, April 27, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Pickup: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Horsehair Firing Workshop (Up to 4 students)

Firing: Monday, May 18, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Participants will bring their own bisque-fired pottery (Cone 5 or 6 clay, maximum 9” x 9”). White clay, burnished surfaces, and terra sigillata finishes are especially effective, though all clay bodies produce unique results. Specific preparation guidance is available from the instructor.

“These workshops reflect exactly what the Rockwood Pavilion was created for,” said a LeMoyne representative. “It is a place where master potters can share rare techniques, where experimentation is encouraged, and where the public can experience the magic of ceramics in an outdoor setting.”

LeMoyne is proud to provide a setting where artists of all levels can learn, experiment, and participate in these historic firing methods in a space designed expressly for this purpose.

Advance registration is required due to limited space.

For registration and details, visit www.lemoyne.org.