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During the first week, your teacher Alessandro will introduce you to the fundamentals of traditional Sicilian pottery. You’ll start with warm-up exercises like throwing from the hump and making a decorative pigna (pine cone). From there, you'll move on to small-scale traditional shapes such as the quartara, brocca, giara, and bummulu: all variations of vessels used for storing and pouring water or wine.
In the second week, you’ll take things up a notch by creating a small collection of large-scale doughnut-shaped flasks and multi-arm candelabras: two iconic forms in Sicilian ceramics. You’ll learn to sketch out your designs, throw all the essential components (bases, bodies, spouts, handles, candle holders), and assemble them into complete, finished pieces.
By the end of the course you will:
Although the course is focussed on learning rather than making pieces, you will be able to keep some of the pieces you make:
Alessandro Strano, is a Sicilian master wheel thrower and founder of Studio MUD, a first-of-its-kind intercultural ceramics hub in Palermo.
Alessandro has over 30 years of experience as a ceramicist specialised in wheel throwing, and has perfected his skills over the decades by working at different studios and collaborating with local and international artists before founding a studio of his own in 2018.
Alessandro’s own ceramics pieces have a unique style that merges traditional Sicilian aesthetics and modern minimalism and elevates wheel throwing’s aesthetics.
He is one of Salemi Ceramics' first Sicilian friends, and has a special place in the Salemi Ceramics family. We're excited to have him teach at our studio, and we're sure you'll love his course!!!
This course is right for you if:
During this week, you won’t just get a ceramics course. We’ve also organised a program of activity so that you can connect with Sicilian culture, get to know beautiful Salemi and its rich history and territory.
You will:
Classes will be held from Monday through to Friday. Classes will be 4h each morning
(9am-1pm) and 2/3h on Monday and Friday afternoon (2-4/5pm). On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, you will have free studio time (2/3h) and/or an organised trip to one of the local cultural landmarks.
A typical day will look like this:
Exact hours may vary depending on ad-hoc adjustments, but you will have a minimum of 6h a day in the studio, for a total of 26h of teaching and 9h of supervised free studio time every week.
During the weekends, the studio will be closed. You will be free to organise your own weekend plans or participate in one of our optional weekend activities.
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We want to make Salemi a recognised centre for contemporary ceramic art. Come and be part of it!
