YCA Ceramics Level II - Impressions: How clay permeates time with Rebecca Heasman & Amy Beaudroit
In this course, YCA’s first-ever level two offering, participants will explore using impressions to make their own unique, functional ceramic pieces. Beginning with a brief history of how objects, plants, and gestures have been remembered in clay, participating youth will design their pieces (a vase, mug set, set of tumblers, set of small plates) and build templates from their designs. They will press found objects drawn from their own environments, including plants and other materials and make marks in clay slabs to create unique surface textures and give their piece its own identity.
Because each participant chooses their own impressions, the finished pieces become a record of their maker. By the end of the course, participating youth will have further developed their existing ceramics skills, translating a drawing into a slab-built form, joining clay soundly, glazing their work, and speaking about the impressions they chose and why.
Youth will learn through short illustrated presentations, live demonstrations and sustained hands-on studio time, with instructors circulating to assist individually. A field trip to the Gardiner Museum in Toronto on Friday November 20th will see youth engaging with the Sculpted Identities educational program, which carries similar course ideas into a new space, asking how ceramic objects hold the personal and cultural identity of the people who made and used them. Attendance at the field trip is strongly recommended for all course participants, but not mandatory. Please register for the field trip separately.
YCA Level I Ceramics participation or previous ceramics experience is a pre-requisite for this course.
Impressions: How clay permeates time Ceramics Level II starts November 11th and runs from 3:30-6pm on the following Wednesdays: November 11, 18, 25, & December 2, 2026. Participants are invited to join us before the start of each session from 3-3:30pm for a snack in the Arts & Crafts Library.
SAVE 75% ON REGISTRATION FEES!Thanks to a special partnership with Rue Pigalle, a discounted rate will automatically apply at the time of registration for ALL participants. No application is required. Why this generous discount? Rue Pigalle believes that as a practice and career, craft is a joyful and optimistic way to address the serious issues of sustainability, skills transmission, material literacy, community economy, and equality.
If this discounted rate still remains a barrier, please reach out to Program Lead Allison Nichol Longtin at [email protected].
ABOUT YOUTH CRAFT ACADEMY
Launched in fall 2023, this unique, hands-on program is designed for youth ages 12-17 with an interest in making or curiosity about materials. Participants will learn, play, and build in a variety of mediums such as clay, wood, glass, metal, and fibre to create functional and decorative objects.
The program is delivered by professional designers, makers, artists, and other members of the craft sector. Youth are encouraged, but not required, to participate in all four courses per year.
Click here to learn more about Youth Craft Academy and follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
Rebecca Heasman is a ceramic artist residing in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada. She lives with her partner and cattle dog in a 1960’s cottage, creating her wheelthrown, handbuilt, and slipcast work out of a modest home studio surrounded by nature. Originally from England, Rebecca was and continues to be inspired by the natural world around her, from the Farthing Downs outside her childhood home to the vast sand beaches of Prince Edward County. Wherever she is, Rebecca finds solace and inspiration from the natural world. While completing her BFA in Printmaking at OCAD University, Rebecca used elective classes and spare time to study ceramics. Since graduating in 2018 she has continued to work in ceramics, learning from peers and building knowledge through experience. She creates both functional and experimental work that is for and of nature; whether that’s bird houses and water fountains, or depictions of the land around her and the topography under our feet. Rebecca’s work is currently exhibited in the 2026 Connect Online by Fusion Clay and Glass.
Amy Beaudroit is a potter, painter and writer who has landed in Prince Edward County by way of France, Scotland, England and Slovakia; Five countries, one persistent habit of making things. She trained as a painter of abstract landscapes and has held residencies in New York, Finland, Georgia, and North Carolina, where, while preparing her first solo painting exhibition, she sat down at a wheel and never quite got up again. She now works as a production potter at Ye11ow Studio in Picton and makes functional work under the name Acorn Beach Ceramics, with a focus on local, raw materials and a slow, responsible approach to the craft. Amy believes objects hold memories and she loves that handbuilding lets you make something with nothing but clay, your hands and a bit of nerve.
Art supply fee - Please note that the cost of supplies is not included in the course fee; this amount depends on the course, and will be automatically added to your total. If this cost is prohibitive for you, please contact Allison at [email protected] before registering to make alternative arrangements.
Offline registration - We prefer to take payment and registration through this form, but if you are not comfortable with this option and it is more than 2 weeks before the course begins, please check the "Offline" box in the Billing Information section below. We will contact you with alternative payment options. Payment must be received at least one week before the course begins.
Processing fee - This covers transaction and ticketing fees. We've decided to use Regfox, the most affordable ticketing platform we could find, which will collectively save our participants over $1000 in processing fees per year.
Policies and Waivers - We've included these as part of the registration process (thank you for your patience!) to save some paperwork on your end and get straight to art making when we are in person!
We encourage those who are able to pay a little more to choose this price . By doing so, you are helping build a community that prioritizes access to the arts for all, and allowing us to cover more of our operating costs, which include Artist Instructor fees, rent, and more.
This price allows us to cover most of the costs of running the course.
This price is available to those who find the other two options too high for their household.
By clicking this box, you are indicating that the youth participant has a parent / guardian's permission to leave at the end of the course without a parent / guardian present. If you do NOT check this box, we expect a parent / guardian to be present at the end of each course to pick up your child (the participant).
