Virtual Artists
High school teachers can now register for an artist to visit their classroom virtually! The Appalachian Center for Craft will mail tools and materials to you and, on a mutually agreed upon date and time, a professional artist will Zoom into your classroom to teach a workshop to up to 30 of your students! All workshops are suitable for high school students and are taught by professional artists from Tennessee Tech's Appalachian Center for Craft (part of the School of Art, Craft and Design). Media and topics vary and more will be added throughout the year. Check back for new additions!
Mission/Goals
The mission of this program is to provide high quality craft instruction, taught by professional artists, to students in a typical high school classroom; to deepen students' understanding of craft techniques, materials, tools and theory; and to allow students to express their personal aesthetic through their work.
Workshops Available
Mask making
Ian Mabry, current clay artist-in-residence at the Appalachian Center for Craft and adjunct professor, will teach your students how to make realistic and abstract three-dimensional masks from low fire terra cotta or air dry clay (your choice).
Your students will learn to:
- Create their own slump/hump molds from newspaper.
- Study proportions of the human face.
- Make slabs without rolling pins.
- Use additive processes to create realistic features and bone structure.
- Create slip to join clay pieces together.
- Hand sculpt and smooth out or add texture to features and skin.
- Create a human mask with individualized features.
- Create an abstract mask utilizing the same processes and skills from those used for the human mask.
- Form holes to enable the mask to be displayed on a wall with string or wire.
- Receive suggestions for finishing or adding color to the masks.
Materials Shipped to Your School
The Craft Center will ship all supplies necessary to you including a pre-paid label and box to ship tools back to us!
Clay Mask Supplies Provided
- 50 lbs. of low-fire terra cotta OR air day clay (you choose depending upon your ability to fire the masks)
- Handbuilding mats for each student
- Needle tools for each student
- Goat hair mop brush for each student
- Water container for each student
- 90 minutes of instruction by current artist-in-residence in clay
Fees and Grants Available
Fee for one 90-minute session is $300. This program is eligible for a Tennessee Arts Commission Student Ticket Subsidy grant. Teachers may apply for funding to pay fees for this program. Please visit https://tnartscommission.org/grants/student-ticket-subsidy-sts/ to learn more about this grant and to apply for funding. This could be a no cost program for you!
Steps to Register
Visit our online registration site at Register
- Select an available date and time.
- The date selected must be a minimum of 10 business days from the current date to allow shipping time for tools and materials.
- Note: most workshops and demonstrations require at least one 90-minute session. You may select two 45 minute sessions.
- Teachers bear responsibility for set up and clean up of their own classroom.
- Tools and materials will accommodate up to 30 students per session.
- Either pay the $300 fee online or let us know that you have applied for a Student-Ticket-Subsidy Grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. (We will require proof of application prior to mailing materials.)
- Provide an address where you can receive FedEx shipments.
- Receive the shipment and verify contents.
- Make certain that you have the ability to host a Zoom meeting and have a large screen monitor in a classroom or workroom so that your students can view the artist(s) at work.
- Log in to test the Zoom capabilities a minimum of 5 business days prior to the workshop or demonstration. We will send a meeting link to you approximately one week after you register for the workshop or demonstration.
Dates Available
Days Available by Workshop
Reminder — teachers must make reservations a minimum of 10 business days prior to
the date of the workshop to allow time for shipment of material and tools.
Clay Mask Making
- Mondays: 1-3 p.m.
- Fridays: 1-3 p.m.
