Past Private Workshops

Phoenix Mars Mission - August 2008
Dana held two workshops this summer for members of NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission to express their creative side by creating clay martians. Team members were able to sculpt their creations from clay at the Science Operations Center and then leave them with Dana to be fired in her kiln back at her studio.

Past Public Workshops

Animals in Clay, Then and Now - April 2009

What do hippos, kangaroos, humans, and dinosaurs have in common for ceramic artist in Tucson? They are everything to Dana Smith, who over the past several years has been creating whimsical ceramic animal-human hybrids. This workshop was for participants captivated by the animal world and hoping to improve their skills in rendering an animal likeness in clay. This was an inspirational, useful and informative workshop utilizing a sculptural approach for creating a clay vessel in animal form.

Dana's sculptures are built with a combination of coil, slab, and solid building. Solid and slab/coil construction was covered in the workshop. The two day workshop involved demonstration and hands-on participation. Dana brought many animal models, images and books, and participants were welcome to bring their own imagery.



Animals in Clay - April 2008
Dana held a two day workshop entitled “Animals in Clay” in April 2008 for participants to create unique clay sculptures. A short program excerpt is given below:
For those captivated by the animal world, or hoping to improve your skills in rendering an animal (or human) likeness in clay, this will be an inspirational, useful, and informative workshop utilizing a sculptural approach to create an animal form. Techniques in solid and coil construction will be covered. The two Saturday workshops will involve both demonstration and participation; participation will begin the afternoon of the first Saturday. Dana will teach how to work from a small model or picture to create a larger scale sculpture. She will provide clay well suited to hand building sculptural forms, although you can bring you own clay if you prefer. Participants can continue to work on pieces between the workshop sessions.