Special Topics Workshops

2022 Workshop Season Update:

Touchstone is again offering a modified workshop season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Please review our COVID-19 policy* and our cancellation policy* prior to registering for any workshop.

*Subject to change, check back for up-to-date information. Registered participants will be notified of any changes.

Weekend Workshops: AUG 27 through SEPT 26

AUG 27-29| 3-DAY (SAT-MON)  
Micro Mosaic Alchemy: Making Jewelry with Hot Glass and Cold Rocks 
Instructor: Rachel Sager

All Levels 
$445 Member | $475 Non-Member 
$70-$120 Materials and Studio Fees

Download Materials List

This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.

In this workshop, hot glass and cold rocks will weave two very different ways of making mosaic into tiny compositions. Students will learn to heat smalti with a hand-held torch and “pull” it into long threads of color that will become the building blocks of a micro mosaic pendant and an additional tiny substrate that can hang on the wall. Foraging for stone from the beautiful Touchstone landscape will be the other side of this immersive and tactile learning event. 
 
Rachel Sager is The Forager Mosaicist, the owner of The Ruins Project, and an artist who proudly represents the Appalachian Rust Belt. Her innovative mosaics have been showcased around the world and been awarded multiple Best of Shows. Rachel is building a legacy of intuitive expression as she invites artists from around the world to help her tell the story of coal history at The Ruins Project. Whether she is digging into the earth for geologic tesserae, pushing the boundaries of the classical rules, or giving tours of The Ruins, Rachel has committed her life to the art of mosaic and its power to tell stories in stone and glass. 
 
Website: sagermosaics.com
Instagram: @sagermosaics

AUG 27-29| 3-DAY (SAT-MON)  
All Wired Up! 
Instructor: Lindsay Ketterer Gates 

All Levels 
$445 Member | $475 Non-Member

This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.

Come learn ways to use basketry techniques to manipulate wire and create both flat and three-dimensional forms. A multitude of samples will be generated by each participant which will guide you in future projects. Thin wire will be used for samples, but scaling forms up and down will be discussed. This crash course is great for anyone in any media who wants to add a new twist to their current work or try something new! 
 
Lindsay is the Executive Director of Touchstone Center for Crafts, on the boards of the National Basketry Organization and the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau. For over 20 years she has been a studio artist whose work is in the permanent collection of the American Embassy in the Rebublic of Djibouti, the Museum of Art and Design in NYC, Yale University Art Gallery as well as other international collections. She had work on tour in the exhibition Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in the 21st Century, on loan in the American embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan and Innovators and Legends; Generations in Textiles and Fibers. She is sought to teach and lecture nationally. Her work has been featured on the cover of Metalsmith Magazine and on the pages of American Craft magazine, FiberArts, Fiber Art Now, Surface Design Journal, Shuttle, Spindle and Dyepot Magazine, FIBERARTS Design Book VII, 500 Baskets, and Making Good: An Inspirational Guide to being an Artist/Craftsman.  
 
Website: lindsaykgates.com

Touchstone Center for Crafts prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or association preference. Touchstone Center for Crafts also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to its facilities and programming.

(724) 329-1370

All workshop participants must be 18 years or older except where indicated.

Workshops are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Many fill quickly and have wait lists months in advance – don’t wait to register! Registrations for onsite workshops should be made no later than 15 days ahead of the workshop start date so that we can count you when making workshop determinations, ordering materials, etc. Touchstone’s onsite workshop determinations are made 14 days in advance of their scheduled start dates, primarily based on the number of participants registered at that time. Virtual workshop registrations should be made at least 8 days ahead of the session as determinations are made 7 days in advance of the scheduled start time, primarily based on the number of participants registered at that time.

A processing fee of $15 will be added to 1-5 day onsite workshops and community wood firings.

Nonrefundable COVID-19 fees are charged to each participant per onsite workshop: $20/5-day workshop, $15/3-day workshop, and $10/1- & 2-day workshops. These fees help to offset the additional and increased expenses to Touchstone for cleaning, sanitizing, PPE, disposables, and other costs directly related to ensuring health and safety for all. This fee is nonrefundable.

To view a full listing of the Terms and Conditions as part of your enrollment, download the 2022 Participant Guide.

Previous Special Topics Workshops

Weeklong Workshops: JUNE 20 - AUGUST 19

JUN 20-24 | 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
Mosaic Intensive
Instructor: Stevo Sadvary

Beginner/Intermediate
$620 Member | $650 Non-Member

$160-210 Materials and Studio Fees
Materials List​ will be provided.

This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.

Begin your journey into the art of mosaic by creating an 8 x 8 trivet. You will then move on to wall art, a mosaic mirror, a flowerpot, and finally either a house number plaque or a steppingstone. All pieces will be made from stained glass, as it’s more workable than ceramic tile. You will leave this workshop with the knowledge of how to cut and place glass, use various adhesives for indoors and out, and grouting your work.

Stevo Sadvary is a full-time mosaic artist based in Pittsburgh, PA. His talents and experience range from creating very large outdoor murals, pet and people portraits, cityscapes, abstract art, a swimming pool, and everything else in between. He runs a weekly open studio workshop for all levels of students.

Website: stevosphere.com
Instagram: @stevomosaics

JUN 20-24 | 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
Printmaking in the Sun: Large-Scale Printing and Dyeing on Fabric
Instructor: Gretchen Schermerhorn

Beginner/Intermediate
$620 Member | $650 Non-Member

$145-195 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List​

This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.

Have you ever thought about designing and printing your own curtains, fabric, or wallpaper? In this workshop, you will learn various dyeing and printing techniques in creating sumptuous patterned fabric. We will begin the workshop with an introduction to natural and fiber-reactive dyes which will create a varied base color on the fabric. We will then work with both screenprinting and block printing techniques to create rich layers of imagery. Repeat pattern making, working with transparent base, overdyeing and overprinting, and various fabric applications will also be demonstrated and demystified in the workshop.

Gretchen Schermerhorn received her MFA in Printmaking from Arizona State University is currently the Artistic Director at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, an art center dedicated to the contemporary creation of hand printmaking, papermaking, and the art of the book, in Hyattsville, Maryland. Her prints, installations, and works on paper works have been exhibited around the country and internationally. She has received individual artist awards from both the Maryland State Arts Council and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.

Website: gretchenschermerhorn.com
Instagram: @gretchenschermerhorn

JUN 27- JUL 1 | 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
Willow Traditions
Instructor: Jo Campbell-Amsler

All Levels
$620 Member | $650 Non-Member

$90-140 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List​

This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.

In the world of willow, there are an infinite number of basketry techniques to learn and perfect. Rib-style techniques will be the focus for this workshop, following the designs of many centuries-old basket styles. Learn about willow as a basket material, making frames for your baskets, and many of the basic techniques – including a variety of lashings, rib placement, double rims and split ribs – all while perfecting your weaving skills. You will have the opportunity to weave 3-4 willow baskets using the different techniques taught in the class. Hand strength is a must as willow has a strength of its own.

Jo Campbell-Amsler has been using willow in her basketry work since the early 1980s. Jo’s work has been featured in magazines and books and has been in exhibits across the United States. As a teacher of basketry, she has been a co-organizer for several retreats – The Willow Gathering and Willow Weekend. She is a past board member of the National Basketry Organization, which focuses on connecting both traditional and contemporary basket makers across the US and beyond. In recent years, she has hosted a number of basketry tours to the UK, Spain, France, Denmark, and Italy, visiting with basket weavers in those countries and learning new skills with willow and other natural materials.

Website: willowridgebaskets.com
Instagram: @willowridgebaskets

JUL 25-29 | 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
Traditional Yoruba Adire Eleko & Tie-Dye with Indigo
Instructor: Gasali Adeyemo

All Levels
$620 Member | $650 Non-Member

$60-110 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List​

This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.

Learn the traditional Yoruba adire eleko and tie-dye techniques in this workshop with master craftsman Gasali Adeyemo. Experiment with intricate patterns while learning the history and meanings behind the traditional designs. You will learn how to prepare an indigo vat and cassava paste resist. As you dye your finished pieces in deep blue, you will learn the importance and history of indigo dye in the Yoruba culture.

Gasali Adeyemo is the third born of five from the small village of Ofatedo, located in Nigeria, where his mother was his first and most important teacher in learning the traditional arts of the Yoruba Tribe. After six years studying at the Nike Center for Arts and Culture, Gasali was able to begin exhibiting his work outside of Nigeria. Since then, he has been traveling the world conducting workshops and exhibitions, sharing the arts and culture of the Yoruba people. Most recently, he has taught workshops at the Aya Fiber Studio, the Mendocino Art Center, and John Campbell Folk School.

Website: yorubaindigo.com
Instagram: @yoruba_indigo

AUG 8-12 | 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
Shibori Transformations
Instructor: Janice Patrignani

All Levels
$620 Member | $650 Non-Member

$100-150 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List​

This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.

Dyeing to discover a new skill? Immerse yourself in Shibori, the ancient Japanese fiber art of resist-dyeing using techniques such as stitching, binding, folding, clamping, and wrapping. Explore how glorious color, texture, and design can be achieved on silk. Using Shibori methods you will pattern, dye, and discharge with fiber-reactive and acid dyes. You will also learn how to make an indigo vat and explore the results of Shibori techniques on cotton. Your indigo-dyed fabrics will then be used to cover books/journals that we will create using Japanese binding techniques.

Janice Patrignani is a design professional, visual artist, and art educator in New York. She develops and customizes teaching programs for many types of media, including watercolor, acrylic, and silk painting; fiber arts; mosaic murals; bookmaking; paper transformations, encaustic wax, and clay. Janice thrives on sharing her visual arts expertise to engage and inspire her students to partake in the healing aspects of the creative process. Both her sculptural work and her community-based projects have been exhibited throughout the tristate area.

Website: jpsculpt.com

AUG 15-19| 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
The Art and Craft of Metal Mesh Sculpture and Basketry
Instructor: Lanny Bergner

All Levels
$620 Member | $650 Non-Member

$95-145 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List​

This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.

Create biomorphic and geometric sculptural constructions out of metal mesh! You will discover the myriad of form making possibilities by manipulating, cutting, and connecting stainless steel, aluminum and brass mesh. You will also explore the world of flame painting by using a propane and butane torch to “paint” on stainless steel mesh. The techniques covered in this workshop include wire wrapping, edging techniques, and how to incorporate silicone caulk and glass frit into your meshwork designs.

Lanny Bergner is a mixed-media sculptor and metal mesh basketry artist. He received his BFA in sculpture from the University of Washington in 1981 and an MFA in sculpture from Temple University in 1983. His work has been exhibited in numerous museum collections around the world, including the Central Museum of Textile in Łódź, Poland. In 2005 he won a Gold Prize at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in Cheongju, Korea and was invited to create an installation at the 2007 Cheongju Biennale. His work was included in the 2017 book Artistry in Fiber: Sculpture. He maintains a studio on Fidalgo Island near Anacortes, WA.

Website: lannybergner.com

AUG 15-19| 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
Transformations in Paper – A Workshop for Veterans
Instructor: Frontline Arts

No Experience Necessary

A limited number of spaces available
$35 Materials and Studio Fees
Please check back for Materials List​

This workshop is being rescheduled for 2023.

FREE FOR VETERANS, CAREGIVERS, AND ADULT FAMILY MEMBERS. Veterans scholarship applications are still being accepted for any of our weekend or weeklong workshops.

Click to download the Veterans' Scholarship Application

or call 724-329-1370 for more information on how to apply.

Veterans, caregivers, and family members are invited to join this unique workshop and learn traditional hand paper making techniques, transforming military uniforms into paper as a means for sharing stories and building community. This 5-day workshop begins with an overview and explanation of the papermaking process, seeing and feeling examples of the paper and previous art made, and beginning the process of ‘deconstructing’ the uniform. You will begin to form an idea of what you might like to put on the paper, in the form of images and words and move on to pulling sheets of paper, making pulp prints, drying the paper, and making art. The art made can and will range from pulp prints, letterpress, writing, and bookbinding. Whether the blank paper or a created image on the surface, each work of art tells a story through the language of papermaking. Uniforms, pulp, and paper with be provided but it is encouraged that the veterans attending, if they have them, bring uniforms of their own to transform into paper. It’s a powerful experience turning the uniform you wore into paper. No experience necessary – just a willingness to explore something new in a supportive environment! Provided for veterans and taught by veterans.

Frontline Paper began in 2011 as Combat Paper NJ. CPNJ was founded by veteran artists and activists, Eli Wright and David Keefe. With inspiration from master papermaker Drew Mattot, and Drew Cameron’s traveling project called Combat Paper  Project, Eli and Dave built a unique community-oriented papermaking program that connects veterans and non-veterans from all eras through the transformational  practice of making handmade paper from military uniforms, creative writing, and  printmaking via the profound connection over making and telling stories together.  Through a process of deconstruction, reclamation, and communication, Veterans connect with non-veterans, by sharing their personal stories through handmade paper, printmaking, and participatory artmaking. Combat Paper NJ became Frontline Paper in 2017. 

Website: frontlinearts.org
Instagram: @frontlineartsstudio

Watch the video below to learn more about this workshop.

Videographer: Alex Byers

(724) 329-1370

All workshop participants must be 18 years or older except where indicated.

Workshops are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Many fill quickly and have wait lists months in advance – don’t wait to register! Registrations for onsite workshops should be made no later than 15 days ahead of the workshop start date so that we can count you when making workshop determinations, ordering materials, etc. Touchstone’s onsite workshop determinations are made 14 days in advance of their scheduled start dates, primarily based on the number of participants registered at that time. Virtual workshop registrations should be made at least 8 days ahead of the session as determinations are made 7 days in advance of the scheduled start time, primarily based on the number of participants registered at that time.

A processing fee of $15 will be added to 1-5 day onsite workshops and community wood firings.

Nonrefundable COVID-19 fees are charged to each participant per onsite workshop: $20/5-day workshop, $15/3-day workshop, and $10/1- & 2-day workshops. These fees help to offset the additional and increased expenses to Touchstone for cleaning, sanitizing, PPE, disposables, and other costs directly related to ensuring health and safety for all. This fee is nonrefundable.

To view a full listing of the Terms and Conditions as part of your enrollment, download the 2022 Participant Guide.