109 First Avenue North
Traditional (ceramic) Syrian Water Vessels Workshop w/Leila Piazza. 3-6p. $110.
Learn to hand-build and decorate an “ibreeq,” a traditional Syrian water vessel with handle and spout. We will use coiling and joining techniques to create our vessels, then return on day two to carve out decorations. This is an all-levels class that will cover several pottery techniques as well as some background about Syrian pottery design and decoration. Bring any hand tools you like (especially for carving), but there will also be a selection of tools provided.
Bio – Leila Piazza is a Syrian American writer, potter, and chef. She is dedicated to preserving Syrian culture and history through writing, pottery, cooking, and music. Her pottery work encompasses a wide variety of techniques, including throwing, slab building, and coiling. She focuses on functional pottery, with an emphasis on forms, styles, and decorations unique to her culture, from ancient and modern times, including Islamic calligraphy and traditional sgraffito (carving) decoration and glaze work. When she’s not making pottery, Leila is writing about Syrian American experiences, working on a play, improving her guitar playing, cooking for friends and family, and gathering old stories from her parents’ youth.