7, 14, 21, 28 October – 4, 11, 18, 25 November 2026.
The first 4 sessions will be devoted to familiarising participants with the material and its main techniques of kneading, modelling and construction. This block will also cover the creation of plaster moulds for casting liquid slip.
The final 4 sessions will focus on understanding different types of materials for finishing or glazing the pieces (glazes, engobes and terra sigillata), as well as various methods of applying them.
This course is aimed at any artist with an interest in this medium, regardless of whether they have previous experience with it or not. The aim of the course is to introduce participants to and help them understand clay as a material, a language and a tool for contemporary expression.
COURSE DETAILS
Title: Clay, shape, glaze and firing
By: Mar de Dios
Venue: BilbaoArte (Urazurrutia, 32). Glass Courtyard and Sculpture Workshop
Dates: 8 sessions, every Wednesday in October and November
Timetable: 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Places: 10 people
Price: €150 (standard rate) – €75 (reduced rate for artists and BilbaoArte users) – Free for artists in residence
Aimed at: Artists who can demonstrate a professional track record (previous experience in ceramics is not required). Experience in a field related to sculpture will be an advantage.
Registration deadline: until 16 September
How to register: Please complete the registration form and attach a portfolio of previous work via bilbaoarte@bilbao.eus (stating ‘Mar de Dios course’ in the subject line). Selection will be carried out by the artist and the sculpture workshop tutor.
Mar de Dios
Mar de Dios (Barakaldo, 1992) holds a degree in Art (UPV/EHU), a Master’s degree in Art and Creative Research (Complutense University of Madrid) and a Master’s degree in Ceramics (UPV/EHU). Her most recent exhibitions include the group show *Artes de la Tierra* at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (2025), *Espejo de agua y flores* in Montehermoso, Vitoria-Gasteiz (2025), *Kore* at the CarrerasMúgica gallery (2024), the exhibition held at Filet Space, London (together with Natalia Suárez, 2023), *Batzuk* at Tabakalera, Donostia-San Sebastián (2022), *Kata* at AldamaFabre, Bilbao (2021), and the group exhibition *Open to Art*, Milan (2019). She has taken part in fairs such as the Salone del Mobile in Milan and the ARCO fairs in Lisbon and Madrid, with the CarrerasMúgica gallery. In 2023, she published the book *Home, Casa, Hasiera* in collaboration with Peio Aguirre and his publishing house COOP, featuring texts by Peio Aguirre, Pilar Blanco and Estrella de Diego. In 2026, her work was acquired by the Permanent Collection of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and in 2025 by the Shared Collection of the Bellas Artes Bilbao, Artium and Tabakalera. She has been an artist-in-residence at the IDPool programme in Vista Alegre, Portugal (2018) and the Koganecho Artist Residency in Yokohama, Japan (2023).
INSTAGRAM: @mar.de.dios
