Ceramic Pottery Pre-College Summer Program

Program Dates: June 14-19, 2026 or June 21-26, 2026
Cost: $1,680 (includes lodging, meals, course materials, activities, and excursions)
Eligibility: Open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Housing & Dining: Students reside in campus residence hall and dine in campus dining hall
Deposit & Payment: A $500 deposit is required at registration, with the remaining balance due by May 1, 2026. After that date, full payment is required upon registration. Click here to view our cancellation policy.
Enrollment: Open until all spaces are filled
Registration: Registration is through the Camp Doc platform. Detailed step-by-step registration instructions are available here.

Clay Arts Workshop: Build, Carve, and Bring Your Work Home

Looking for a summer art program for high school students that combines creativity, hands-on learning, and a true college experience? Our Ceramic Pottery Pre-College Summer Program offers rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors an immersive residential summer program where they can explore ceramics, develop technical skills, and experience life on a college campus.

This program is perfect for any student who loves art and creating, whether they are interested in developing skills, exploring new techniques, or simply enjoying a week of hands-on artistic expression.

Our immersive ceramics studio program combines artistic expression and technical skill. Students will:

Learn wheel-throwing techniques
Build vessels using coil construction
Form plates and shallow bowls with slab techniques
Paint and layer underglazes for depth and surface design
Fire and program an electric kiln
Explore how clay is used in both art and industry

Students leave with finished pottery pieces and new skills they can continue developing at home or in advanced art classes.

Program Topics
Sample Schedule
Register Here

Program Topics

Clay and how it is used to make pottery
The properties of clay and why we can use it to make sculpture and pottery
Clay and it uses in industries
Firing and Programing an electric kiln
How to layer underglazes to create depth at a low temperature

Hands on Learning

Learn to make wheel thrown pottery
Create a coil vessel
Make slab plates
Tour a ceramic studio and a production studio

Sample Schedule:

Morning	8 a.m. – Breakfast 9 a.m. – Wheel thrown pottery 12 p.m. – Lunch & free time
Afternoon	1 p.m. – Firing and programing an electric kiln
Evening	5 p.m. – Dinner 6:30 p.m. – Activities / Recreation / Free Time Options could include: sand volleyball, Asheville Tourists game, game night, movie 11 p.m. – Lights out

Topics and schedules are subject to change

If you’re searching for a residential summer art program for high school students, a ceramics workshop for teens, or a pre-college summer program in art, this program offers the perfect combination of hands-on learning, creative growth, and a safe college experience, ideal for any student who loves making art.

Meet Your Faculty

Louise Deroualle teaches ceramics in the the Art department and UNC Asheville. Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Louise moved to the U.S. in 2013 to pursue a Master’s degree in Ceramics at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Louise is an artist and exhibits her artwork nationally. She has been awarded competitive residencies and fellowships, including the Roswell Artist-in-Residency and The Aspen Art Museum Fellowship.

louisederoualle.com

Questions? Please contact us at precollege@unca.edu.

Ceramic Pottery Pre-College Summer Program