Candlestick Making

Master Ceramicist Linda Huey Teaches Candlestick Making Workshop at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art

October 24, 2003

"Candlestick holders are not only a great gift for the winter holidays, but are also an opportunity for creative and sculptural experimentation since they can be almost any form or shape as long as they can hold a candle," says Master Ceramicist Linda Huey. Huey will bring her ceramic expertise to the Rockwell Museum of Western Art when she presents "Candlestick Making" a two-evening workshop on November 5 and November 12 from 6 pm to 9 pm.

Huey is a studio artist who maintains homes and studio space in Alfred Station and Boston. "It was my dream to live in the country and the city," says Huey, who earned a Master's in Ceramic Art from Alfred University in 1993. "My work is definitely inspired by nature, which is why I love it in Alfred. I want to live surrounded by woods and fields." At the same time, Huey cares deeply about the artists' community she worked to develop in Boston 20 years ago. Consequently, she maintains strong ties to both locations, teaching, working and exhibiting in her two homes.

Huey also enjoys teaching at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art. She finds the same sense of community in Corning and around the Rockwell Museum that she experienced in Alfred. "The museum is a wonderful community-based amenity that really contributes to the culture of the town. Teaching and doing ceramics is an important part of that."

In the "Candlestick Making Workshop" techniques and designs will be demonstrated from a simple clean form to more elaborate candelabras or menorahs. The first class on Wednesday, November 5 will be dedicated to handbuilding techniques to make the candlestick from clay and the second class on Wednesday, November 12 will focus glazing the candlestick. All final products will be fired at the museum and available for class participants to pick up 10 days after the workshop.

The workshop is for beginners and more advanced ceramicists. Huey strives to present an experience that's both fun and satisfying for students of all skill levels. Her workshops are introductory in focus, but offer challenges for non-beginners as well. "There's always a new project or a new technique you haven't tried before," she says.

For more information on Huey's upcoming "Candlestick Making Workshop," contact the Rockwell Museum of Western Art by calling (607) 974-2333, or emailing info@rockwellmuseum.org.