Cosanti Originals recently introduced tile-making as a new workshop for the community to enjoy as an afternoon hands-on activity.
Offering a family-friendly learning experience, The Cosanti Foundation is offering an inside look at how the popular ceramic tiles are made, giving Cosanti visitors a chance to create tiles of their own.
The workshop
The workshop is led by ceramicist C.J. Milewski, who has been making tiles for the last two years and will guide participants from start to finish.
Upon arrival, participants will take a guided one-hour tour from Workshop Coordinator Taylor Morgan who will lead visitors past the employee-only signage to get a deeper understanding of life at Cosanti.
Following the tour, participants will watch a demonstration from Milewski before drawing out their own impressions and designs on a sheet of paper. Using wooden tools, participants will imprint their designs into the rounded clay tiles using a unique process developed by Cosanti Originals that involves mixing clay and water.
“This is kind of a process of learning by doing,” Milewski said, who will be roving around, answering questions and helping participants through their impressions.
Before their departure, participants will choose a color from the test sample tiles and their work is done.
Once the tiles are ready for glazing, Milewski will place the tiles in a kiln at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours.
After a few days of cooling, the tiles will then be colored and sent to the artists once complete.
The process of glazing, coloring and finalizing the tiles takes anywhere from two to four weeks, Milewski says.
“I make their tiles look exactly as they want and I ship them right to their home,” she said.
For children present, Milewski is creating a scavenger hunt for the tour portion of the workshop before they get their hands dirty in the clay.
“During the tour, which may be something they’re not old enough to really appreciate yet, they can start getting an appreciation for it with an interactive game while they walk around,” Milewski said.
The artist
A former educator teaching at elementary and middle schools from Chicago to Avondale, Milewski happened upon Cosanti through a serendipitous meeting with a bronze pourer for Cosanti’s famous burnished bells.
“He said, ‘Come in and take a tour,’” recalled Milewski. “I went in, took a tour and I just asked the ceramicist if she needed help and two months later I got a job.”
Needing a mental break from her five years of teaching, Milewski says working at Cosanti has helped her slow down and enjoy the present.
“I feel like everyone should be able to learn something that isn’t always presented as an opportunity for them,” Milewski said. “Growing up, I was always trying to find the right path and so it was easy to skip over these really small, cool skills that can be built up along the way.”
When she’s not making ceramics, Milewski listens to podcasts, enjoys writing and being outdoors. Most of all, she enjoys learning new artistic mediums while making people happy.
“I feel like this is a really good opportunity for people to slow down, relax and practice something that’s been going on since the dawn of time,” she said. “This is an ancient artwork, it’s tile-making and its functional art.”
Upcoming tile-making workshops are Saturdays, April 6, May 4 and June 8.
The cost is $125 per person and workshops are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Cosanti is located at 6433 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd. in Paradise Valley.
For more information about hands-on workshops and experiences, send an email to workshop@arcosanti.org or visit arcosanti.org/workshops.
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