Workshop: Building Home through Clay with Z Kaplan

Description

Join artist-in-residence Z Kaplan for a hands-on clay workshop on Saturday, May 11th from 12 – 2:30 pm under a picnic shelter at Sylvan Park. During this workshop, members of the Lanesboro community will be led through exercises in clay while diving into what it means to be present and actively build home where we are while navigating our ongoing relationships to ourselves, others and place. The workshop will center on the value of doikayt (Yiddish meaning “hereness”).

The goal of this Building Home Through Clay Workshop will be to support community members through connecting with the earth, clay, diverse tactile experiences and community conversations. All ages and experience levels are welcome! Wear clothes you are prepared to get messy. Pieces made in the workshop will be available to pick up at the Lanesboro Arts Gallery during normal business hours after May 23rd. The gallery is open Wednesday – Saturday,  10 am – 5 pm.

In the event of rain, the Building Home through Clay Workshop will take place on the St. Mane Theatre Stage.

About Z Kaplan

Z Kaplan (they/them) is a queer, trans, Jewish ceramic artist based in Minneapolis. As a community-oriented person who works for the betterment of their world through organizing and takes on the role of a teacher in various contexts, they are motivated by bringing joy, justice, and comfort to others. Recently, Z has been incorporating their value of doikayt, Yiddish meaning “hereness,” to invoke pieces that connect to their roots and to others in a way that explores desires for grounding and play in a reality that is deeply diasporic.

Their work is primarily created through atmospheric firings – soda and wood firings. In these firings, the end result of the pieces is unpredictable, because the pieces become vulnerable to their atmosphere. In highlighting the unpredictable nature within the habitual, Z is able to create work that reflects the unpredictability of building a home far away from their ancestors. Z’s recent creative and organizing work aims to re-imagine Jewish ritual objects in order to support their community in becoming agents in their own traditions. As Z explores new techniques and firing methods, they plan to continue to offer recipes toward home-building.

About the Residency

Z will lead members of the Lanesboro community through exercises in clay, while diving into what it means to be present and actively build home where we are while navigating our ongoing relationships to ourselves, others, and place. Z’s residency project expands an ongoing Jewish community art initiative that aims to honor ancestry, the complicated reality of living in diaspora, and building home right where you are. The goal of the project will be to reflect the community members’ lives through connecting with the earth, clay, diverse tactile experiences, and community conversations.

Learn more about Z and their residency by clicking here.

The Lanesboro Artist Residency Program is supported by the Jerome Foundation.