APF: Conference

All I need is a good workshop and fried butter.

Conference Scholarships and Discounts Available

• 100% scholarship available to BIPOC attendees

• 50% scholarship available to any who identify as experiencing financial need

• NCC Members receive $10 discount

• K-12 through post-secondary students and educators receive a 50% discount (reflected in the pricing below).

Artist Lectures

FREE like a grandstand giveaway!

Each day, we’ll set aside time to listen to some of this year’s dazzling APF guest artists. All lectures will take place in NCC’s library and via Zoom and are listed in Central Time.

Saturday, September 9

11:30 am Chris Alveshere

1:30 pm Shikha Joshi

2:30 pm Studio Touya

3:30 pm Michaela Bromberek

4:30 pm S.C. Rolf

Sunday, September 10

11:30 am Bianka Groves

12:30 pm Lee Love

1:30 pm Kristina Batiste

PRE-FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS

The gates are now open!

The tradition of offering dynamic, pre-festival educational opportunities with a dizzying cast of artists continues in 2023. We offer all of our workshops with either in-person or virtual options.

Studio Touya: Hitomi Shibata & Takuro Shibata

Trolley Rides: Guided Tours in Slab Plates and Brushwork

Why walk when you can take the state fair trolley to the front gates? The same can be said for learning new and exciting construction and decorating techniques for your pottery! Take a ride with the dynamic duo, Hitomi Shibata and Takuro Shibata, that makes up Studio Touya in this hands-on workshop where you’ll be using natural and locally-sourced clay as slips to explore the art of slab work. Accelerate your plate making with guided examples on preparing slabs and creating plates as big as funnel cakes. The state fair trolley is only as good as its decoration, and the same can be said for your new slab plates. Ride along as the Shibatas navigate the decoration of your pottery with skilled brushwork techniques. By the end of this trip, you’ll receive directions on selecting and testing the local materials for your project that will make your pots as fun as a weekend at the fair. By the end of the workshop, you'll be safely delivered to the main gates and ready for what a weekend at APF has to offer!

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced potter, this workshop is a fantastic opportunity to learn new techniques and experiment with new, and locally-sourced, materials.

Thursday, September 7, 12 – 4 pm CT

Fees: $80 In-person workshop

$40 In-person for students and educators

$40 Virtual content only

Didem Mert & Kim Murton

The Mighty Midway: A Form, Illustration, and Color Cacophony Witness the cooler-than-a-snowcone pottery from the minds of Didem Mert and Kim Murton. Step right up, and test your skill and technique as you create a mug or other drinking vessel, and a planter or utensil holder under the direction of these two fabulous makers. Mert will demonstrate the making of slab-built drinking vessels using their veneering technique that employs multiple-colored clay bodies to create a terrazzo-like surface effect. Murton will guide your creations with various clay elements that create facial features sure to put a grin on your own face! Participants will use AMACO underglazes, Murton’s “house” slips, and Mert’s stencils to create resist surface decorations with beautiful visual noise!

Friday, September 8, 12 – 4 pm CT

Fees: $80 In-person workshop

$40 In-person for students and educators

$40 Virtual content only