July 11-12, 2026 “Engineering The Large Vessel” w/ Tori Motyl-2 Day Demonstration Workshop
Dates: July 11-12, 2026
Days: Sat-Sun
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
Fee: $195 per person
In stock
We are thrilled to host our own, Tori Motyl, a fearless and amazingly skilled potter!
Tori returns home to The Village Potters Clay Center for an exciting two-day demonstration devoted to the art and thrill of Making Really, Really Big Pots. A former graduate and apprentice of our Advanced Studies Program and staff instructor, this is where Tori first began throwing bigger, and now she’s coming home to share just how far that journey has taken her. Now based in Vermont, Tori brings her latest skills, refined techniques, and new perspectives she has gleaned from her life and work in Vermont, her studio home.
In this demonstration workshop Tori will challenge your thinking about the vessel as an architectural structure and the clay as our building material. Over two days Tori will build a vessel from start to finish while covering topics including:
● How to plan and prepare for a large vessel while taking into consideration the structural integrity of your design
● How to build a pot on the wheel wider than you can throw
● How to design pots taller than your kiln
● How to incorporate new technologies like CAD and CNC machining to execute more exact designs
There will be ample time to ask questions and gain information that will help you customize what you learn for your own work and studio practice, or just enjoy the mind blowing demonstration.
After a season working with renowned large-work potter Steven Proctor, Tori has developed a confident, grounded, and safe approach to large-scale throwing. She’ll generously share her process, problem-solving strategies, and the determination it takes to bring really, really big pots into being.
Tori’s work has also caught the attention of Ralph Lauren, with a commission of her large, colorful vessels featured as centerpieces in recent retail displays, proof that big pots can make a big impact.
Whether or not you ever plan to throw at this scale, these two days promise to be pure magic: watching Tori build a monumental vessel, approximately 32" wide x 44" tall, while sharing stories, insights, and her deep love of clay. We’ll break bread together sharing lunch each day, and soak up the energy that only a generous, passionate maker like Tori can bring.
Let’s give Tori the warmest welcome home and join her as she shares her amazing techniques and her love for big pots with us, her community.
Accommodation Recommendations:
Discounted Rates for the brand New Country Inn and Suites by Radisson at Westgate. Limited number of rooms available at this rate. Just steps away from The Village Potters: CLICK HERE
More accommodations:
Cancellation Policy
Student Cancellation
- Cancellation up to 45 days prior to the start of the workshop, students have the option to transfer their registration to a different workshop that has spaces available, receive a credit equal to the value of the workshop to use for a future workshop or class within a year, or receive a refund (minus a $75 administrative fee).
- Cancellation within 45-30 days to the start of the workshop, students will receive no refund, but will have the option to transfer their registration to a different workshop that has spaces available, or receive a credit equal to the value of the workshop to use for a future workshop or class within a year.
- Cancellation within 30-0 days of the start of the workshop, students will receive no refund and are ineligible for registration transfer.
*Whenever possible, The Village Potters Clay Center will attempt to fill a canceled registration spot with a student from the waitlist. If the vacancy is successfully filled, the initial registrant will then have the option of a refund (minus a $75 administrative fee).
The Village Potters Clay Center Cancellation
- In the rare event that a class is canceled by The Village Potters Clay Center, students will be given the option of transferring their registration to a different or future workshop, receive