Companion craft room registration is CLOSED.

Companion Program

Do you have a non-turner spouse, partner or adult guest who is interested in participating in activities while you attend symposium rotations and demonstrations? They can register for AAW's Companion Program classes.

Class sizes are limited so preregistration is required by June 7th.

After you have completed the registration you will receive a confirmation the form has been submitted.

You will receive a second email to confirm your registration in the class.

As classes fill we will start a waiting list.

Materials fees are payable at the time of each class to the instructor.

Thank you to Pittsburgh's own Contemporary Craft for organizing these fantastic workshops. Presenting contemporary art in craft media, Contemporary Craft offers cutting edge exhibitions focused on multicultural diversity and nonmainstream art, alongside Studio workshops and a retail store. Learn more.

Preregister (recommended) at the bottom of this page

Rotation Descriptions


Friday, June 26th
Rotation 1: 8:40 to 10:10am FULL*Textured Metal Jewelry We’ll be exploring techniques such as stamping and hammering to create textured patterns. Bring together different metal hues and a variety of dynamic textures to fabricate your own personalized jewelry. This class is limited to 10 people. Materials fee $10.Additional registrants will be placed on the waiting list. Instructor: Melissa Frost -* Melissa is owner and designer of Frost Finery, a jewelry studio in Pittsburgh that creates hand crafted, modern daily-wear jewelry. She hones here skills and processes, such as hand forging, etching, and powder-coating through the Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and TechShop.	Rotation 2: 11:00am - 12:30pm FULL*Textured Metal Jewelry Handmade Lotion and Soap Demo This workshop will consist of two demonstrations that introduce the process of lotion and soap making. The first demo will be a natural lotion bar, which each student will receive a sample of to take home. The second demo will be making cold processed soap. This class is limited to 20 people. Materials fee $4 (fee covers lotion bar sample to take home). Additional registrants will be placed on the waiting list. Instructor: Lori Chandler -* Actively creative is a theme in Lori’s life. Whether using her master’s degree in education by developing classes or producing premium products for her business, Ashgrove Soap and Sundries, she pursues a variety of creative arts. She uses her experience to offer classes locally, as well as participate as a vendor in well-known regional events.


Rotation 3: 2:00 to 3:30pm FULL* Intro to Enameling Experiment with vitreous enamel and copper for an afternoon and emerge from class with earrings, pendants or keychains. Learn how to apply designs with basic dry-sifted stencil and sgraffito techniques, how to fire with a torch or kiln, and how to turn your samples into ready to wear jewelry. This class is limited to 12 people. Materials fee $10. Additional registrants will be placed on the waiting list. Instructor: Lindsay Huff* - Lindsay is a Pittsburgh metalsmith, artist, enamellist, and educator. She holds a BFA with Honors in Metalsmithing from Syracuse University. She sells work as Huffalo, creating production and custom pieces for Etsy customers worldwide and regional galleries and fairs. She has taught Metalsmithing since 2008.	Rotation 4: 3:50 to 5:20pm Polymer Clay Inclusions in Turned Wood Laura has been teaching polymer clay nationally and internationally since 2005. She is an award winning studio artist and teacher, whose work has been shown in galleries and exhibitions nationally and internationally, as well as in several publications. This class is limited to 20 people.Materials fee: Free demonstration Instructor: Laura Tabakman - Laura's current work integrates her fiber, photography and polymer clay interests into jewelry, digital printing and three-dimensional mixed-media sculptures and installations. She has been teaching polymer clay nationally and internationally since 2005. Laura is an award winning studio artist and teacher, whose work has been shown in galleries and exhibitions nationally and internationally, as well as in several publications.

Saturday, June 27th
FULL* Rotation 5: 8:00 to 9:30am Paper from Weeds Make paper with invasive and destructive weeds from the Northeast! Students will use plants collected from vacant lots that have been deconstructed and transformed into a blended pulp. The workshop focuses on texture, natural color, and the unpredictability of the wet pulp as it morphs into paper. This class is limited to 15 people. Materials fee $10.Additional registrants will be placed on the waiting list. Instructor: Albert Pantone* - Albert harvests Japanese knotweed, mugwort, English ivy and neglected ornamental grasses without any fear of depleting these species. What inspires him is how through the paper making process, he can deconstruct, transform and liberate these aggressive, stubborn, and nearly possible to eliminate plants and then tame them into a delicate and fragile sheet of paper.	Rotation 6: 10:30am to 12:00noon Society for Contemporary Craft Tour Join Society for Contemporary Craft for a tour of their facility located in Pittsburgh’s historic Strip district. View the current exhibition, Bridge 13, browse handmade goods in their store and learn about their Studio programs and work spaces, then adjourn to the Strip for lunch! SCC Tour no charge. You pay for your lunch.

Saturday, June 27th
FULL* Rotation 7: 1:30 to 3:00pm Assemblage Jewelry We will begin with a conversation about assemblage techniques in jewelry making. Students will then combine laser cut wood and found materials to create a unique wearable. This class is limited to 20 people. Materials fee $8. Additional registrants will be placed on the waiting list. Instructor: Gerry Florida* - Gerry is an assemblage artist and professional “imperfectionist”. Her work carries underlying themes of rebirth, recovery and reclamation through an array of salvaged and recycled materials that she employs in her art. She teaches symbolically through art, helping students to mobilize ideas, experiences and material resources.	FULL* Rotation 8: 4:00 to 5:30pm Mug Rugs: Found Fiber Weaving Want to weave and don’t own a loom? Join me in weaving a rustic mug-rug with everyday objects that can be found around the house. Students will receive instruction and a weaving kit to create a 4”x4” mug rug. Create a treasure that will make you smile when you sit down to savor your favorite cup of coffee or tea! This class is limited to 20 people. Materials fee $7. Additional registrants will be placed on the waiting list. Instructor: Leigh Koegler* - Leigh is an independent yarn dyer and weaver living north of Pittsburgh. Drawn to the Japanese style of Saori weaving, Leigh’s work is free from the expectations of conventional weaving and embraces natural creativity: the Saori philosophy of creating “beauty with lack of intention”. Her bodies of work are woven with reclaimed fibers, recycled sweaters, hand dyed and hand spun yarns. If she isn’t up to her elbows in the dye pots, knitting, or behind a loom, you’ll find her outside gardening on her suburban homestead. Visit her at wrenhouseyarns.com

Sunday, June 28th
Rotation 9: 8:00 to 9:30am Society for Contemporary Craft Tour Join Society for Contemporary Craft for tour of their facility. Join SCC staff for a tour of our unique facility, located in Pittsburgh’s historic Strip district. View the current exhibition, Bridge 13, browse handmade goods in their store and learn about their Studio programs and work spaces, then adjourn to the Strip to explore! SCC Tour no charge.	Rotation 10: 11:00am to 12:30pm Wire Crochet Bracelets A unique bracelet will be created using basic crochet stitches, a natural dyed stone, silver plated copper wire and leather cord. Following basic instructions, each student will be guided in the design of their own individual piece. Previous crochet experience is helpful. Optional: Bring your own stones or beads to be incorporated into the design. This class will be limited to 15 people. Materials fee $13. Instructor: Judith Gentile - Judith is a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, holding an associates degree in fashion illustration. She is a member of the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh and Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, Gentile teaches and sells wire crochet throughout the region. In addition to wire crochet work, is a practicing and teaching watercolor artist, and will be exhibiting her work at Gallery Space in Monroeville this November.