Summer Onggi Masterclass

June 23 - July 5, 2026 Learn the rare art of making Onggi, a unique discipline for making large jars and forms. We are proud to be able to provide a rare opportunity to learn onggi first-hand from an expert in Korea with English translation. Born out of necessity, onggi jars were developed thousands of years ago on the Korean peninsula for food fermentation, storage and other practical uses. These iconic large jars are still used by Korean people today. Both the monumental jars and the efficient techniques used to build them are a living art. You will have access to traditional wooden tools to use during the course, and taught Korean onggi-making techniques, including: - forming slabs, discs and coils by hand using the taryeom (타렴) and ba-dak (바닥) techniques; - building high walls of clay quickly and evenly through taryeom-jil (타렴질); - surae-jil (수레질) paddling and geun-gae-jil (근게질) throwing with metal blades; - throwing the rim using the jeon-dae (전대) and finishing your jar with traditional decorations (문양). Over 12 days, students will each have an assigned station inside Toroo Studio, with access to unlimited clay and all necessary equipment for making. Instruction by Teacher Kwak Kyung Tae is simultaneously translated from Korean into English, with additional teaching also provided in English. Each student will be provided accommodation in Ye's Park within walking distance of the studio. The village in which the studio is located is full of ceramic artists and their studios. **Please note: Check in between 3pm - 5pm on June 23 (plan to arrive at Ye's Park at this time). We will have dinner together following residents’ arrival. We will provide lunch and dinner each day, and students will have access to Toroo Studio's kitchen where you can prepare your breakfast. We will provide staple groceries as well as coffee and tea. Instruction will start on June 24. Teaching begins each day at 9:30am. Lunch will be provided at around 1pm. Afternoon instruction and practice will be from 2:30pm until 5:30pm clean-up. Our last dinner together will be on the evening of July 4. Checkout is at 11am on July 5 (plan to leave our studio at this time). Please indicate any dietary restrictions during the registration process. We look forward to welcoming you!