Art Lab: Unexpected Mediums

2 Day Wire + Gesso Sculpture Class

Thursday, September 17 & Thursday, September 24 | 6:00 PM each evening

Feat of Clay Artists' Co-op | 222 N Main Ave, Aztec, NM 87410

Difficulty | Moderate: Recommended for grade 8 and up. Younger makers are welcome with adult help; if they create their own sculpture, they will need their own ticket and may require hands-on assistance from their accompanying adult.

$45 per person | One ticket includes both sessions and all materials

Pre-registration is required. Registration closes 2 days before the workshop so materials can be prepared for each participant.

Nylon. Wire. Gesso. Somehow, Sculpture.

You are going to start with a pile of materials that do not look remotely like finished art. That's the point. Over two evenings, we'll bend wire, stretch nylon, build shape and movement, coat everything in gesso, and come back after it dries to turn it into a finished sculpture with paint and personality.

This month's Art Lab theme is Unexpected Mediums: taking ordinary, overlooked, or just plain weird materials and seeing what they can become when you stop using them the way they were intended.

What You'll Create

A one-of-a-kind freestanding sculpture built from a wire armature, stretched nylon, gesso, a wooden base, and paint. Abstract, organic, strange, elegant, dramatic—where it goes is completely up to you.

What You'll Learn

• How to build a simple wire armature that holds its shape

• How tension and stretched fabric can create curves, movement, and dimension

• How gesso transforms a flexible surface into something ready for paint

• How to use color and finishing details to push a sculpture in your own direction

What's Included

• All materials and supplies for one sculpture

• Wire, nylon, gesso, wooden base, paint, and finishing materials

• Step-by-step guidance through both workshop sessions

• Plenty of room to experiment instead of trying to make the exact same thing as everyone else

Perfect For

• Adults and teens who want to try sculpture without needing sculpting experience

• Curious makers who like unusual materials and hands-on experiments

• Artists who want permission to make something a little weird

• Parents and younger makers who want to create together

• Anyone who has ever looked at a random object and thought, “I could make something out of that.”

Reserve Your Spot

This is one two-part workshop, not two separate classes. Your $45 ticket covers both September 17 and September 24. We will build and gesso during the first session, then give the sculpture time to dry before coming back the following week to paint and finish it.

Each person creating their own sculpture needs a ticket. Younger participants who want to work on the same sculpture as their adult may share the project at no additional cost.

Hosted in partnership with Feat of Clay Artists' Co-op—a pretty perfect place to get a little experimental with art materials.

A huge thank you to Feat of Clay Artists' Co-op for opening their space to Rusted Rose Art Lab and giving us a place to experiment, create, and make a little artistic mess together.

While you're there, take some time to check out their upcoming events, explore the work of local artists, and maybe take home a piece you love. Supporting local art helps keep creative spaces like this thriving in our community.