Berkshire Art Center Announces Ceramics Apprenticeship with Railroad Street Youth Project

Berkshire Art Center (formerly IS183 Art School) is excited to announce a collaboration with the Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP) for a Ceramics Apprenticeship led by Ceramics Studio Manager, Lorimer Burns, and Studio Technician, Hunter Cady.

The Ceramics Apprenticeship hosted by RSYP will occur at Berkshire Art Center’s flagship location, Citizens’ Hall, in Stockbridge for five weeks on Mondays beginning November 14 through December 12 from 3 to 5 p.m. for a group of students ages 14 to 25 years old. 

“We are always excited to welcome high schoolers and young adult artists into the Ceramics Studio at Berkshire Art Center,” said Burns. “They bring such a fresh perspective and creativity to pottery and we are really looking forward to the apprenticeship program!”

Launched in 2006, the Railroad Street Apprenticeship Program (RAP) matches the inspirations of young people to the resources of the community, creating a successful model of community collaboration. RAP functions similarly to a class, where a group of students—or “apprentices''—meet once a week with a community mentor who teaches them valuable skills and gives them real-world experience in a profession. Youth leave the apprenticeship with a greater understanding of the job, confidence in intergenerational and community collaboration, and transferable life skills.

As Berkshire Art Center aims to grow and sustain visual artists in Berkshire County through classes, events, and resources, RSYP’s Ceramics Apprentices will work with Burns and Cady on an alternating schedule in the ceramics studio learning key skills to running a studio along with hands-on experience working with clay. By the end of the program, the apprentices will have learned how to recycle clay, prepare for a variety of ceramics classes, and maintain a clean, inviting studio space for BAC’s ceramics community. 

Berkshire Art Center’s bustling ceramics studio features classes and workshops year-round for all skill levels, open studio hours, and community member firings in their soda, gas reduction, and electric kilns. More information about the Railroad Street Youth Project and its apprenticeship programs can be found on their website, www.rsyp.org.