The Juanita and Ralph Harvey School of Visual Arts will offer four art classes for the community this fall.

MSU Resident Ceramic Artists Pamela Moller and Alex Ferrante will teach beginning, intermediate, and advanced hand building (sculpture) and wheel throwing ceramics night classes from 6-9 p.m. Monday nights beginning Aug. 23 through Dec. 6 in the ceramics studio, room C119. Both teachers are MSU Texas alumni.

Tuition is $350 and includes all materials and firings.

MSU Texas will also offer a blacksmithing class and knife-making class. The blacksmithing class is designed to give students an introduction to the craft and to help develop basic forging skills. Over six weeks, students will be guided through forging a small hook, chisel, a punch and drift, and using those tools to make a bottle opener. The course will cover basic differences in mild steel and carbon steel, as well as heat treating methods for hardening carbon steel.

Blacksmithing will meet from 6-9 p.m. every other Wednesday; Sept. 1, 15, 29; Oct. 13, 27; and Nov. 10.

The knife-making class is designed for students with some knowledge of forging techniques, but that is not a requirement. Over six weeks, the instructor will demonstrate and guide each student on developing skills in designing a knife by creating a template, forging high carbon steel to the shape of that design, including forging a point, forging bevels to the cutting edge, forging a distal taper in the blade and tang (handle area of the knife), heat treatment of the knife, attaching and shaping a handle, and final finishing of the knife.

The class will meet from 6-9 p.m. every other Wednesday; Sept. 8, 22; Oct. 6, 20; and Nov. 3, 17.

These classes will meet all MSU Texas COVID standards. For everyone’s health and safety, class sizes are limited. Sign up soon to guarantee a spot. Signups may be completed online at the Art Education webpage.

For more information, contact Jessica Joplin in the art department at 940-397-4264 or jessica.joplin@msutexas.edu or Professor of Art Steve Hilton at 940.613.7041 or steve.hilton@msutexas.edu.