Kintsugi Ceramic Mending Workshop - Working With Grief

7906 North Fessenden Street,Portland OR 97203

14 May, 2022

Description

Learn the practice of Kintsugi ceramic repair - geared specifically to people who are working with grief. Kintsugi (金継ぎ, gold joinery) is the Japanese craft of repairing ceramics. It teaches us to honor our love for what was, look carefully at our broken pieces and hold the possibility of a new kind of whole. This 3 hour workshop is offered for people who are actively grieving a loss. There is no right or wrong here; no single valid source for your grief and no statute of limitations. Perhaps you recently lost someone to death, lost a job you cared about, or a tree you cared about. You might be mourning a loss that happened last week, one from years past, or it could be the anticipatory grief of something you see on the horizon. We will gather before class for a grounding and memory-sharing activity (there is no requirement that you share verbally, but it will be an option), reflecting on and honoring the beauty of what we had. Then we will transition to class. We'll look carefully at our broken ceramic objects and learn to repair them with the modern methods - using epoxy and putty to mend damaged pieces, then finishing the joints with gold powder. We'll end together again, with our new whole, broken objects which we will take with us back out into our lives. This workshop will be taught by Emi Joyce; formerly a full time bench jeweler, currently a Kintsugi restorer and natural dyer. Her Kintsugi Instagram; @modernkintsugirepairpdx, assisted by Laura Green of The Portland Grief House; griefhouse.org, @portlandgriefhouse Workshop instructions; - For this workshop, all participants will be provided with one white plate. - Decoration is recommended after all repairs have been made. - All materials are included in the workshop fee. If you would like to purchase a Kintsugi kit, limited kits are available at the workshop.