Workshops, Events and Gatherings
Upcoming events.
Join us for creative, mindful, and inspiring events held at The Orchid. Each one is an opportunity to learn something new, connect with others, and root into your own growth.
Ghostly Figures
Give your own little ghost a personality in this playful sculpting workshop. Create a small gathering of spirits, experimenting with expressions, gestures, costumes, and tiny accessories.
Coffin Matchbox
Create a delightfully macabre ceramic matchbox shaped like a miniature coffin. Using handbuilding techniques, construct a small lidded box designed to hold matches, then personalize it with carved lettering, bones, moons, florals, gothic details, or your own spooky imagery.
Animal Jaw Ashtray
Explore sculptural ceramics with a darker natural-history twist. Using animal jawbones and teeth as inspiration, participants will handbuild a functional ashtray or catchall that feels like an artifact pulled from a cabinet of curiosities.
Frank-N-Plant
It’s alive—and ready for a houseplant! Sculpt a Frankenstein-inspired head planter while exploring handbuilding and character-building techniques. Add bolts, stitches, scars, exaggerated features, and your own monster personality to create a functional planter that’s equal parts spooky and charming.
Bat Luminary
Create a handbuilt ceramic luminary inspired by one of Halloween’s favorite nocturnal creatures. Cut and carve bats, moons, stars, and other nighttime imagery into your piece so candlelight can glow through once it’s finished.
Skeleton Key Holder
Build a wall-mounted ceramic key holder featuring fish bones and other delightfully macabre details. A functional piece of pottery with just enough creepiness to leave up long after Halloween.
Celestial Trinket Dish
Create a dreamy ceramic trinket dish the night before the Hunter’s Full Moon. Handbuild a perfectly matching crescent moon and full moon with carved stars, celestial textures, faces, clouds, or other nighttime details.
Candle Hand Holder
Sculpt a ceramic hand designed to cradle a candle right in its palm. Explore basic sculpting and handbuilding techniques as you shape fingers, gestures, and details to give your piece its own character.
Studio Potluck & Potswap
*Free to attend!
Join us for a spooky, fun evening of food, art, costumes and conversation. Bring a pot to swap and a dish to share. Friends and family are welcome!
Mystical Altar
Create a small ceramic altar inspired by ritual, nature, and the mystical. Using handbuilding and sculptural techniques, design a personal altar with space for candles, incense, crystals, keepsakes, or tiny offerings
Jack-O-Jar
Part pumpkin, part functional pottery! Handbuild a lidded pumpkin jar, then carve or sculpt your own jack-o’-lantern face. Make it silly, spooky, sweet, or strange—the personality is entirely up to you.
Boo! Bowl
Get ready for trick-or-treaters by handbuilding your own ceramic candy dish. Play with spooky shapes, textures, lettering, and Halloween-inspired details to create a festive bowl worthy of your favorite stash of sweets.
Tile Making
Explore the endless possibilities of ceramic surface design through tile making. Create a collection of three decorative tiles using stamps, textures, carving, and relief techniques.
Daisy Luminary
Celebrate the final days of summer with a glowing daisy-inspired luminary. Using slabs of clay and simple carving techniques, you'll create a lantern filled with floral cutouts that cast beautiful patterns of light.
Ceramic Juicer
Fresh citrus deserves a handmade companion. Create your own ceramic juicer designed for lemons, limes, and oranges while learning slab-building and shaping techniques.
Sponge Holder
Transform an everyday object into something beautiful. In this workshop, you'll create a ceramic sponge holder designed to keep kitchen counters tidy while allowing your sponge to dry properly.
Woven Basket
Experience the magic of turning clay into something that looks woven. In this workshop, you'll use strips of clay and basket-weaving techniques to create a decorative vessel that mimics the appearance of traditional fiber baskets.
Spoon Set
Every kitchen deserves beautiful handmade tools. In this workshop, you'll create a collection of ceramic spoons while explore shaping, carving, and decorating techniques while making functional pottery that brings a little artistry to everyday cooking.
Trinket Shelf
Create a charming wall-mounted shelf perfect for displaying small treasures, crystals, jewelry, air plants, or keepsakes.
Floral Spoon Rest
Add a touch of garden-inspired beauty to your kitchen with a handmade floral spoon rest. Learn slab-building techniques while creating up to 3 practical pieces designed to keep countertops clean during cooking.
Charcuterie Board
Create a handmade serving board that's perfect for entertaining. In this workshop, you'll learn slab-building and texturing techniques to craft a ceramic charcuterie board ideal for cheeses, fruits, desserts, and appetizers.
Snail Planter
Slow down and get creative with this whimsical snail planter workshop! Using handbuilding techniques, you'll sculpt an adorable snail-shaped planter perfect for succulents, herbs, or small houseplants.
Ceramic Pipe
Design and build your own functional ceramic pipe in this fun, hands-on workshop. Students will learn the fundamentals of handbuilding while shaping a unique piece that's entirely their own.
Butter Dish
Create a handmade butter dish that's both beautiful and functional. In this beginner-friendly workshop, you'll learn slab-building techniques while crafting a custom butter dish perfect for everyday use.
Mommy & Me Felting Workshop
Celebrate Flag Day with an afternoon of fiber arts at The Orchid! Together, each pair will create two adorable beginner-friendly projects: a patriotic felt gnome and a heart-shaped American flag ornament.
Woodland Garden Gnome
Let your imagination lead as you sculpt a whimsical woodland gnome.
Spring Lantern
Create a softly glowing ceramic lantern that brings warmth and ambiance to your space.
Chip & Dip Platter
Design and build a versatile chip and dip platter that’s perfect for hosting and gathering.
Luna Moth Plate
Inspired by the quiet beauty of the lunar moth, this workshop invites you to create an elegant, symbolic plate.
Frog Planter
Join us for a playful and hands-on evening in the studio as we create our own charming frog planters, perfect for holding a small plant, trinkets, or simply bringing a bit of joy into your space.
Clay, Calm and Connection
Join us for a special community gathering in partnership with the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County and Fauquier County Parks & Recreation in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.
Nature and clay both invite us to slow down, reconnect, and return to the present moment. This experience is designed as a gentle pause in your week—a chance to step outside, breathe deeply, and create with intention.
Dragonfly Planter
Create a charming planter adorned with a dragonfly motif, symbolizing transformation and lightness.
Berry Bowls
Create a functional and beautiful berry bowl designed for rinsing and serving fresh fruit.
Mushroom Mug Making
Step into a bit of whimsy as you create your own mushroom-inspired mug.
Garden Stakes at Quilters Mercantile
Join us for a special collaborative workshop with The Quilter’s Mercantile in Remington where creativity meets the garden.
Birdhouse
Build a cozy ceramic birdhouse designed for both function and charm. This workshop invites playful design while considering real-world structure such as entry holes, drainage, and hanging options. A sweet addition to gardens, porches, or outdoor nooks.
Cafe Planter
Perfect for herbs, small plants, or windowsills, the Café Planter workshop focuses on creating a charming planter that resembles your dream cafe. We’ll explore form, drainage, and surface decoration to make a piece that pairs beautifully with greenery and everyday living.
Wind Chime
Create a clay wind chime that brings gentle sound and movement into your space. This workshop explores form, balance, and negative space as you craft individual hanging elements. Once fired and assembled, your piece will catch both breeze and light beautifully.
Desk Organizer
Design a custom desk organizer to bring calm and beauty to your workspace. Whether you need a place for pens, brushes, notes, or small tools, this workshop allows you to build a piece tailored to your daily rhythms—functional, thoughtful, and uniquely yours.
Want to Host an Event?
Have an idea for a workshop or meetup? Apply to become a host and share your gifts with the community.