Sculpting Possibilities:
Collaborations with Penland School of Craft

Cristina Córdova, founder of the Center for the Study of Figurative Ceramics, has developed a meaningful and longstanding partnership with Penland School of Craft, rooted in a shared commitment to ceramics education and the support of emerging artists. This collaboration reflects their deep commitment to fostering creativity, honing craftsmanship, and pushing the boundaries of artistic expression in the world of ceramics.

By guiding students through immersive workshops, hands-on learning, and collaborative projects these collaborations not only nurture individual growth but also strengthens the broader ceramic community in the US and Puerto Rico.

Below is a selection of projects with Penland, showcasing how this partnership has inspired creativity and innovation.

1. Fire Forms: Large-Scale Ceramics and Pit Firing (Workshop)

Year: 2025
Description:
This workshop delves into the creative possibilities of large-scale figurative sculpture. Focusing on techniques like slab, solid, pinch, and coil construction, we will explore how size influences artistic expression and personal storytelling. Participants will learn how to crate maquettes from which to develop blueprints, , and work with tools and equipment, while also gaining essential knowledge on drying protocols and firing cycles for successful outcomes. The workshop includes a surface lab to experiment with various finishing techniques, as well as hands-on experience with electric and pit firing, offering a communal experience that enhances the unique surface effects of the pieces. Open to all skill levels.
Link: Penland Workshop with Cristina Córdova

2. Exhibition: El Puente

Year: 2025
Description:
JOHN & ROBYN HORN EXHIBITION GALLERY

El Puente

A metaphorical bridge, El Puente, exists between Puerto Rico and the US, which share a complex and often misunderstood political and cultural relationship. How do we express El Puente through the lens of Puerto Rican artists?

 This exhibition centers on legacy and culture, focusing on multi-generational artists in dialogue with the US through their education, residencies, and career opportunities. Co-curator Cristina Córdova characterizes this phenomenon as a continuous loop of communal encounters and mutual influence, followed by a momentary respite in which the encounters are assimilated and transformed within the artistic community. This pattern has taken place over many years and generations, moving back and forth between two territories inextricably connected yet distinctly separate, sometimes with intention and at times unconsciously. What are the influences of this bridge on the insular art community in Puerto Rico and how do the experiences evolve in the vacuum of an under resourced arts community? 
Link: El Puente

3. Penland Online: Virtual Workshops

The Figure in Clay: Making a Hollow Figure Using Templates

Year: 2020
Description:
In this online workshop, Cristina Córdova guided students through the process of creating a hollow figure in clay using templates. This comprehensive course covered everything from anatomical concepts to technical techniques for sculpting the human figure, with over four-and-a-half hours of prerecorded video lessons. The workshop gave students the flexibility to work at their own pace, with access to materials, templates, reference photos, and foundational skills like making clay slabs and slips.
Link: Online Workshop Cristina Córdova

Demo with Cristina Córdova: A Simplified Way to Make a Hollow Head

Year: 2020
Description:
Cristina Córdova led an online demonstration where she showcased her techniques for sculpting the human figure in clay. This demo served as an introduction to her artistic approach, providing both beginners and experienced ceramicists with the skills to begin working with figurative sculpture.
Link: Online Demo Cristina Córdova

4. Sculpture In Motion (Workshop)

Year: 2018
Description:
Cristina in collaboration with her brother Arturo (Pancho) Cordova participated in a innovative project where ceramics and animation intersected. This collaboration explored how traditional clay sculpting could be used as the foundation for stop-motion animation, bridging two distinct art forms in an new way inside the Penland Clay Studio using Dragonframe Software.
Link: When Ceramics and Animation Meet/ Sculpture in Motion

6. De Puerto Rico a Penland : A one month internship and workshop experience for artists from Puerto Rico - a collaboration beteween Penland School of Craft, Cristina Córdova and Crafting the Future.

Year: 2022, 2023, 2024
Description:
Each year, this internship offers two artists from Puerto Rico the opportunity to spend a month at Penland, North Carolina, immersing themselves in a transformative creative experience. The journey begins with a two-week internship in Cristina Córdova’s studio, where they work alongside her, gaining hands-on insight into her practice. This is followed by two weeks of intensive learning at the Penland School campus. More than just time to create, this program provides artists with a fully supported environment to develop new skills, deepen their craft, and bring fresh inspiration back home.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18207452521162115/

7. Exhibition: Cerca Y Lejos

Year: 2016
 Description:
Cristina offered a deeply personal exploration of the human figure, woven with elements of her Puerto Rican heritage. Cerca y Lejos (Near and Far) featured life-sized ceramic figures of her family, accompanied by oversized portraits and sweeping photo polyptychs of Puerto Rico. The exhibition reflected both the closeness of her loved ones and the physical and emotional distance from her homeland, marking a shift toward naturalism in her work.
 Link: CERCA Y LEJOS: Cristina Córdova at the Penland Gallery

8. Jaime Suárez and Cristina in the Clay Studio (Visiting Artists)

Year: 2019
Description:
This spring, Penland invited two visiting artists, Jaime Suárez and Cristina Córdova. They spent this week working side by side in the studio, pushing clay in very different directions. In addition to their public lectures at Northlight, both Jaime and Cristina opened up their processes to the community through an afternoon of demonstrations.
Link: Jaime and Cristina in the Clay Studio