DATE OPTIONS
Monday 29th June - 3rd July - 11:00-17:00 with LUCIA OCEJO
Monday 7th September - Friday 11th September - 11:00-17:00 with ERVIN CIRIKOVIC
Lucia or Ervin will immerse you with this Five Day Intermediate workshop in all things tableware.
You will cover bowls, plates and mugs - including pulling the all important handles.
It will be a wonderful workshop; full of sharing of knowledge and tips from established, highly regarded potters.
Lucia (Lucy) is well known at Crown Works, having worked full time as a studio manager, potter and teacher for over seven years. She now travels internationally teaching and we therefore grab the opportunity to have her back when ever possible. Ervin is a key member of the Crown Works team, teaching at the studio regularly and is a full time member and potter at the studio. He teaches all of our regular weekly intermediate classes which have returnee students over many years. These are weeks not to be missed, where you can really improve your kill level and hone techniques and iron out errors.
You will be able to keep up to 10 works as part of the course price. You are of course welcome to keep as many other pieces you make (and love) beyond this at a charge of £10 per item.
There will be a maximum of 10 students attending each class. Every student has their own dedicated pottery wheel.
Traditional Korean Onggi Workshop
Five Day Course
Instructors
Kim Yong-ho – Korean Onggi Master and Intangible Cultural Heritage Holder
Kim Hee Gun – 8th-generation successor of the Obuja Onggi family tradition
About the Instructors
The Obuja Onggi family has preserved the tradition of Korean Onggi for eight generations, with a history dating back to the period of the Catholic persecution in Korea.
The 6th-generation master, Kim Il-man, was designated as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage holder. The 7th-generation master, Kim Yong-ho, is also recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage holder and continues to preserve and develop the traditional craft today.
The current 8th-generation successor, Kim Hee Gun, actively promotes Onggi through social media and international workshops. By connecting traditional craftsmanship with contemporary audiences, he is helping introduce one of Korea's most significant cultural heritages to people around the world.
Kim Hee Gun came and taught two workshops at Crown Works in early 2026 and the courses were so successful we have invited him back. We are therefore so lucky to now host his father Kim Yong-ho as the main instructor alongside Kim Hee Gun as his assistant.
About Traditional Korean Onggi
Onggi is a traditional Korean ceramic ware and an important part of Korea's cultural heritage. For centuries, it has been used to store and ferment foods such as kimchi, doenjang (soybean paste), and gochujang (red chili paste). Its naturally breathable structure creates an ideal environment for fermentation.
The techniques used in Onggi making are also unique in the world of ceramics. They allow large vessels to be built efficiently within a relatively short period of time using traditional hand-building methods. These skills are increasingly rare in contemporary ceramics, making Onggi an invaluable traditional craft.
CLASS DESCRIPTION
This will be a hands on five day intensive workshop for those who are of an intermediate or advanced level. There will be a maximum of ten students per class, each having their own dedicated electric wheel.
You will come away learning many new traditional techniques; ‘TARIM’ ‘SUREJIL’ and ‘GEUNGAEJIL’ as well as understanding the history of the form and its processes.
Your instructors will be demonstrating on a traditional Onggi Wheel made specifically for the workshop, all students will have opportunities to use the Onggi wheel over the course, whilst mainly working on their own dedicated electric wheels to improve their own techniques after the key demonstrations have taken place of each key method.
Day 1
Introduction to the theory and history of Korean Onggi
Traditional Onggi-making demonstration
Basic coil-building practice
Day 2
Advanced coil-building techniques
Creating a small Onggi vessel using the Seol-jil (cutting and shaping) technique
Day 3
Practice of Tarim and Surejil techniques
Understanding form expansion, wall control, and vessel structure
Day 4
Advanced Onggi making (medium-sized vessels)
Large-scale Onggi demonstration by Master Kim Yong-ho
Day 5
Personal project
Demonstration and participant involvement in creating a large Onggi vessel (approximately 60 cm)
Teaching Format
Demonstrations
Hands-on practice
Individual one-on-one feedback
Language
English
You are most welcome to keep the Onggi you make, but it will need to be picked up and fired outside of Crown Works no more than a week post the class finishing (we have limited space for giant pots!) We imagine that the majority of students will use the course as a way to learn and experiment and that most pots will be sacrificial, but that is up to you. Just as a note, the pots will be extremely heavy and hard to move so please also keep this in mind if you are attempting to take them away! We will be using a Terracotta clay with a high grog content which fires between 1080-1180c
CROWN WORKS ONGGI TOOLS AND WHEELS
ONGGI TOOL SETS
We also now have beautiful sets of Onggi Tools for preorder. They are made specifically for Crown Works in Korea. They are made in the most traditional way and are as authentic as you can buy and they should last you a lifetime with proper care.
PRICE: £330 for the set. For more information click HERE
THE ONGGI WHEEL
We are also incredibly excited to announce that our Director Giulietta Hextall has been busy bringing together traditional designs and has developed her own Onggi Wheels made to order in Cornwall. These are now available to preorder from our website, they will be made in batches and the next batch will commence being made in March.
Please contact Giulietta@crownworkspottery.com directly with any question and you are also welcome to come into the studio to see and try one in person.
PRICE: £2400 For more information click HERE
Photot Credits: Iris Humm