Kokedama Ceramics Workshop

Discover the beauty of Japanese-inspired botanical art in this collaborative workshop with ceramic artist Kate Metten and horticulturist Vanessa Tam.
In this immersive three-hour experience, participants will handbuild a ceramic dish and create their own kokedama — a sculptural moss-wrapped plant rooted in the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which embraces beauty in simplicity, imperfection, and the passage of time.
The workshop begins with a guided handbuilding session where you'll create a one-of-a-kind ceramic vessel designed to cradle your living sculpture. Kate will introduce fundamental handbuilding techniques, surface textures, and finishing methods before your piece is glazed and kiln fired at the studio for later pickup.
During the second half of the workshop, Vanessa will guide participants through the process of constructing a kokedama from start to finish. Learn how to prepare the soil mixture, wrap and secure the moss, choose the right plant, and care for your finished piece so it continues to thrive long after the workshop.
No previous experience in ceramics or plant care is required. This workshop is designed for beginners and anyone looking to slow down, work with their hands, and create a meaningful object that continues to evolve over time.
Workshop includes:

• Three-hour guided workshop
• Instruction from both Kate Metten and Vanessa Tam
• All clay, moss, soils, plant materials, and tools
• One handmade ceramic kokedama dish (glazed and kiln fired)
• One completed kokedama moss-ball plant to take home the same day
• Care instructions for your living sculpture

Finished ceramic dishes will be ready for pickup approximately 2–3 weeks after the workshop.
Find out more on katemetten.com

Vanessa Tam is a self-taught horticulturist with a passion for propagating houseplants and growing food at home.

She was first drawn to the art of kokedama through the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi and the idea that plants can become living sculptural works of art.

Her workshops encourage participants to connect with nature through thoughtful, hands-on making while learning practical techniques for caring for their botanical creations.

Kate Metten works at the intersection of painting and ceramics, blurring material hierarchies with formal abstraction. Her practice moves fluidly between the studio and the exhibition space, balancing a body of contemporary artwork with a line of hand-thrown tableware that redefines the rituals of everyday use.

​Rooted in West Coast Modernism and informed by years of material research, Metten’s ceramics are both functional and sculptural — vessels that embody precision, rhythm, and touch. Each piece reflects her commitment to the handmade as a form of quiet resistance to mass production and disposability.

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