Concrete + Steel = A Table, A One Week Studio Experience (Age 18+)

During this week-long class, you will learn to make a small side table or coffee table with a concrete top and steel base.

Spend an entire week working with instructors Alicia Dietz and Sara Sanders in UNCA’s STEAM Studio – a 12,000 square foot warehouse for designing and making – with a small class of curious students.

This experience is a great introduction to high-performance concrete and steel fabrication. We will cover how to form molds, calculate concrete mixes, pour, and finish concrete, as well as practice designing and welding a steel base.

We welcome beginners and experienced students age 18+.

Class runs Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm with a break for lunch.

This one week class is hosted by UNCA STEAM Studio’s SkillSet Program.

SkillSet’s goal is to serve under-resourced communities, female-identified, and gender expansive students to help bridge the gender gap in STEAM fields and trades, and create excitement and curiosity around these fields. We ask students to understand that there is limited space in our classes, and know that we welcome students of all genders and demographics.

Meet Your Instructors

Alicia Dietz designs and builds custom modern and timeless contemporary furniture with the craftsmanship to last a lifetime. After a ten-year career as a Blackhawk Maintenance Test Pilot and Commander in the U.S. Army, Alicia followed her passion for craft and now specializes in solid wood and ultra high performance concrete, combining the two desperate materials to create a harmony that is reflective of her process and collaborative style. Her studio practice includes private and public commissions for furniture, wood, and concrete. She lives and works with her partner in Richmond, Virginia.
www.aliciadietzstudios.com
www.instagram.com/aliciadietzstudios/

Sara Sanders engineer, welder/fabricator, and community collaborator. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Joint UNC Asheville/NC State Mechatronics Engineering program and a Master of Engineering degree with a concentration in Engineering Management from NC State. Sanders spent four years at Eaton Corporation as a product applications engineer before returning to work at UNCA as the Engineering Design Studio and Lab manager. During her time in the Engineering department, she received her professional engineering licensure, worked toward her Master’s degree, and designed and developed STEAM Studio with a collaborative team from the Engineering and Art departments. In 2018, Sanders transitioned to the role of Director of STEAM Studio, where she oversees daily operations and projects and co-founded the community outreach program Skillset. Under Sara’s leadership, students, faculty and staff at STEAM Studio designed and fabricated Mel Chin’s Wake, the largest sculpture ever installed in Times Square.

SkillSet offers after-school workshops, summer camps, classes for adult learners, and community outreach programming.

By teaching participants the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math embedded in the objects they create, SkillSet equips the next generation of leaders and problem solvers with the tools to make change and build the future.

Learn more at www.skillset.tools