Welcome to the Metropolitan Detroit Polymer Art Guild.
Celebrating Our 30th Year as a Guild 1993 – 2023!
Interested in Our Guild? Come to One of Our Meetings!
About MDPAG… History of the Guild
The Metropolitan Detroit Polymer Art Guild began in 1993 by a small group of polymer clay artists under the direction of Marie Johannes. Thirty one years later, our group has grown to over 50, with members from not only the metro Detroit Area, but from all over Michigan, as well as several from out-of-state.
We are an enthusiastic group of clayers, ranging from the beginner to the seasoned veteran. Besides polymer clay, our members are diverse in their skills and interests, including doll making, jewelry, sculpting, book making, painting, stamping and mixed media. Together, all this talent creates a rich and exciting setting to cultivate and spark creativity!
Some of our membership have taught workshops all over the country, written articles for craft magazines, and many have their work featured in polymer and other craft books. And from the beginning, our annual retreat has attracted clayers from all parts of the country.
We would love to have you join us at our meetings and become an active member of our guild. We are always interested in meeting other clayers and making new friends. See you there!
MDPAG Calendar
All of MDPAG’s events are listed here! Check this calendar often, something is always going on.
Monthly Saturday Meetings
Members usually arrive around 10 am, meetings start at 11 am, with a Clay Day to follow.
- Saturday, October 19
- Saturday, November 16
- Please note Winter break is December – February. No meetings during this time.
Upcoming Class!
Fantasy Fish Cane! A Complex Cane 2 Day Workshop with Sarah Shriver
Saturday, November 9 – Sunday, November 10. More details in Upcoming Events section below.
Yearly Membership Dues
$35.00 Local/$20 Long Distance Member per year January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024
It’s very easy to join online, just click the button below.
Fantasy Fish Cane — November 9-10, 2024
A Two-Day Complex Cane Workshop with Sarah Shriver
This class will take a deep dive into making a complex cane from some simple steps, and the fish is the perfect subject! It’s playful, colorful and your design doesn’t have to conform to any fish actually seen in nature!
Students will learn some of the finer points of cane making, like how to break down a complex cane design into simple steps, how to think about choosing colors with consideration for changes in scale, and how acheive good control in the processes of blending, building and reducing.
We’ll start by building some blocks of colorful skinner blends and then manipulate, pinch and stretch the pieces into shapes that puzzle snugly together to form the fish and finally with the addition of a background, our cane is complete!!
Ultimately, students will have a good size fish cane that can be used for all sorts of things! I will demonstrate some kaleidoscoping techniques and more…
Deadline to register: Saturday October 12, 2024
Location: Emmanuel Lutheran Church – 34567 Seven Mile Road, Livonia, MI 48154
Date & Time: Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10, 2024 – 9:00 am – 5:00 pm both days
Class Fee: $180.00 (if paid by check or Zelle), Paypal Payment $188.00
Skill Level: Confident intermediate to advanced, fast moving 2-day class
Material list on registration form.
Outreach Program: Spreading the Love of Polymer Clay!
As part of our Outreach Program, guild members volunteer to teach monthly beginner classes at Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit in Royal Oak, MI. Additionally, they contribute art pieces for sale to support Gilda’s fundraising efforts.
Guild member Lisa Fugenzi donated 100 polymer clay heart pins to be sold to raise funds for Gilda’s Club.
Fun at the Meetings and Workshops
Resources
Locations
PDFs
Meet the Board
Cristy Rice
President
Charmaine Lipa
Vice President, Historian, & Membership
Dorothy Greynolds
Secretary
Kathy Weinberg
Treasurer & Retreat Coordinator
Susan Kaplan
Education
Sue Kelsey
Librarian
Kathie Harroun
Outreach
Linda Vilas-Helton
Past President
& Webmaster
A listing of our members’ favorite polymer clay related websites
MEMBER SITES
Kathy Bingaman
Lisa Fulgenzi
Georgeann Galante
Lynda Gilcher
Dorothy Greynolds
Donna Kato
Susan Kaplan
Debbie Jackson
Helen Pope
Mona Sullivan
Linda Vilas-Helton
Kathy Weinberg
POLYMER CLAY GUILDS AND EVENTS
The International Polymer Clay Association
Polymer Clay Fests: Cabin Fever Creative Arts Fest, Master Class Camp, and Creative Fiber/Mixed Media Arts Fest (October) events.
POLYMER ARTISTS WEBSITES & BLOGS
Blue Bottle Tree – Ginger Davis Allman
Kim Arden
Judy Belcher
Jana Roberts Benzon
Linda Bernstein
Carol Blackburn
Leslie Blackford
Mags Bonham
Helen Breil
Maureen Carlson
Maureen Carlson’s Weefolk
Gera Scott Chandler
Dan Cormier
Louise Fischer Cozzi
Debbie Crothers
Christine Damm
Robert Dancik
Grant Diffendaffer
Kathleen Dustin
Julie Eakes
Barb Fajardo
Tejae Floyde
Ford and Forlano
Ronit Golan
Donna Greenberg
Deb Hart
Lindly Haunani
Betty Jo Hendershott
Tina Holden
Jana Honnerova
Tory Hughes
Doreen Kassel
POLYMER ARTISTS WEBSITES & BLOGS
Loretta Lam
Lucy Clay Blog
Karen Lewis (KLEW)
Maggie Maggio’s Smashing Color
Claire Maunsell
Desiree McCrorey
Layl McDill (Clay Squared)
Jan Edward Montarsi – String Theory Facebook group
Jan Edward Montarsi – Blendangles Facebook page
Jan Edward Montarsi – YouTube
Melanie Muir
Heather Powers (Humble Beads)
Teresa Pandora Salgado
Ronna Sarvas Weltman
Marie Segal
Sarah Shriver
Ponsawan Sila
Carol Simmons
Alice Stroppel
Laura Timmins
Rebecca Watkins
Bettina Welker
Melanie West
Elise Winters
CLAY FRIENDLY WEBSITES
Polyform
Sculpey University
Fimo
Kato Polyclay
Polymer Art Archive
Polymer Clay Daily
Daily Art Muse
Craftcast
Polymer Clay Web
Polymer Clay Central
Iris Mishley’s Polypedia
PC Polyzine
Sky Grazer
Voila
PUBLICATIONS
Tenth Muse Arts — Polymer Studio, The Polymer Arts
Lucy Clay – Polymer Week Magazine
Handmade Business (was Craft Report)
Facet Jewelry Making
Step by Step Wire
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist
Bead & Button
American Craft Magazine
Cloth Paper Scissors
SHOPPING…Look for tutorials on some of these sites too!
Christi Friesen
Lisa Pavelka
Polyform
AMACO
Lucy Clay Store
Clay Factory – Marie Segal
Lee Valley Tools
Polymer Clay Express
Prairie Craft – Donna Kato
Tonjas Treasures
American Science & Surplus
Rings & Things
Fire Mountain Gems & Beads
Pan Pastels
Poly Clay Play
Penn State Industries
ComposiMold
Clearsnap
Golden Artist Colors