Registration is now open for Yourist Studio Gallery's special top-making workshop on Sunday, April 22, 2012, from 1 to 2:30 pm.


Great news! The complete fee for the workshop is only $12.00 per participant, so bring the whole family. This includes instruction by popular studio teacher Nancy Bulkley, materials, one firing, and registration in the Spin-Off competition on June 2 at noon. The competition, of course, is optional.

To register for the workshop, drop by Yourist Studio Gallery at 1133 Broadway in Ann Arbor or call us at 734-662-4914.

All of you top makers will be taking part in an activity enjoyed by people down through the ages. Archaeologists have found clay tops dating from 3500 B.C. in the ancient Sumerian city of Ur and terra cotta spinners from 3000 B.C. in the fabled city of Troy.

And lest you think top spinning is just kids' stuff, grownups in ancient Malaysia spun tops weighing up to 15 pounds as part of their organized sport. In Borneo and Java tops were so big and heavy that only adults could use them.

You'll find more on the fascinating history of tops and top making at spintastics.com.

Kick off your summer fun with a challenge (not to mention a little science lesson on the side). Mark your calendar now for the Yourist Studio Gallery Great Top Spin-Off on Saturday, June 2, 2012, at high noon.

To register for the Spin-Off, call the Yourist Studio Gallery at 734-662-4914. Registration is free.

Our Spin-Off is open to all regardless of age or experience with clay. So get the whole family involved. All ages are welcome.

To participate, make a clay top of your own design. You can glaze it or decorate it any way you choose. The only requirement is that your top must be fired. No tops of raw clay allowed.

The contestant who can keep his or her clay top spinning the longest will win the Spin-Off championship. There will also be a prize for the most creatively designed and decorated top.

As for the science angle, do you know what keeps a top spinning? It's the gyroscopic effect! In essence, a top doesn't fall over when it's spinning because, according to Dr. Hugh Hunt, of the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge, "the force of gravity is insufficient to cause the top to fall."

For both the technical and non-technical explanation of this phenomenon, along with some cool animations and videos, check out Dr. Hunt's spinning top page. And experience the phenomenon yourself at the Yourist Studio Gallery Great Top Spin-Off.