Even in an old park shelter, as he lugged around garden hoses to mix clay and untangled extension cords to connect electric potters’ wheels, Don Hunt dreamt of a year-round place to teach his art.

That dream came true earlier this year with completion of the Adamah Clay Studio, a 3,000-square-foot ceramics workshop and school near Dodgeville that will be dedicated Sunday.

Hunt, a former West High School art teacher who died in August of brain cancer at age 62, gave the school its vision, and was able to witness its groundbreaking early last summer.

“Really, this is his legacy,” said Barb Drews, a friend of Hunt’s who teaches at Adamah and West. “All of us working toward this have his interest in mind. He shared his thoughts and ideas with us along the way, and there is a nice network of people who are carrying them on.”

The $325,000 building, located on the campus of Bethel Horizon’s Art Ventures, largely was financed through an endowment named for long-time East High ceramics teacher Scott Dickinson.

It supplements the three-season shelter and a former barn where for decades Hunt conducted summer workshops. Students at the shelter had a rustic experience, and port-a-potties stood outside.

The new Adamah Clay Studio has two bathrooms, an office, three sinks for clay work, more than 30 potters’ wheels, two electric kilns and a pugging room for making clay.

A woodfire kiln is in a building nearby. Adamah (pronounced ah-dah-MAH) — a Hebrew word with several meanings, one of which is “muddy red earth” — is used by professional artists as well as for classes for adults, children and community groups.

Students can receive UW-Platteville credits.

Hunt envisioned Adamah growing into a national destination for clay artists and students.

“He really thought the Midwest lacked a good ceramics school,” said his wife Kathy Hunt, Art Ventures program coordinator. “And likewise he wanted to make it affordable.”

Hunt, who taught sculpture and ceramics at West for 34 years, also founded the annual winter Souper Bowl, a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser at the school where soup is served in vessels made by local artists and students.

Sunday’s studio dedication will begin at 1 p.m. with tours, demonstrations, and a preview of works by local and national artists up for auction, followed by a 3 p.m. ceremony and live art auction. The group hopes to raise $30,000 to complete some decking and landscaping — then move on to its next projects: a lodge, dining facility and later a gallery and library.