Pottery

This class will cover the basics of throwing on the potter’s wheel and working with clay. Topics covered will include throwing cylinders and bowls, trimming and finishing pieces, adding handles, and glazing. Complete beginners and those with some experience are welcome to learn and develop their skills. Students will also receive 8 hours of studio access per week to practice outside of class.

Handbuilding is a great option for making functional and sculptural pottery without the limitations of the potter’s wheel. This class is open to all skill levels. Students will learn how to make pottery using a variety of handbuilding techniques including pinch, coil, and slab. In addition to class time, students receive 8 hours of open studio time per week to work on projects independently.

Open Studio gives experienced students the freedom to practice their wheel throwing and hand building skills independently. Participants must have taken an 8-week ceramics course at the Phipps within the last 3 years or seek special permission from the Studio Manager before registration. No instruction will be provided during this 8-week session. Includes 10 hours of studio access per week, one 25lb bag of clay, access to pottery wheels, clay tools, glazes and kiln firing. Studio participants must sign up for timeslots on a weekly basis.

Have you ever wanted to learn how to throw on the potter’s wheel? This one-night workshop is for you! It will be a fun night out, so bring your partner, family or group of friends. Participants will receive a wheel throwing demonstration and time to throw on the wheel with instructor guidance. Students will choose a glaze color, and instructors will glaze and fire pieces to be ready for pick up approximately 2 weeks after the class date. All materials are included, and you'll receive a drink voucher to use at Phipps concessions.

Discover why glazes will sometimes work the way you want them to and sometimes they don't! In this workshop, students will learn the science and chemistry of why and how glazes work, techniques for testing and experimenting with new glazes and how to successfully track your results. Students are encouraged to bring glazed pieces to discuss. Bring a pen and paper to take notes!

Celebrate the spooky season by making your own clay pumpkins and ghosts! Kids (ages 5+) and their adults will design, create and decorate their projects, and make memories along the way! The instructor will coat with a clear glaze and fire the project which will be available for pick up approximately 2 weeks after class. *adult and child must register separately

Kids (ages 5+) and their adults will make their own one-of-a-kind hanging ornaments such as snowmen and snowflakes and unique holiday mugs! Learn basic hand-building techniques such as pinching, coiling, and clay slab-construction as you design, build and decorate your projects. Make memories as you get creative together. The instructor will coat with a clear glaze and fire the projects which will be available for pick up approximately 2 weeks after class. *adult and child must register separately

Join us for a festive drop-in event to design and create holiday clay ornaments-- for decorating your tree or giving as gifts! Pottery studio instructors will guide you through making hand-made ornaments with stamps, texture tools and cookie cutters, then painting them with colorful underglazes. We’ll clear glaze and fire your ornaments after the event, so they are ready to pick up before Christmas. Our ornament making drop-in is a great way to get into the holiday spirit! Children must be accompanied by an adult. $8 per ornament. No registration needed, but please RSVP by clicking HERE.