The Clay Studio

THE CLAY STUDIO is a wonderful school for working in clay. The education you receive is second to none. I have also developed great friendships with creative, fun and interesting people.
We often refer to The Cay Studio as our Happy Place.

This place is the best!
My girlfriend and I came on Friday night for a date night event. I believe we paid $ 35 each, then each paid an additional $ 10 to have two pieces shipped to us. So you can figure that date night is $ 45 per person.
Not only did I find this to be a great value, but we just had a ton of fun in general. We each arrived a few minutes early, where fellow date-​nighters were lingering in the studio’s gallery. Beer, wine and plenty of yummy snacks had been assembled, so we were able to chat and unwind with a quick drink and nosh before heading upstairs.
Once upstairs (they brought up the snacks and beverages and were in fact encouraging people to indulge), we were introduced to throwing. I had taken a few semesters worth of pottery as a student, so I wasn’t entirely a beginner, but even if I had never seen a wheel before, I believe that the instruction provided by the staff would have been completely sufficient to produce great pieces. I’m not sure about the previous experience of the others there, but it looked to me like everyone had made some lovely pieces of pottery by the end of the evening. The staff was fun, knowledgeable, encouraging, and were great instructors. After giving us some time to throw on the wheel, we spent some time glazing our pieces.
True to form, my girlfriend and I were the last two people in the studio, but the staff was really patient and I did not feel rushed. This is such a great idea for a fun date with a girlfriend or significant other — it offers a fresh departure from the typical dinner and drinks routine. Can’t wait to come back for more!

Such a fun date night! We came the day before Valentine’s Day and had a blast. The instructors were very helpful and went around room helping people as needed. The appetizers and drinks were good as well. Overall a great experience!

I was very excited about picking up my work from the workshop I previously wrote a review about but was very sad after picking it up.
The people there were very friendly but when I got in the car and opened my cups, my dragon’s tail — which would be the handle — was missing; an eye and ear was missing too.
If it had fallen off, I would have appreciated it if they gave me the broken pieces and either told me when I went to pick it up or wrote a note.
They also did not glaze the whole bowl to the bottom (not under) so the colors are different and the feel is rough.

Recently went for a friday «date night» class with my wife and had a terrific time.
Great staff, hands-​on time on the pottery wheel with personalized instruction (ratio was 2 – 3 students per staff member), and they supply beer/​wine/​hors d’oeuvres.
It’s a great deal and a great time. We’ll definitely be going back.

The Clay Studio is one of my all-​time favorite galleries. On the whole, the level of craftsmanship is extraordinary. What truly distinguishes the Clay Studio is the absence of a point of view — other than the pursuit of excellence — in its diverse exhibits and offerings. One can find here everything from small spare, utilitarian vessels to highly elaborate clay creations that tell a layered story. The Clay Studio is one of my favorite places to pick up unique gifts, too. Nothing more effectively conveys the sentiment that «you are special» than a one-​of-​a-​kind, hand-​made piece of art or fine craft.
For First Friday attendees, the Clay Studio is a must see.

Extraordinary. Went here a few weeks back for a friday «date night» with my wife. What a blast! Wonderful instructors, beautiful facility, tasty snacks and drinks, and Al Green on the sound system. Nobody makes you feel stupid as a neophyte with clay, and if I do say so myself, our class put together some nice looking pots!
Attending again this weekend with my daughter for the childrens’ class. Can’t wait and will update my review afterward.

I went to the Clay Studio for the first time Saturday for a clay clinic-​wheel throwing class. I had never taken a pottery class before, but I was ready to learn something new. The class was great the instructors were very informative, helpful and hands on with teaching the class. I had a great time and I did alright for my first time. The art gallery downstairs has some interesting pieces for sale. I will definitely return for another class.

I was looking for a fun, artsy, slightly different date night, and the Clay Studio fit the bill perfectly!
First off, their service is amazing! They are honestly so nice and easy to work with. I had something important come up at the last second, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to return the date night. The Clay Studio was extremely accommodating and worked with me to reschedule. I was impressed to say the least.
They opened the place up a half hour before the date night for those who want a little wine, cheese, crackers (try the waffle crackers), and beer. Then at 7, the instructors tell you a little about the place, introduce the different floors, and talk a little about what some artists are working on. You get to walk up to the third floor and pass through their galleries and even some artists working on huge clay Ben Franklins or other fun projects, which is really cool. And it’s even better if you pass them on your way out since you’ll appreciate their work more after you’ve tried to throw your pottery (and probably failed).
Then we split into two groups for more personalized attention (1 instructor and 2 assistants 12 or so people) and chose seats. The instructor taught us the entire process and created a fine bowl in about five minutes. She made it look so easy! Luckily, they were super friendly and helped us during the process, as we were struggling to remember all the directions and to shape the clay how we wanted. They had a ton of clay that we could take, and we pretty much got to make as much as we could in 1.5 hours. In the last half hour, we all painted our best works. You have to pay $ 10 shipping and processing (aka firing it up in the kiln) per board, which fits about 2 bowls, and you can even share one board with your partner. I wasn’t a great potter, but we thought the whole experience was well worth the price (usually only $ 35 per person), and my boyfriend loved the surprise!
Our bowls turned out pretty nice, and we got them within three weeks.

Great class offerings. Price might seem hi to some but if you look at how long the passes are the hourly rate is actually very very affordable. The clay is very cheap and everything else is free. They provide studio hours 7 days a week. Don’t forget to come by on the first Friday of every month for the Art Walk in Old City

So many artists represented in this lovely studio. Definitely worth a trip.

Great place for classes. I’ve taken the heads and hands class and the instructor is very nice and talented. The class has a range of talent, and the environment is noncompetitive. The price is very reasonable for the experience. Most of the people in this class are females in the 35 – 55 range, but there are some men and younger adults too.

I can now say I officially love the clay studio. I had gone a few times during first Friday to look around. In July, I noticed a flyer to sign up for a project after the August night market, where they would also be promoting their young supporters membership option. I am super un-​creative, but I wish I was creative, so I signed up right away. After the August first Friday slowed down, we were taken upstairs to the school, where there were lots of snacks, wine, and beer. Our project for the night was a clay tile, basically just making designs in it, and then glazing. I listened to the speech about the young supporters, and about what they clay studio does as a whole, and decided I would sign up for a year. I went to a September Out of Hand work shop where I had a chance to try the pottery wheel, and signed up for my first real class which started last night. For now, I’m just trying the clay studio sampler. It’s 5 weeks, and we get to do both hand and wheel work. The instructor is awesome. The price includes clay, glazes, and firing. I get a discount as a member. There are lots of open studio hours where I can go in to keep working on my projects. I hope my friends and family are looking forward to some mediocre pottery this Christmas.

(I wouldn’t know a Rookwood vase if George Ohr cracked one over my head.)
They’ve always got the most insanely awesomest ceramic objects for sale/​exhibit in their gallery/​shop. It’s no wonder that this organización de arcilla is so highly regarded across our great clay-​lovin’ land. I can see why. I can see it.
(You can totally tell if a clay objeto de arte is of high quality by the sound it makes.)
Also, I’ve concocted an edible glaze recipe. PM me for details.

The Clay Studio is marvelous.
I participated in their «Out of Hand» workshop last Friday night and it was definitely one my favorite city «excursions» to date.
After an insufferably long week at the office, it felt great to crack open a beer, roll up my sleeves and indulge my creative spirit in a brand new learning experience. Thanks to the Clay Studio — check, check and CHECK.
Shaping the soft, malleable clay atop the revolving pottery wheel is remarkably therapeutic. By uniting touch, vision, action and mind in such a deliberate and unique way, being at the wheel releases stress while also unleashing inner inspiration sometimes stifled by the conforms and habituality of our society.
**RECORD SCREECH**
Okay, okay, enough of the pseudo-​philosophical rant, but I did truly enjoy my experience here. So seriously, get out there, explore your artistic side and CREATE SOMETHING — you will not regret it.
Other areas of importance:
+They will fire, glaze and ship your creations to you for $ 5 (all you can fit on the cardboard platform provided)
+The «instructors» (aka resident artists/​associates/​recent art school graduates) are great — friendly, attentive and oh so very helpful to those inexperienced «sculptors».
+They also provide light snacks: chips and salsa (and spicy black bean dip, which was delicious), pretzels and of course beer and red/​white wine.

Since attending the valentines special, I have been pushing date night on friends and family before I even say hello. I’ve even recommend it out of the blue to people I haven’t talked to in months. It was really that good of a time.
The night started off with us hustling from the free spot we found eight blocks northwest of the studio, growing increasingly frustrated with all the free parking we passed on the way (especially the spots directly in front of the building). Luckily, once we were inside and up the three flights of stairs, the wine started flowing and a chill mood promptly settled over us.
They began by letting us explore, mingle, drink (stocked ice tubs of kenzinger/​lager/​etc, yellow tail wines, and champagne), and munch (chafing dishes of something vegetarian i refused to let my eyes see, and breaded sesame chicken chunks with dipping sauces of dill yogurt and horseradish chutney, a cheese and cracker plate, and a tray full of keish) for about 15 minutes, then they settled us in at our wheels and gave us a brief but enlightening tutorial on the essentials, and finally it was time to create.
«Throwing» went a little rough in the beginning for some [me], but they explained that we had unlimited clay to work with, so no worries there. My initial desire to make 4 foot plus urns or such was dampened by my hands’ inability to do what my brain was telling them to do to the clay, but the constant flow of assistants offering tips and advice mixed with much positive reinforcement and praise left me quite satisfied with the lob-​sided soup bowl I was actually able to complete. Apparently if I had been more skilled/​swift I could have made two pieces to keep, but quality over quantity was my real concern (who wants a leaky coffee mug). With about a half hour left in the class they began urging us to paint our masterpieces, but when I left at 9:15 (class ended at 9) folk were still working away with no rushing from the instructors.
This date night was a special occasion event, so prices were doubled, but i think the regular ones offer the same amenities for $ 30, only you’ll have to pay an insubstantial amount to have what you created glazed, fired, and sent to you (it was covered in our cost for this one).
What I gathered is that potters the nation over come here to study, and what they make in their learning helps fund the school and lets us come fool around on the cheap. Date night is a great chance for anyone to get a first taste of pottery, but I’ll let the other reviews tell you about classes and such, just know that it’s seriously a worthwhile experience, and I highly recommend it for everyone as a first or 700^th date, group outing with friends, or even a spot where you can fly solo.

The Clay Studio is a great non-​profit. It’s a great place to stop during First Friday
I take adult pottery classes here and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new creative outlet/​hobby. Everyone’s nice and helpful here and it’s a great environment for creativity. The instructors are nice and helpful and there’s a decent amount of open studio hours to work on your projects outside of the classes.

The Clay Studio is fantastic, and definitely a crowd-​pleasing kind of store/​gallery/​studio. Their gallery area always seems to have interesting exhibits — its amazing what artists do with clay, and the shows really complement what they offer in their boutique.
They are constantly stocked with an amazing selection of ceramic products available for purchase from a large collection of artists. There are many different designs and styles, and most are pretty reasonably priced (although I always seem to pine after the unaffordable ones). Most of the items are standard plates, bowls, cups, mugs, jugs, vases, etc., but there’s also more sculptural pieces and jewelry too. But what’s truly great about this place is that they also offer classes and public programs for kids and adults!

The Clay Studio is a great find. If you have kids — they have Clay Camps and programs for kids of all ages to learn about pottery and ceramic arts.
For adults there are ever-​changing exhibits and great merchandise.
The organization is well run and we worked with Clay Studio to host a silent auction and reception there for the Friends Child Care Center. Management was great and the have a kitchen facility.
Can’t wait until my little one can go to clay camp (starts at age 5).
You can have your garage parking validated at Parkominium up the street.

This is a fun gallery to hit during First Friday. it always has an eclectic mix of pottery, plates, tea kettles, sculptures, and other clay creations inside it. The Clay Studio also has 2 huge floors. so it has plenty of art to see. most of it can be pretty expensive, especially when it comes to a bunch of plates. And a lot of the displays get repetitive very quickly though.
The Clay Studio also has classes for anyone who is looking to learn the trade. another good thing about the gallery is that it always has a keg on tap. so it’s a good place to go if your looking for a $ 3 cup of Victory or Yards. And the money you get the beer with goes towards expanding upon their classes. So it goes to a good cause.