Classes at Clay Studio

Take a Pottery Class – It’s Therapeutic! It’s Fun!


By Rita Vermillion


The Black Mountain Center for the Arts Clay Studio is announcing its first set of summer classes slated to begin next week on Monday, May 30. Sign up for a class and give yourself a summer vacation that’s fun and therapeutic without leaving town. A class consists of six 2-hour sessions on the wheel or with slab work with an experienced potter, 25 lbs. of clay, twelve to fifteen hours a week of Open Studio practice time, glazing instruction, and firings of the pots you make. The tuition plus lab fee is $170. More information and details can be found at BlackMountainArts.org, or by calling 828/669-0930.



All classes are set up as Basic Adult Wheel Classes. Within that concept students may work to as high a level as they and the teacher are willing to work together. Many students take a class over and over in order to continue learning about glazes, clay bodies, altered shapes, and more.



Teachers at the Studio who will offer classes this term are: Gwen Ottinger, Maureen Joyce, Annie Singletary, Will Byers, and Geoff Bird. In addition, Studio Manager Sarah Meyer will offer Paint on Pottery Samplers to folks who just want a one-day experience while they are in town.



The weekly schedule is posted to the right on this blog.

Each of these teachers has studied at the college level and beyond and has taught pottery to a wide age-range of students throughout their careers. While one may specialize in one aspect or another in their personal style such as porcelain clay or raku firing, each is qualified and trained to teach a wide-range of techniques. In addition to class session, Open Studio is a time for students to practice what they have learned in class. Although no instruction is offered during this time, an experienced potter or teacher is on hand to answer basic studio questions and procedures.



The Paint on Pottery Sampler will be offered on Mondays from 1:30-3:30 pm from June 13 through July 18, with no class on July 4. Pre-made pots, either mugs, bowls, or tumblers/vases, will be available for a participant to glaze during the first hour. The second hour will be devoted to learning basic skills with clay, including trying the pottery wheel. No object will be made to take away, but the glazed pre-made pieces will be fired and can be picked up at a later time. Each piece is $25, including glazing and firing. There is a minimum of four pieces for one person, or a minimum of two people in a session at $25 per person. Pre-registration is recommended.