CLAY STUDIO INFORMATION

HOW EXCITING! Our "NEW" Clay Studio and Ceramics Education Centre location is 155 Water Street (Main Floor Entrance) and we back on Harbour Drive in the same parking lot as the Neal Building at 50 Harbour Drive. Our signage is coming so watch out for it on the Harbour Front. We are now open in our new location for open studio work and for adult classes and children's creativity summer camps.

The Craft Council's Clay Studio and Ceramics Education Centre is the province’s primary not-for-profit community clay studio and professional ceramic arts and education centre offering introductory, intermediate and advanced ceramic education courses and workshops, private coaching sessions, and community outreach services to many community-based organizations servicing at risk and disadvantaged populations.

CLASSES & SESSIONS

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Programming & Services

First and foremost, the Clay Studio is a community-based studio operating in the best interest of its members. We are an open community studio where people from all walks of life gather and work on individual and collaborative projects, exchange ideas, and work in a welcoming and friendly studio space.  

In addition to our regularly offered programming of introductory and intermediate courses, the Clay Studio has revamped and repositioned some of our course and workshop offerings to better reflect the content offered and the skill level of our target audiences. Our regular programming and services and new activities for 2021-2022 are outlined below. CLICK REGULAR PROGRAMS FOR OUR OPEN STUDIO HOURS.

Regular Programs

  • Open Studio: Our Open Studio has grown to over 40 regular open studio users, which has increased the level of demand for clay and for studio volunteer hosts.  We have been able to meet the demand for open studio by enlisting the help of five regular volunteer studio hosts. Our OPEN STUDIO SCHEDULE (changes periodically to accommodate our class schedule).
    ‍Current OPEN STUDIO SCHEDULE (as of October 20, 2021): Tuesdays 1:00 - 4:00 pm & 6:30 - 9:30 pm; Wednesdays  6:30 - 9:30 p.m., Thursdays 3:00 - 6:00 pm (Children's Guided Open Studio); Fridays 1:00-4:00 pm and 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays 1-4 pm OR 5 - 7 pm (when Saturday courses are in session).
    PLEASE NOTE that individuals who are interested in participating in our Open Studio must have some previous clay experience. Our Open Studio hosts are always happy to help, but are not able to provide instruction. For those who have no previous clay experience, our introductory courses will provide you with what you need to get started. We offer one, two, and four-class intro courses. Also, to ensure the safety of our users, our Clay Studio & Safety Orientation course is also mandatory for all Open Studio users, and is offered the last Wednesday of every month.
  • Introductory Courses: Our Introductory Pottery courses are always a popular offering and every Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer we include Introduction to Pottery into our scheduling. The Introductory courses include, “Pottery Introduction to Wheel Throwing I and II (4 weeks each)” and Pottery Introduction to Hand-building Organic Functional Forms I and II (4 weeks each).
  • Children’s Birthday Parties: For groups of up to 10 children, parents may book their child’s birthday party at least two weeks in advance.  During the two-hour session, children willcreate a clay project from scratch such as pinch pot animals and choose theglaze colour of their choice.
  • Visiting Artist Workshop: The Clay Studio typically offers a visiting artist professional development workshop from well-known ceramics artists from Newfoundland, Canada and the United States. Once travel restrictions are fully lifted and the NL population is at least 80% inoculated with the 2nd dose of Covid-19 vaccine, we will organize a visiting artist workshop. Watch for updates on a visiting artist workshop once restrictions are lifted.

New Programs

  • Pottery Night Out Sessions: These one-night pottery education workshops are designed to teach students the skills required to start and complete one project from start to finish, such as “Make and Mug” and “Build and Bowl”.
  • Speciality Introductory courses focusing on either hand-building or wheel throwing.  During our Fall and Winter schedules, Pottery introductory courses have been revitalized to include our regular general introductory courses but we also added our Introductory WheelBoot Camp and our Hand building Organic Functional Forms.
  • Studio Safety and Orientation Nights: Throughout the year, the Clay Studio offers Studio Safety and Orientation sessions scheduled the last Wednesday of every month at a cost of $20 per person.
  • Hand Building Artistic Forms in Clay: In addition to our Introductory Hand building courses, this intermediate artistic hand building class will be of interest to those wishing to move into working with more sculptural and artistic ceramic forms.
  • Surface Design Techniques: Two new surface design techniques courses we offer involve incorporating illustrations in clay (Sgraffito) and colour theory in clay (Clay as Your Canvas). These surface design courses featured instructors such as well-known ceramic artist Anita Singh and an Arts graduate student (illustration) Evelyn Roitner.
  • Glazing Techniques and Chemistry: This course offered by Vicky Northey covers the chemical process of mixing a base glaze and adding mason stains and oxides to use as colourants.  This course will broaden the basic knowledge for many studio users and former students to move to the next level in their studio practice.
  • Corporate Team Building Sessions – The Clay studio has added the opportunity for half day OR full-day corporate team-building sessions focused on building rapport amongst corporate teams.  We offer general creative team-building sessions and a more meditative team-building session whereby we incorporate a short meditation into the experience with clay. Working with clay and creating with your hands is a meditation onto itself, but learning about the benefits of meditation and working with clay is a bonus! There are two creative meditative workshops offered, "Getting Grounded with Clay" (Handbuilding organic forms) and "Getting Centered with Clay" (using the pottery wheel).

Community Events

The Clay Studio regular conducts demos at our community events in St. John’s which include throwing demos during the Folk Festival, CCNL’s Christmas Craft Fair, the Royal St. John’s Regatta, and other summer events.

Our signature community event, ANCIENT ART OF PIT FIRING ON MIDDLE COVE BEACH is scheduled annually in late summer on Middle Cove Beach. The pots will be fired in a pit of sawdust and wood, which takes a number of hours to reach temperature. Our Clay Studio staff and volunteers will be there early in the morning so that we can stoke the fire and watch the pots. We literally sell the beach pots while they are hot!  Other pots made by our local Clay Studio artists will also be available for sale. This takes place surrounded by the beauty of Middle Cove Beach.  Proceeds from pot sales during this event go toward helping support our community clay studio and ceramic education centre. The community potters donate their making time to create beautiful works of art. This event will showcase other local musicians and performers to be announced. Drop down to the beach, watch us fire our pots, sing along with a tune or two, a great event and great location!

CLAY STUDIO TEAM
Robot Mugs by Maaike Charron
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