MULTI-WEEK CLASSES
Our pottery classes in San Francisco's Mission District meet once a week for 2.5 hours. July/August classes are below.
What Makes Our San Francisco Pottery Studio Different?
Five clay bodies to choose from. Students get 25 lbs of clay and may use any of our five student-available clay bodies (members get access to all seven, including porcelain and Dragon Fruit). Instructors will recommend the right clay for your skill level and project.
Open studio practice five days a week. Most studios offer one practice day; we offer five. Specific days depend on your class day — your instructor will walk you through the schedule on day one.
8-week classes, not 6. We extend the standard curriculum so every student has multiple opportunities to fire their pieces and refine technique over time. Real skill development needs more than six sessions.
65+ in-house designed glazes. We're the only cone 6 pottery studio in the Bay Area that designs and mixes all of our own glazes — students get full access at no additional cost.
Working artists as instructors. Every Hickory Clay instructor has their own studio practice. Meet our instructors →
Classes include clay, tools, and aprons. Learn about our wheel throwing facilities.
Intro to Throwing and Glazing
Our beginner wheel throwing classes in San Francisco teach the fundamentals of making pieces on the potter's wheel. You'll learn to prepare clay, center, throw, and trim. Once your pieces are bisque fired, we'll teach you how to glaze them. Our instructors lead through group demonstrations, discussions of example pieces, and one-on-one feedback. We want you to excel, and we encourage every student to use our open studio hours to practice between classes.
4-week class curriculum : Week 1: Throwing, Week 2: Throwing, Week 3: Trimming, Week 4: Glazing
8-week class curriculum: Week 1: Throwing, Week 2: Throwing, Week 3: Trimming, Week 4: Glazing, Week 5: Throwing, Week 6: Throwing, Week 7: Handbuilding and handles, Week 8: Glazing
July + August
Mondays 6:30pm for 8 weeks for $425 taught by Cathy: July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10, 17, 24
Tuesdays 6:30pm for 8 weeks for $425 taught by Bill: July 7, 14, 21, 28, August 4, 11, 18, 25
Saturdays at 10:30am for 4 weeks for $250 taught by Theresa & Ashley. August 1, 8, 15, 22. Age 13+
Introduction to Handbuilding: Coil Construction
Spend eight weeks learning to build vessels from the ground up — one coil at a time. Coil construction is one of the oldest pottery techniques in the world, and it's the method that lets you make taller, rounder, and more ambitious forms entirely by hand. You'll start with a simple coil bowl to learn how to roll even coils, join them cleanly, and smooth your walls, then move on to a vase and a tall vessel as your confidence grows. By the end you'll have a set of pieces that show off real range: from trivets to vases. This handbuilding class is beginner friendly, but open to all skill levels.
In the early lessons we'll focus on technique: rolling consistent coils, using our extruder, smoothing and hammering the coils, and shaping your walls as they rise. From there you'll learn the surface techniques that make coil work sing: paddling, burnishing, and adding texture, along with colored slip decoration. Rachel leads through group demonstrations, discussion of example pieces, and one-on-one feedback, with firing and glazing happening throughout the class.
Wednesdays at 6:30pm with Rachel for 8 weeks: July 8, 15, 22, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26
Learn about our studio’s approach to handbuilding, shared tools, and spaces.
Next Step Wheel: Pourovers & Mugs - A Set for Slow Mornings
Build a complete pourover set from the group up in this six-week class focused on the vessels that make your morning coffee ritual. We’ll throw the three pieces that work together as a cohesive set: the dripper, the carafe below it, and the mugs you’ll drink from.
Projects will include a pourover dripper (with attention to cone angle, rib thickness, and drainage holes,) a carafe sized to nest beneath it, and a pair of mugs designed to complement the set. Along the way, you’ll develop intermediat skills including throwing to target dimensions, measuring with calipers to insure the dripper locks in on the carafe, pulling and attaching handles that feel good in the hand, and planning for shrinkage so the finished pieces fit together. We’ll discuss how spout pulling, foot trimming, and surface treatment can tie the set together visually while keeping each piece functional for daily use.
This class is ideal for students who are comfortable centering and throwing basic cylinders are are ready to tackle pieces with more technical demands.
Thursdays at 6:30pm for 6 weeks for $350 taught by Keisha: July 9, 16, 23, 30, August 6, [skip 13,] 20.
Children & Teens!
Check out our kids classes
Mommy & Me: Animal Pinch Pots ages 3-5
Kids Slab Studio: ages 5-11
Intro to Nerikomi for Teens: ages 12+
Teens are welcome in our Saturday wheel throwing classes.
When you reach a page that says “order pending” or a receipt you have successfully secured a spot.
Wheel throwing classes teach the basics of making pieces on the potter’s wheel. Beginning students learn to prepare the clay, center, throw, and trim. After the pieces are fired, all students are taught how to glaze their pieces. Classes are capped at 11 students for high student/teacher interaction.
Spend eight weeks learning to build vessels from the ground up — one coil at a time. Coil construction is one of the oldest pottery techniques in the world, and it's the method that lets you make taller, rounder, and more ambitious forms entirely by hand. You'll start with a simple coil bowl to learn how to roll even coils, join them cleanly, and smooth your walls, then move on to a vase and a tall vessel as your confidence grows. By the end you'll have a set of pieces that show off real range: from trivets to vases. This handbuilding class is beginner friendly, but open to all skill levels.
In the early lessons we'll focus on technique: rolling consistent coils, using our extruder, smoothing and hammering the coils, and shaping your walls as they rise. From there you'll learn the surface techniques that make coil work sing: paddling, burnishing, and adding texture, along with colored slip decoration. Jerry leads through group demonstrations, discussion of example pieces, and one-on-one feedback, with firing and glazing happening throughout the class.
Next Step Wheel: Pourovers & Mugs - A Set for Slow Mornings
Build a complete pourover set from the group up in this six-week class focused on the vessels that make your morning coffee ritual. We’ll throw the three pieces that work together as a cohesive set: the dripper, the carafe below it, and the mugs you’ll drink from.
Projects will include a pourover dripper (with attention to cone angle, rib thickness, and drainage holes,) a carafe sized to nest beneath it, and a pair of mugs designed to complement the set. Along the way, you’ll develop intermediat skills including throwing to target dimensions, measuring with calipers to insure the dripper locks in on the carafe, pulling and attaching handles that feel good in the hand, and planning for shrinkage so the finished pieces fit together. We’ll discuss how spout pulling, foot trimming, and surface treatment can tie the set together visually while keeping each piece functional for daily use.
This class is ideal for students who are comfortable centering and throwing basic cylinders are are ready to tackle pieces with more technical demands.
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