MULTI-WEEK CLASSES
Our pottery classes in San Francisco's Mission District meet once a week for 2.5 hours. November/December classes will be posted for signups Monday, Oct 12 at noon.
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
7-week class curriculum: Week 1: Throwing, Week 2: Throwing, Week 3: Trimming, Week 4: Glazing, Week 5: Throwing, Week 6: Handbuilding and handles, Week 7: Glazing
Nov + Dec
Mondays 6:30pm for 7 weeks for $375 taught by Cathy: Nov 2, 9, 16, [skip 23,] 30, Dec 7, 14, 21.
Tuesdays 6:30pm for 6 weeks for $350 taught by Theresa: Nov 3, 10, 17, [skip 24,] Dec 1, 8, 15
Our Sunday 4-week classes will return in January after the holidays.
Introduction to Handbuilding: A Little of Everything
Five weeks, five ways to make something out of clay without ever touching a wheel. This class is a guided tour of handbuilding — you’ll pinch, you’ll slab, you’ll coil, you’ll carve — and by the end you’ll know which technique you want to chase further. For those who are brand new to clay, and also for wheel throwers who want to see what the other half of the studio is doing.
We start small with pinch and press-mold forms, then move into slab construction — soft slabs draped into bowls and platters, hard slabs joined into boxes and planters. From there we build up with coils, and spend a week on the surface techniques that make handbuilt work distinctive: texture, sprigs, colored slip, and sgraffito. Our fifth and final week is glazing, where you’ll pull from our 65+ in-house designed glazes and learn how to finish everything you’ve made. Rachel leads through group demonstrations, discussion of example pieces, and one-on-one feedback.
5-week class curriculum: Week 1: Pinching and forming, Week 2: Slab building, Week 3: Coil construction, Week 4: Surface decoration and texture, Week 5: Glazing
This class will return in January on weekends. Stay tuned.
Learn about our studio’s approach to handbuilding, shared tools, and spaces.
Next Step Wheel: Expanding Your Toolkit
For students ready to move past beginner forms and who can comfortably center two pounds of clay. Each week will cover a different intermediate technique, which will broaden your overall range and expand what you’re capable of making. Each lesson builds on the last and helps your build to cohesive pieces and your own aesthetic.
Week 1: Centering and throwing larger amounts of clay and throwing taller cylinders
Week 2: Calipers, measuring, and throwing to a target
Week 3: Collaring into bottles and bud vases, plus learn how to ‘save’ a piece by collaring it
Week 4: Trimming footrings: plan for glazing and find the footring that feels designed
Week 5: Pulling handles and matching the design of your pieces
Week 6: Glazing with confidence and design
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Thursdays at 6:30pm for 6 weeks with Keisha for $350; Nov 5, 12, 19, [skip 26] Dec 3, 10 17
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.
Next Step Wheel: Expanding Your Toolkit
For students ready to move past beginner forms and who can comfortably center two pounds of clay. Each week will cover a different intermediate technique, which will broaden your overall range and expand what you’re capable of making. Each lesson builds on the last and helps your build to cohesive pieces and your own aesthetic.
Week 1: Centering and throwing larger amounts of clay and throwing taller cylinders
Week 2: Calipers, measuring, and throwing to a target
Week 3: Collaring into bottles and bud vases, plus learn how to ‘save’ a piece by collaring it
Week 4: Trimming footrings: plan for glazing and find the footring that feels designed
Week 5: Pulling handles and matching the design of your pieces
Week 6: Glazing with confidence and design
——-
Thursdays at 6:30pm for 6 weeks with Keisha for $350; Nov 5, 12, 19, [skip 26] Dec 3, 10 17
Looking for One-Time Classes, Private Lessons, Workshops, or Gift Cards?
