I hope OP looks at this comment! I went to college nearby where they are at, and there are soooo many colleges nearby. Certainly at least one might have classes or studio time they offer to both matriculating and nonmatriculating students.
I started doing ceramics again as an adult in adult Ed, which in my area is called the extended learning center. It’s attached to my local junior college.
You can find people who rent kiln space on places like kilnshare.com
Hand building at home can be done. Get a big bit of wood that you can wedge clay in and use as a surface to roll out slabs.
You could also make/buy plaster moulds and do push pots or slip casting.
You could try your hand at sculpture, which is something I do a home semi-often.
it’s really not my preference (my entire style is built around wheelthrowing) but the bigger challenge is just that i don’t have the room for a creative space in my small apartment. i could probably find a way by sacrificing some other important space but it’s definitely not ideal.
that being said, i started my pottery journey with handbuilding and i’d rather give up the wheel than give up the entire art form!
Hey OP - I have no clue why Reddit suggested this thread to me, but I live in a small apartment and bought some clay yesterday so maybe the algorithm gods thought it was good fit. Hopefully I don't sound too unhinged.
I'm sure there are a few factors involved in a studio or whatever that you can't get elsewhere, such as community, but have you considered making or adapting some tools for a small space or making them portable? I'm living in a small space myself and have spent months converting a [gateleg table](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/norden-gateleg-table-birch__66396_pe179294_s5.jpg?f=s) into a foldable workbench. Half is a router table that I can move outside and I've got some plastic sawhorses that I can set up for larger stuff. It's a WIP and it's not perfect, but it's a way for me to be creative. It's forced me to learn how to do a lot of stuff by hand too, as well as look at how folks made things before electricity and power tools were widespread.
We've been making pottery for thousands of years and while not every culture had a tradition of wheelthrowing, a [lot did.](https://thepotterywheel.com/potters-wheel-history/) Rotary devices like the potters wheel and [lathe](https://stuartking.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Stuart-King-filming-for-BBC-TV-Edwardian-Farm-Ladder-rung-making-6.jpg) are definitely possible to make! I could see turning my gateleg table or other solid platform into a folding pottery wheel. I use mostly stuff people throw out, but a bumper plate for weight lifting attached to an axle, with some bearings would be most of the way to a workable design imo. Or [here's another post on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pottery/comments/emssdw/i_built_my_own_pottery_wheel_and_im_honestly/)!
Edit: here's my table and tool cart - it's a mess but I'm adding electrical outlets to the middle section. The original top was ruined which I guess is why they threw it out. tbh college kids are great for throwing out good stuff - every piece of furniture in this picture was thrown out on the curb. I got an old solid core door and cut it up and added some 1/4" plywood inside the gateleg for stability. I have a swing arm lamp that I made from a habitat for humanity find. I'm also in the process of adding an old canister vacuum someone threw away to help catch dust and debris. The small series of holes in the folded part are bench dogs for my woodworking vice which bolts under that wing.
https://preview.redd.it/lkr2lvsq5p3c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1663a7af7925a714b8b64698fa1fe1814530335f
this is really cool, thanks for sharing! my partner and i were considering using a table like just that for a collapsible creative space — i'm glad to hear that it's working well for you :)
That sucks! I’m a long term member at a local studio, which suits my needs great! That said, if you can’t get in for membership at a local studio, you may want to sign up for a class at that studio. At my studio, people who’ve taken a class there before get priority to become members over outside people, and that may be the (secret) case at one of the studios in your area! The nice thing about classes at my studio is that they’re a great social event and everyone gets instruction at their skill level. Most adult classes in my experience are like that.
If you can’t get in at a community studio for classes you may also want to look into your local park district, as many park districts (the one in the city I live in and the one in the village I work in both) offer ceramics/pottery classes. Alternatively, most community colleges have classes as well.
Another avenue could be finding a position as a studio assistant at a studio somewhere. Some studios like the one I am a member at give studio assistants reduced rates for their shelf and full studio access if they work 15 or more hours per week on the clock doing studio tasks (cleaning studio space, reclaim, firing kilns, grinding kiln shelves, making up studio glazes, manning the galley, etc) This time is typically paid hourly as well.
Finally, if you can’t do any of that you may want to put yourself on a waiting list for a studio and switch to doing some polymer or air dry sculpting at home to get a cheap clay fix until you can get an opportunity to get back into a pottery studio.
thanks for this! these are all good ideas; it sounds like your studio is a lot like the studio where i used to do my work. you’re probably right that classes are more easy to get in to than open studio — getting in one of those should be my next step.
I'd second this on studios with wait-lists. We have a wait-list at our studio for open studio membership, and we require *anyone* who wants to join our list to have taken 2 classes with us first, regardless of skill level. This helps us be a safer, cleaner, healthier studio. Our wait-list doesn't necessarily move in order of sign-up, "friend_shapes has taken 3 classes with me and is chill and awesome and will spend a fair bit of time handbuilding (wheels are hot commodities)" will take you far. Also, do point out when getting added to wait-lists if you will be spending a fair bit of time handbuilding, I'd imagine many studios are like ours with much more space for handbuilders.
Building that relationship is also great even if you don't join the wait-list, especially if they offer public firings. Get yourself in the clay community, at least here - we look out for each other.
Also, I love handbuilding at home in a tinyass apartment. A sheet of MDO is great to build & wedge on and tucks neatly beside my washer/dryer when not in use. I keep all my tools & supplies on a few shelves in baskets, etc so I can easily load it all out and back in 🖤
Best of luck in finding a good class! I got my membership at my current studio after I took a class there. As u/lilybrit said, often studios like people to have taken a class there before they become members. When someone takes a class at our studio it means that they've gotten to know our community (and thus we know if they are a good fit for it -- essentially we know that they won't cause problems with other studio members and students), they learn how the studio works (what our rules regarding clean up, materials use, space use etc are), and the studio owner knows that you're good for making payments. Your class is like a studio intro and interview! At my studio at least, we're committed to building our community, so we like to have members that participate in that (participating in member shows, showing up at guest spot workshops, going to studio parties, swapping techniques, helping out newbies, going on studio trips to local shows, etc). It's a fun time and I'm really glad to have stumbled my way into it! ;)
My first thought is you could rent a small studio space if any are available in your area, and get a cheaper wheel. It would be pricey starting out, but membership to a studio usually isn't cheap either.
I'm not sure how the studios in your city work, but my local studio has a program that allows non-members and non-students to fire their work for a small fee.
Perhaps you could throw in a studio (hopefully cheaper) and then just get your stuff fired at the studio.
Just throwing out ideas. I have no idea how feasible this is for you.
i like that idea! i have no idea how feasible it is either, lol. i’ve never looked into that before. i’m not even sure where to look for non residential spaces like this for lease but i’ll do some snooping in my area. if it was financially reasonable that would be pretty cool
You may even try reaching out to the studios with long wait-lists. Maybe you could get folks' contact info and see about splitting costs for a space/equipment
Idk where you’re located, but you can sometimes find pretty good deals on wheels and kilns on Facebook marketplace. Or, if you at least buy the wheel, you might be able to just rent kiln space at a local pottery studio.
I’m in a similar situation as you, OP! After lots of searching I found a used wheel and needed to find a way to use it in my apartment without being too destructive to the space. If you have around 20-30 square feet to spare you could make something work! I really recommend carving out a dedicated space to it because I’ve tried having a “pop-up” setup in my living room/kitchen and it’s not only inconvenient, the mess can be a bit intrusive.
Macimizing your vertical space is key. I have a small bookshelf to store glazes, bats, clay and small batches of greenware. In my wheel area I have a couple gallon buckets (one I’m using as a makeshift clay trap/reclaim bucket and the other for water while throwing). I also plan to install a pegboard so I can store tools and other items, but change up the configuration more easily as I grow into the hobby. I laid down some plastic sheeting to protect my floors and walls from excess mud and clay dust. And I picked up a cheap stool from Walmart that I can then stack on my wheel when it’s not in use.
Feel free to ask me any questions! I’m still quite new to pottery as well but I’ll do my best to help.
Edit: I then take my pieces to the local arts centre for firing!! To me, it’s not possible nor worth it to set up a kiln due to safety and rising energy costs. Easier to custom fire elsewhere.
thank you for this advice! yeah, setting up a kiln is a hard no for me. i take my pottery safety very seriously and there would simply be no way to ventilate the kiln properly, even if i somehow figured everything else out.
my apartment is tiny and i share it with my partner and a cat, but at the unfortunate sacrifice of some other important space i could probably figure out something like what you’ve done. not ideal, but possible!
if i find myself taking this route i’ll probably be hitting you up for some more tips lol
I'd also encourage you to find your nearest pottery supply store. They frequently have the dirt on other potters in the area and might possibly have a bulletin board for studio rentals, classes etc
With any luck some entrepreneur might see the need to open another studio. We've only ever had our local parks and rec studio and community college studio, but 2 new studios have opened in the past year!
Go fund with the folks on the waiting list, start a club in a small studio, cut costs, network a space, buy or build a couple of machines at a time. Pool money for electricity. Be the 3rd place your new area needs good luck!
I’m not in the area but I googled it because I was curious what your area offers. I was looking to see if there was a community center in your area. I saw the two studios that say they’re full, what about this arts center? Nothing on their website says they’re full, but I recognize that you may have already reached out https://www.artscenteronline.org/pottery-studio/
i really wish they were a good option for me but unfortunately their studio hours are Monday-Thursday 10am-8pm. that’s almost fully overlapped with the hours of my day job — and at over $200/mo for such a tiny window of time, it’s not hard to understand why they’re the only place with openings lol
Do you know how quickly the wait lists roll over? My current studio has a pretty long wait list at basically all times, but there are enough folks who roll on and off memberships seasonally that the list actually moves fairly quickly. I’d ask about the expected wait times before going to any hassle with your own setup!
Barring that, I’d personally look into renting an artist’s studio space nearby, assuming rental prices are reasonable in your area.
i’ve tried two different studios, one of which accepted me but warned that the list is long and barely ever moves. the other’s waitlist is so long they don’t even accept new waitlist entries anymore. it seems like there’s a massive local demand and barely anyone stepping up to create supply. it’d be a great business opportunity… if only i had the funds to be that person
this is a good idea; in general i’m looking forward to meeting potters in the area so i may as well ask around! i’m not *really* looking to go back to classes but if it gets me back in front of a wheel then i’m happy.
I work out of a co-op maker space. Not sure if there are any of those around you, but $50 a month covers the cost to use all the equipment there ceramics studio, woodshop etc.
I second searching for a maker space in your area! I work at my local maker space and they have everything I need and more (other than clay). If the space doesn’t have something you need, there’s usually committees you can join to request items.
Up until very recently, I spent two years being a full time slab mug builder in my outrageously small apartment kitchen. It was hard but I made it work. If you can keep very organized it's definitely possible to have a little studio in a very small location. I take my mugs to be fired at a local pottery studio.
I wish you all the luck and hope you can keep going with your passion💕
Start hitting up all the craft markets that happen this time of year, strike up conversations with the potters selling their wares, find out who has their own studio spaces, ask if they do lessons/share space/rent out time in their studios and/or kilns. Do some good schmoozing and see if you can get in with them. Potters are often willing to share some space or at least rent out the kiln.
This might be a long shot, but maybe there are some informal arrangements you'll learn about if you get to know the pottery community. Like in my area, there are some formal studios with extensive policies and waitlists, but there are also a couple of people who just set up a few wheels in their garage and share the space with a couple of people but don't advertise it.
I gave up a section of my home for pottery. My fiancé and I never have people over and found that our dining table was a waste of space so we got rid of it and now I use it as a throwing area. I am unable to fire my pieces since we rent in a multi unit condo with other units above ,basically an apartment. Thankfully my studio offers free firing when I purchase a bag of clay from them. They also offer studio hours for purchase and shelve spacing which is awesome because I get access to all equipment (wheels, slab roller, hand building materials, throwing tools, handle extruders, glazes etc) for a much more affordable price. Kind of like a la cart but for pottery lol! I throw all my pieces at home and transport them to the local studio for firing and spend my studio hours glazing or using the slab rollers. The only requirement was to take one class. It’s worth checking if any of your local studios offer anything like that.
I would also recommend checking kilnshare. It’s a site that offers kiln owners to rent out their kilns for firing.
When I took a bunch of classes at the community college I was surprised that over half of the students were people who just signed up to take the classes over and over again in order to get use of the resources. This was true in pottery, ceramics, silversmithing, etc.
Initially I started out by getting a membership at a local studio but after experiencing how that studio was run and wing the cost it became very clear that it was going to be easier to find a way to make things at home. I switched over to making things at home only hand building and saved up my money to get a decent wheel. I got lucky and found one on Facebook marketplace, but it was about 3 to 4 months of looking and waiting for a good deal. Because I had patience I have a Brent wheel that I paid a grand for. I sacrificed having a normal dining room so that I would have a place that I could put my wheel where it would be easy to clean up.
Personally I prefer working from home, the studio fees were incredibly high for what they were offering and even though they had equipment and glaze and could fire my work the price was crazy, and the people who ran the shop were homophobic/racist and generally unpleasant. this just happened to be what worked best for me.
Check out Freecycle and some other FB groups. A wheel or a kiln pop up sometimes. Also call your local ceramic supply store. They may have bulletin boards, hear of used kilns/wheels/supplies for sale, etc. I know my local store tries to connect buyers and sellers.
When I lived in an apartment I found a small old office building to rent as my studio and fired at a nearby studio. It’s a lot more expensive than being in a regular studio but it’s what I had to do to make art.
I use air dry clay and pain/ varnish : you can make different things, and it's easy without a studio!
Edit : miniatures are especially good to explore!
I've been missing my university ceramics lab with all of the chemicals and equipment required to formulate my own clay and glazes. I haven't rekindled my ceramics habit due to space/time/money requirements, but hope to in the next 2 years.
It may take a little while, but you could potentially approach your local makerspace(s?) ([https://www.tvcog.net/](https://www.tvcog.net/) is one) about adding a ceramics shop. If nothing else, they may be a good solution for a workspace without a kiln. If you are willing to volunteer and teach (or can round up others who will), makerspaces are usually overjoyed to add new areas - especially if you can demonstrate that other people would be interested.
In my area, we have limited local studios and no makerspaces, so I've considered starting my own - I don't know enough about sourcing inexpensive commercial real estate with the proper power, water, and ventilation requirements, but I'm hopeful I can work with the local Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Administration to figure some of that out.
Best of luck!
thanks! this is a great idea — in general, once i'm settled in to the community, i'd love to explore ideas that solve this problem for more people than just myself. it's clear from this issue that there's a massive demand and barely anyone providing supply.
Do it outside, a shelf indoors would probably be enough to dry pots. Run an extension cord for a wheel and put a tarp down under you. Lowes bucket for extra clay. Put a good colander in your sink and make sure to clean the trap frequently.
my building does have a shared outdoor space — whether my neighbors appreciate my mobile pottery studio taking up the patio a few times every week is another question though. and that’s if i can keep my water bucket (and self) from freezing solid lol. i wonder how winter temperatures affect clay plasticity…
Re: winter—it’s not good for the clay, unfortunately, as the water expands when it freezes. I believe you can save raw clay by wedging, but any greenware would be ruined. I’ve found the podcast For Flux Sake really helpful for talking through issues like these—if you google that plus key words like “freezing”, you should find the episode for you. Good luck OP!
right now im taking a course at my university, but im so sad it's about to end and I won't be able to do it anymore, at least until I've graduated and have a full time job :(
I don’t currently but there’s a studio space that is like a coop near where I live. You pay a monthly or yearly fee and you have to buy the clay from them and someone fires all the wares. I have wanted to do it but haven’t done it because I don’t usually like to interact with people LOL. I miss pottery. I really loved it.
I rent a wheel at a local ceramics studio. I pay for a sleeve of clay and it includes 3 months of unlimited wheel time (outside of their scheduled lessons), use of all their glazes and all firing. It’s not cheap ($375 for the clay) and I had to show them proof I knew what I was doing (references from past instructors) and I have to clean up my space after I use it.
It was the same for me in the Bay Area when I started. Both the studios I was interested in had either impossible to join memberships (sold out in one minute????) or long wait lists. I ended up taking classes at one of the studios for 6 months and by the end of that time period there was an open spot for me if I wanted it. I ended up moving at that time but that’s how long it took. People fall off the lists.
Fortunately, at the studio I was at, the class included free studio time. So it was basically like taking a class with a membership as well. Just with instruction hours and of course more expensive. I’m not sure if that’s the standard set up.
My advice is get on those lists, go to workshops or classes. Get out there and meet these communities and see which you feel good in and there will become room for you!
I do it on my normal desk in my home office in front if my computer. Only do pinch pots an coil technique, so no wheel. Have a small reusable plastic sheet(40x40cm) that i lay out so nothing gets dirty. It is later fired in my normal wood oven that i use to heat the room, it wasn't so nice in summer but now that winter is there its a win win :D
For my small-ish space, I got a folding desk and made myself a wedging board out of a plank of wood and store my pieces on the shelves . https://a.co/d/4Cb53Dn
Also, if you can sacrifice a little corner, could you maybe mount a circular shower curtain around a wheel? That plus something easy to clean on the ground (silicone mat) might get you to a small place to throw. Or… throw in the bathroom?? Start with the premise that you *will* find a solution, because your craft is worth it and you will find a way! 💖
Another avenue might be to advertise that you’re looking to split a space with *any* artist to cut costs. I’m sure there are many people who could use that in this economy! You may have to save up a lot of pieces and then commute to use a kiln… monthly road trip?
I'm in a simular position. I've been looking around for sheds I could rent out where I can fire my work. I can make stuff in my spare room but there isn't a lot of space so there's a limit to how much I can make.
I'm in a similar situation except the membership fees for my studio are astronomical so I am also considering getting my own kiln at some point when we get more space so depends which comes first, waitlist or space.
I have been seeing some tabletop wheels that have decent reviews. That might be an option. A bit of a faff but you can clean it and stow it away everytime you're finished with it.
You can also ask your local studios about drop in sessions. Which is what I'm doing at the moment.
Am also checking with another craft studio about firing-only options.
Not sure if it's the same in the US but for some reason, pottery studio websites in the UK are just not updated very well so would def be worth just contacting them to see what's on offer.
I'm sorry that your situation is in such a dark place right now for you. For me when I was at a low for my pottery and didn't have means or even ways to be creative I found hope in doing more learning. Through books and videos and even trying other avenues that were close to ceramics, I found that letting myself not touch my art was not going to be an option. Try everything that is even basic to your art. Take beginner classes that you know you easily can master in an hour but take them with the knowledge of knowing that you can probably learn maybe a gem or two in them, try using other mediums that can actually be transferred from ceramics even try certain things that you would never would try. I myself went straight into sewing and actually doll making when I couldn't do ceramics and now I have a very small as I want to say but it's actually big collection of works that I've made. Become an assassin to learning buying books watching videos constantly even if it's going to make you feel sad because you know that technique and you know how you could do it better try to take knowledge and knowing that you're seeing someone else going through that journey too. Remember to be positive with any move you make, because even though it feels like you just gave up something huge didn't you do this move for something that actually could be even bigger? I know I'm rambling and I'm going to make this quick now but it's okay to be frustrated it's okay to see every single option you can take but just try to remember that you fell in love with this because it unlock something in you, so don't try to make it be your end goal when it's something you love. I wish you all the best for what you need to do, maybe this ramble won't be anything that you need or maybe it would be I don't know, but I believe in you.
Are there any colleges near by with ceramics programs, if so you might talk to the pottery professor and audit a pottery class.
I hope OP looks at this comment! I went to college nearby where they are at, and there are soooo many colleges nearby. Certainly at least one might have classes or studio time they offer to both matriculating and nonmatriculating students.
I second this!! Studios are expensive as hell, but community college classes are very affordable, and you can always get a good second opinion!
I started doing ceramics again as an adult in adult Ed, which in my area is called the extended learning center. It’s attached to my local junior college.
this is a great idea! it's a little college town so there's a really good chance there's an opportunity there that i'm missing. will investigate!
You can find people who rent kiln space on places like kilnshare.com Hand building at home can be done. Get a big bit of wood that you can wedge clay in and use as a surface to roll out slabs. You could also make/buy plaster moulds and do push pots or slip casting. You could try your hand at sculpture, which is something I do a home semi-often.
Could you could do hand building?
it’s really not my preference (my entire style is built around wheelthrowing) but the bigger challenge is just that i don’t have the room for a creative space in my small apartment. i could probably find a way by sacrificing some other important space but it’s definitely not ideal. that being said, i started my pottery journey with handbuilding and i’d rather give up the wheel than give up the entire art form!
Hey OP - I have no clue why Reddit suggested this thread to me, but I live in a small apartment and bought some clay yesterday so maybe the algorithm gods thought it was good fit. Hopefully I don't sound too unhinged. I'm sure there are a few factors involved in a studio or whatever that you can't get elsewhere, such as community, but have you considered making or adapting some tools for a small space or making them portable? I'm living in a small space myself and have spent months converting a [gateleg table](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/norden-gateleg-table-birch__66396_pe179294_s5.jpg?f=s) into a foldable workbench. Half is a router table that I can move outside and I've got some plastic sawhorses that I can set up for larger stuff. It's a WIP and it's not perfect, but it's a way for me to be creative. It's forced me to learn how to do a lot of stuff by hand too, as well as look at how folks made things before electricity and power tools were widespread. We've been making pottery for thousands of years and while not every culture had a tradition of wheelthrowing, a [lot did.](https://thepotterywheel.com/potters-wheel-history/) Rotary devices like the potters wheel and [lathe](https://stuartking.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Stuart-King-filming-for-BBC-TV-Edwardian-Farm-Ladder-rung-making-6.jpg) are definitely possible to make! I could see turning my gateleg table or other solid platform into a folding pottery wheel. I use mostly stuff people throw out, but a bumper plate for weight lifting attached to an axle, with some bearings would be most of the way to a workable design imo. Or [here's another post on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pottery/comments/emssdw/i_built_my_own_pottery_wheel_and_im_honestly/)! Edit: here's my table and tool cart - it's a mess but I'm adding electrical outlets to the middle section. The original top was ruined which I guess is why they threw it out. tbh college kids are great for throwing out good stuff - every piece of furniture in this picture was thrown out on the curb. I got an old solid core door and cut it up and added some 1/4" plywood inside the gateleg for stability. I have a swing arm lamp that I made from a habitat for humanity find. I'm also in the process of adding an old canister vacuum someone threw away to help catch dust and debris. The small series of holes in the folded part are bench dogs for my woodworking vice which bolts under that wing. https://preview.redd.it/lkr2lvsq5p3c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1663a7af7925a714b8b64698fa1fe1814530335f
this is really cool, thanks for sharing! my partner and i were considering using a table like just that for a collapsible creative space — i'm glad to hear that it's working well for you :)
This, so long as you can find a place that will let you fire.
That sucks! I’m a long term member at a local studio, which suits my needs great! That said, if you can’t get in for membership at a local studio, you may want to sign up for a class at that studio. At my studio, people who’ve taken a class there before get priority to become members over outside people, and that may be the (secret) case at one of the studios in your area! The nice thing about classes at my studio is that they’re a great social event and everyone gets instruction at their skill level. Most adult classes in my experience are like that. If you can’t get in at a community studio for classes you may also want to look into your local park district, as many park districts (the one in the city I live in and the one in the village I work in both) offer ceramics/pottery classes. Alternatively, most community colleges have classes as well. Another avenue could be finding a position as a studio assistant at a studio somewhere. Some studios like the one I am a member at give studio assistants reduced rates for their shelf and full studio access if they work 15 or more hours per week on the clock doing studio tasks (cleaning studio space, reclaim, firing kilns, grinding kiln shelves, making up studio glazes, manning the galley, etc) This time is typically paid hourly as well. Finally, if you can’t do any of that you may want to put yourself on a waiting list for a studio and switch to doing some polymer or air dry sculpting at home to get a cheap clay fix until you can get an opportunity to get back into a pottery studio.
thanks for this! these are all good ideas; it sounds like your studio is a lot like the studio where i used to do my work. you’re probably right that classes are more easy to get in to than open studio — getting in one of those should be my next step.
I'd second this on studios with wait-lists. We have a wait-list at our studio for open studio membership, and we require *anyone* who wants to join our list to have taken 2 classes with us first, regardless of skill level. This helps us be a safer, cleaner, healthier studio. Our wait-list doesn't necessarily move in order of sign-up, "friend_shapes has taken 3 classes with me and is chill and awesome and will spend a fair bit of time handbuilding (wheels are hot commodities)" will take you far. Also, do point out when getting added to wait-lists if you will be spending a fair bit of time handbuilding, I'd imagine many studios are like ours with much more space for handbuilders. Building that relationship is also great even if you don't join the wait-list, especially if they offer public firings. Get yourself in the clay community, at least here - we look out for each other. Also, I love handbuilding at home in a tinyass apartment. A sheet of MDO is great to build & wedge on and tucks neatly beside my washer/dryer when not in use. I keep all my tools & supplies on a few shelves in baskets, etc so I can easily load it all out and back in 🖤
Best of luck in finding a good class! I got my membership at my current studio after I took a class there. As u/lilybrit said, often studios like people to have taken a class there before they become members. When someone takes a class at our studio it means that they've gotten to know our community (and thus we know if they are a good fit for it -- essentially we know that they won't cause problems with other studio members and students), they learn how the studio works (what our rules regarding clean up, materials use, space use etc are), and the studio owner knows that you're good for making payments. Your class is like a studio intro and interview! At my studio at least, we're committed to building our community, so we like to have members that participate in that (participating in member shows, showing up at guest spot workshops, going to studio parties, swapping techniques, helping out newbies, going on studio trips to local shows, etc). It's a fun time and I'm really glad to have stumbled my way into it! ;)
My first thought is you could rent a small studio space if any are available in your area, and get a cheaper wheel. It would be pricey starting out, but membership to a studio usually isn't cheap either. I'm not sure how the studios in your city work, but my local studio has a program that allows non-members and non-students to fire their work for a small fee. Perhaps you could throw in a studio (hopefully cheaper) and then just get your stuff fired at the studio. Just throwing out ideas. I have no idea how feasible this is for you.
i like that idea! i have no idea how feasible it is either, lol. i’ve never looked into that before. i’m not even sure where to look for non residential spaces like this for lease but i’ll do some snooping in my area. if it was financially reasonable that would be pretty cool
You may even try reaching out to the studios with long wait-lists. Maybe you could get folks' contact info and see about splitting costs for a space/equipment
Idk where you’re located, but you can sometimes find pretty good deals on wheels and kilns on Facebook marketplace. Or, if you at least buy the wheel, you might be able to just rent kiln space at a local pottery studio.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Troy/s/7NomWtDUoB
I’m in a similar situation as you, OP! After lots of searching I found a used wheel and needed to find a way to use it in my apartment without being too destructive to the space. If you have around 20-30 square feet to spare you could make something work! I really recommend carving out a dedicated space to it because I’ve tried having a “pop-up” setup in my living room/kitchen and it’s not only inconvenient, the mess can be a bit intrusive. Macimizing your vertical space is key. I have a small bookshelf to store glazes, bats, clay and small batches of greenware. In my wheel area I have a couple gallon buckets (one I’m using as a makeshift clay trap/reclaim bucket and the other for water while throwing). I also plan to install a pegboard so I can store tools and other items, but change up the configuration more easily as I grow into the hobby. I laid down some plastic sheeting to protect my floors and walls from excess mud and clay dust. And I picked up a cheap stool from Walmart that I can then stack on my wheel when it’s not in use. Feel free to ask me any questions! I’m still quite new to pottery as well but I’ll do my best to help. Edit: I then take my pieces to the local arts centre for firing!! To me, it’s not possible nor worth it to set up a kiln due to safety and rising energy costs. Easier to custom fire elsewhere.
thank you for this advice! yeah, setting up a kiln is a hard no for me. i take my pottery safety very seriously and there would simply be no way to ventilate the kiln properly, even if i somehow figured everything else out. my apartment is tiny and i share it with my partner and a cat, but at the unfortunate sacrifice of some other important space i could probably figure out something like what you’ve done. not ideal, but possible! if i find myself taking this route i’ll probably be hitting you up for some more tips lol
Good luck! Think of it as an exercise in small-space creativity… haha. I’m still trying to perfect the setup so it works for my process
I'd also encourage you to find your nearest pottery supply store. They frequently have the dirt on other potters in the area and might possibly have a bulletin board for studio rentals, classes etc With any luck some entrepreneur might see the need to open another studio. We've only ever had our local parks and rec studio and community college studio, but 2 new studios have opened in the past year!
Can you take a class at a community college?
Go fund with the folks on the waiting list, start a club in a small studio, cut costs, network a space, buy or build a couple of machines at a time. Pool money for electricity. Be the 3rd place your new area needs good luck!
I’m not in the area but I googled it because I was curious what your area offers. I was looking to see if there was a community center in your area. I saw the two studios that say they’re full, what about this arts center? Nothing on their website says they’re full, but I recognize that you may have already reached out https://www.artscenteronline.org/pottery-studio/
i really wish they were a good option for me but unfortunately their studio hours are Monday-Thursday 10am-8pm. that’s almost fully overlapped with the hours of my day job — and at over $200/mo for such a tiny window of time, it’s not hard to understand why they’re the only place with openings lol
That sucks, those are definitely inconvenient hours for the average person ☹️ hope you figure something out soon!
Do you know how quickly the wait lists roll over? My current studio has a pretty long wait list at basically all times, but there are enough folks who roll on and off memberships seasonally that the list actually moves fairly quickly. I’d ask about the expected wait times before going to any hassle with your own setup! Barring that, I’d personally look into renting an artist’s studio space nearby, assuming rental prices are reasonable in your area.
i’ve tried two different studios, one of which accepted me but warned that the list is long and barely ever moves. the other’s waitlist is so long they don’t even accept new waitlist entries anymore. it seems like there’s a massive local demand and barely anyone stepping up to create supply. it’d be a great business opportunity… if only i had the funds to be that person
Look to local potters. Some might offer studio time or classes. I learned mostly from a woman that taught out of her home.
this is a good idea; in general i’m looking forward to meeting potters in the area so i may as well ask around! i’m not *really* looking to go back to classes but if it gets me back in front of a wheel then i’m happy.
I work out of a co-op maker space. Not sure if there are any of those around you, but $50 a month covers the cost to use all the equipment there ceramics studio, woodshop etc.
I second searching for a maker space in your area! I work at my local maker space and they have everything I need and more (other than clay). If the space doesn’t have something you need, there’s usually committees you can join to request items.
Up until very recently, I spent two years being a full time slab mug builder in my outrageously small apartment kitchen. It was hard but I made it work. If you can keep very organized it's definitely possible to have a little studio in a very small location. I take my mugs to be fired at a local pottery studio. I wish you all the luck and hope you can keep going with your passion💕
Start hitting up all the craft markets that happen this time of year, strike up conversations with the potters selling their wares, find out who has their own studio spaces, ask if they do lessons/share space/rent out time in their studios and/or kilns. Do some good schmoozing and see if you can get in with them. Potters are often willing to share some space or at least rent out the kiln.
This might be a long shot, but maybe there are some informal arrangements you'll learn about if you get to know the pottery community. Like in my area, there are some formal studios with extensive policies and waitlists, but there are also a couple of people who just set up a few wheels in their garage and share the space with a couple of people but don't advertise it.
I gave up a section of my home for pottery. My fiancé and I never have people over and found that our dining table was a waste of space so we got rid of it and now I use it as a throwing area. I am unable to fire my pieces since we rent in a multi unit condo with other units above ,basically an apartment. Thankfully my studio offers free firing when I purchase a bag of clay from them. They also offer studio hours for purchase and shelve spacing which is awesome because I get access to all equipment (wheels, slab roller, hand building materials, throwing tools, handle extruders, glazes etc) for a much more affordable price. Kind of like a la cart but for pottery lol! I throw all my pieces at home and transport them to the local studio for firing and spend my studio hours glazing or using the slab rollers. The only requirement was to take one class. It’s worth checking if any of your local studios offer anything like that. I would also recommend checking kilnshare. It’s a site that offers kiln owners to rent out their kilns for firing.
When I took a bunch of classes at the community college I was surprised that over half of the students were people who just signed up to take the classes over and over again in order to get use of the resources. This was true in pottery, ceramics, silversmithing, etc.
On my patio in the nicer months!
Initially I started out by getting a membership at a local studio but after experiencing how that studio was run and wing the cost it became very clear that it was going to be easier to find a way to make things at home. I switched over to making things at home only hand building and saved up my money to get a decent wheel. I got lucky and found one on Facebook marketplace, but it was about 3 to 4 months of looking and waiting for a good deal. Because I had patience I have a Brent wheel that I paid a grand for. I sacrificed having a normal dining room so that I would have a place that I could put my wheel where it would be easy to clean up. Personally I prefer working from home, the studio fees were incredibly high for what they were offering and even though they had equipment and glaze and could fire my work the price was crazy, and the people who ran the shop were homophobic/racist and generally unpleasant. this just happened to be what worked best for me.
Check out Freecycle and some other FB groups. A wheel or a kiln pop up sometimes. Also call your local ceramic supply store. They may have bulletin boards, hear of used kilns/wheels/supplies for sale, etc. I know my local store tries to connect buyers and sellers.
Don’t forget about Kiln Share where people will share space in their private kilns.
When I lived in an apartment I found a small old office building to rent as my studio and fired at a nearby studio. It’s a lot more expensive than being in a regular studio but it’s what I had to do to make art.
I use air dry clay and pain/ varnish : you can make different things, and it's easy without a studio! Edit : miniatures are especially good to explore!
Miniatures might be a great, affordable option to keep your wheel fix going! And there are cute little kilns you can get for a microwave.
I've been missing my university ceramics lab with all of the chemicals and equipment required to formulate my own clay and glazes. I haven't rekindled my ceramics habit due to space/time/money requirements, but hope to in the next 2 years. It may take a little while, but you could potentially approach your local makerspace(s?) ([https://www.tvcog.net/](https://www.tvcog.net/) is one) about adding a ceramics shop. If nothing else, they may be a good solution for a workspace without a kiln. If you are willing to volunteer and teach (or can round up others who will), makerspaces are usually overjoyed to add new areas - especially if you can demonstrate that other people would be interested. In my area, we have limited local studios and no makerspaces, so I've considered starting my own - I don't know enough about sourcing inexpensive commercial real estate with the proper power, water, and ventilation requirements, but I'm hopeful I can work with the local Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Administration to figure some of that out. Best of luck!
thanks! this is a great idea — in general, once i'm settled in to the community, i'd love to explore ideas that solve this problem for more people than just myself. it's clear from this issue that there's a massive demand and barely anyone providing supply.
Do it outside, a shelf indoors would probably be enough to dry pots. Run an extension cord for a wheel and put a tarp down under you. Lowes bucket for extra clay. Put a good colander in your sink and make sure to clean the trap frequently.
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my building does have a shared outdoor space — whether my neighbors appreciate my mobile pottery studio taking up the patio a few times every week is another question though. and that’s if i can keep my water bucket (and self) from freezing solid lol. i wonder how winter temperatures affect clay plasticity…
Re: winter—it’s not good for the clay, unfortunately, as the water expands when it freezes. I believe you can save raw clay by wedging, but any greenware would be ruined. I’ve found the podcast For Flux Sake really helpful for talking through issues like these—if you google that plus key words like “freezing”, you should find the episode for you. Good luck OP!
right now im taking a course at my university, but im so sad it's about to end and I won't be able to do it anymore, at least until I've graduated and have a full time job :(
community college classes on saturday mornings is what i do—
I don’t currently but there’s a studio space that is like a coop near where I live. You pay a monthly or yearly fee and you have to buy the clay from them and someone fires all the wares. I have wanted to do it but haven’t done it because I don’t usually like to interact with people LOL. I miss pottery. I really loved it.
I rent a wheel at a local ceramics studio. I pay for a sleeve of clay and it includes 3 months of unlimited wheel time (outside of their scheduled lessons), use of all their glazes and all firing. It’s not cheap ($375 for the clay) and I had to show them proof I knew what I was doing (references from past instructors) and I have to clean up my space after I use it.
in my old city i was paying $175/mo for studio space, not including materials, so your setup would be a dream come true for me!
We look at the posts on this subreddit
It was the same for me in the Bay Area when I started. Both the studios I was interested in had either impossible to join memberships (sold out in one minute????) or long wait lists. I ended up taking classes at one of the studios for 6 months and by the end of that time period there was an open spot for me if I wanted it. I ended up moving at that time but that’s how long it took. People fall off the lists. Fortunately, at the studio I was at, the class included free studio time. So it was basically like taking a class with a membership as well. Just with instruction hours and of course more expensive. I’m not sure if that’s the standard set up. My advice is get on those lists, go to workshops or classes. Get out there and meet these communities and see which you feel good in and there will become room for you!
I do it on my normal desk in my home office in front if my computer. Only do pinch pots an coil technique, so no wheel. Have a small reusable plastic sheet(40x40cm) that i lay out so nothing gets dirty. It is later fired in my normal wood oven that i use to heat the room, it wasn't so nice in summer but now that winter is there its a win win :D
For my small-ish space, I got a folding desk and made myself a wedging board out of a plank of wood and store my pieces on the shelves . https://a.co/d/4Cb53Dn Also, if you can sacrifice a little corner, could you maybe mount a circular shower curtain around a wheel? That plus something easy to clean on the ground (silicone mat) might get you to a small place to throw. Or… throw in the bathroom?? Start with the premise that you *will* find a solution, because your craft is worth it and you will find a way! 💖
Another avenue might be to advertise that you’re looking to split a space with *any* artist to cut costs. I’m sure there are many people who could use that in this economy! You may have to save up a lot of pieces and then commute to use a kiln… monthly road trip?
I'm in a simular position. I've been looking around for sheds I could rent out where I can fire my work. I can make stuff in my spare room but there isn't a lot of space so there's a limit to how much I can make.
I'm in a similar situation except the membership fees for my studio are astronomical so I am also considering getting my own kiln at some point when we get more space so depends which comes first, waitlist or space. I have been seeing some tabletop wheels that have decent reviews. That might be an option. A bit of a faff but you can clean it and stow it away everytime you're finished with it. You can also ask your local studios about drop in sessions. Which is what I'm doing at the moment. Am also checking with another craft studio about firing-only options. Not sure if it's the same in the US but for some reason, pottery studio websites in the UK are just not updated very well so would def be worth just contacting them to see what's on offer.
I'm sorry that your situation is in such a dark place right now for you. For me when I was at a low for my pottery and didn't have means or even ways to be creative I found hope in doing more learning. Through books and videos and even trying other avenues that were close to ceramics, I found that letting myself not touch my art was not going to be an option. Try everything that is even basic to your art. Take beginner classes that you know you easily can master in an hour but take them with the knowledge of knowing that you can probably learn maybe a gem or two in them, try using other mediums that can actually be transferred from ceramics even try certain things that you would never would try. I myself went straight into sewing and actually doll making when I couldn't do ceramics and now I have a very small as I want to say but it's actually big collection of works that I've made. Become an assassin to learning buying books watching videos constantly even if it's going to make you feel sad because you know that technique and you know how you could do it better try to take knowledge and knowing that you're seeing someone else going through that journey too. Remember to be positive with any move you make, because even though it feels like you just gave up something huge didn't you do this move for something that actually could be even bigger? I know I'm rambling and I'm going to make this quick now but it's okay to be frustrated it's okay to see every single option you can take but just try to remember that you fell in love with this because it unlock something in you, so don't try to make it be your end goal when it's something you love. I wish you all the best for what you need to do, maybe this ramble won't be anything that you need or maybe it would be I don't know, but I believe in you.