Check out our upcoming classes and workshops!
Wheel Classes
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In this class students will be making a set of giant beads (both handbuilt and thrown on the wheel) that will later be strung onto a piece of rebar to fashion a trendy garden totem sculpture. This is your chance to make this artistic piece to your own liking, in the color palette of your choosing. Students will be able to implement any theme that inspires them or simply make the shapes that speak to them. The class will use impressions of real plants, practice carving, and using underglaze transfers. The sculpture will be crowned with a spherical shape that features a hand-sculpted animal. Rebar and washers (to fit between beads) will be provided.
Instructor: Valya Boutenko
Price: $150
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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Jump into this awesome, well-rounded introduction to ceramics! In the first week students will have an introduction to handbuilding. The second week will center around practicing wheel throwing, while the third week will focus on trimming, adding handles, and finishing your pieces. Finally, in week four, students will practice glazing their work. This is a beginner level class for students looking to dip their toes into the wonderful world of pottery and get a good sense of what working with clay is all about.
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $120
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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Jump into this awesome, well-rounded introduction to ceramics! In the first week students will have an introduction to handbuilding. The second week will center around practicing wheel throwing, while the third week will focus on trimming, adding handles, and finishing your pieces. Finally, in week four, students will practice glazing their work. This is a beginner level class for students looking to dip their toes into the wonderful world of pottery and get a good sense of what working with clay is all about.
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $120
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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The idea of the Clay Club arose from the desire to help intermediate potters move beyond basic forms and develop in new directions. In this class, we will be building on the existing skills of the students and focus on implementing unexpected artistic elements into our work. The objective of this class is to broaden the horizons of what’s possible, spark curiosity, and find delightful ways to refine and elevate one’s signature style. This class starts with a simple wheel thrown assignment that is then augmented with handbuilt details to give each piece it’s uniqueness character and “je ne sais quoi”. The last class is for glazing all the artwork.
Instructor: Valya Boutenko
Price: $150
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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Come learn to throw functional pottery on the wheel. This is an in-depth class where students will get loads of practice centering clay and throwing basic forms such as cylinders, bowls, vases, and small plates. Each week will begin with the demo of an exciting new assignment. The class will focus on mastering simple throwing and trimming techniques and will cover handle-pulling for mugs, securely attaching clay features and embellishments, decorative carving, the use of stamps and textures, as well as tried and true glazing methods. First-time beginners are welcome, as well as students looking to solidify their skills and build confidence.
Instructor: Valya Boutenko
Price: $180
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
Handbuilding & Decorating Classes
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In this class students will be making a set of giant beads (both handbuilt and thrown on the wheel) that will later be strung onto a piece of rebar to fashion a trendy garden totem sculpture. This is your chance to make this artistic piece to your own liking, in the color palette of your choosing. Students will be able to implement any theme that inspires them or simply make the shapes that speak to them. The class will use impressions of real plants, practice carving, and using underglaze transfers. The sculpture will be crowned with a spherical shape that features a hand-sculpted animal. Rebar and washers (to fit between beads) will be provided.
Instructor: Valya Boutenko
Price: $150
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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This offering is an intermediate 6-week class where students bring in ideas they came up with on their own, or were inspired by online, and the teacher helps facilitate these unique projects. Make your pottery wishes come true with this flexible class that easily accommodates the distinct goals of each student. Whether you want to make an elaborate ceramic wind chime for your porch, a gnome sculpture for your garden, or a set of dollhouse furniture for your grandkids, this is the class for you.
Instructor: Esther Cranfill
Price: $180
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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Jump into this awesome, well-rounded introduction to ceramics! In the first week students will have an introduction to handbuilding. The second week will center around practicing wheel throwing, while the third week will focus on trimming, adding handles, and finishing your pieces. Finally, in week four, students will practice glazing their work. This is a beginner level class for students looking to dip their toes into the wonderful world of pottery and get a good sense of what working with clay is all about.
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $120
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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Jump into this awesome, well-rounded introduction to ceramics! In the first week students will have an introduction to handbuilding. The second week will center around practicing wheel throwing, while the third week will focus on trimming, adding handles, and finishing your pieces. Finally, in week four, students will practice glazing their work. This is a beginner level class for students looking to dip their toes into the wonderful world of pottery and get a good sense of what working with clay is all about.
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $120
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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No Class on July 4
Do you want to learn one of the most fundamental and historic forms of handbuilding? From functional to sculptural, coil building can be used to make anything from simple vases and pots to ornate sculptures and oversized vessels. Designed for both beginners and intermediate students, in this class we will begin with coil building basics, then progress to more sculptural or structurally ambitious pieces. Over the course of 4 weeks, students will have the opportunity to design and create two distinct projects, with extra allotments of clay and firing space. There will be a two-week break, (giving the clay vessels ample time to dry). In the fourth class, students will glaze their masterpieces.
Instructor: Anya Beldon
Price: $250
Max Number of Students: 6 (Ages 14+)
Kid and Adult Workshops
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This Mother’s Day, why not plan to surprise your mother with a set of 4 handmade dessert plates? These special plates will be decorated with small flowers and fashioned as lily pads. Nothing could be sweeter than the sight of these lovely dishes loaded up with scrumptious treats. Pamper and celebrate your mother by presenting her with a handmade gift that conveys a message of deep gratitude and love. All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate in this fun class.
Instructor: Valya Boutenko
Price: $80
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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Come build a gnome home with us! Provide a home for gnomes to dwell in your garden. There will be a variety of styles and glazes to choose from. Each student will create a one-of-a-kind shelter that is decorative and whimsical in the garden. Students have the option of coming back to glaze their work or having Clayground staff glaze it for them.
Instructor: Christy Pilson
Price: $75
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 7-100)
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Come make some charming dollhouse furniture with us! In this playful short class, students will get to make items such as miniature food, dishes, books, shelves, picture frames, bathtubs, refrigerators, chairs, tables, sofas, beds—and whatever else they can dream up. This is your chance to make all the pieces that are missing from your dollhouse in one fell swoop. A selection of cute underglaze transfer patterns will be provided. Students of all ages and skill levels are welcome to join this rewarding class.
Instructor: Valya Boutenko
Price: $75
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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Come make an adorable ceramic piggy bank with your own hands! The main body of the piece is wheel-thrown, but the handbuilt details are what truly make it shine. The snout of the sculpture is a large removable cork, so that the piggy bank can serve for many years to come. Radiating positivity, this useful sculpture is the decoration that encourages kids and grownups alike to save some change for their next big adventure.
Instructor: Kyrsten Bryant
Price: $90
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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It won’t be long until radiant yellow sunflowers are tempting us from every corner of the Staunton Farmers market. “But where will I put them?” each one of us will wonder. Before it’s too late, come make an extra-sturdy vase with us to hold these fiery summer beauties. The season goes by quick—and fortune favors the bold. Beginners welcome.
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $85
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
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Leaves have ideal shapes and textures to use to create plates in clay. One of the most unique leaves is the lily pad. A reminder of spring and the summer to come! In this class, the lily pad, (and the creatures who live around it), become our inspiration. We will build 4 lovely, usable plates to remind us of the warmth and wonder of the coming growing season.
Instructor: Christy Pilson
Price: $85
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 7-100)
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In this class students will be making a handbuilt Mother’s Day hanging flower basket with impressions of actual plants from nature. On the last day of class, students will get to plant a succulent in their finished ceramic creation. Functional, elegant, and enchanting, this hanging planter is sure to keep shining long into summer. Students will choose from a selection of glaze options presented, and their artwork will be fired and glazed by Clayground staff.
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $95
Max Number of Students: 8 (Ages 14+)
Get in touch! We’re happy to answer your questions.
