Let’s Clay!
Building Community Through Clay
This is where the fun starts! Explore our list of upcoming classes, courses & workshops below to find one that is just right. We now offer classes and workshops for children and adults!
If none of our regularly scheduled group classes feels like the place you’d like to start, you might want to schedule a one-on-one or private class with friends or colleagues as a way to get started, hone your skills or simply have fun and get to know each other better.
Are you looking for a place to keep playing after your class ended or a studio to practice your craft? Check out our membership options.
Still not sure what’s right for you? Call or write to us for more information!
We want to help you find the right fit! We are firm believers in “the more the merrier” here at the Staunton Clayground!
A Brief List of Our Ongoing and Upcoming Classes & Workshops
(Listed chronologically by start date - scroll down or click the links to read the more detailed descriptions below)
Our first 2025 classes are up! More are coming!
What’s starting soon?
Intermediate Wheel Throwing: Tuesday evenings, January 14–March 4, 2025, 5:00–7:15 (18 hours total –– Note: This start and end dates of this class have been moved back one week due to the inclement weather on Tuesday, Jan. 7, the class’s original scheduled start date.
**LIMITED SPOTS REMAINING–A Tulip Vase With A Hydroponic Tulip Bouquet: A One-Day Handbuilding Workshop in January 2025 – A Partnership With Quince & Burdock – choose between Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2:30–5:30 pm, Tuesday evening, January 28, 5:30–8:30 pm, Wednesday morning, January 29, 9:00 am–12:00 noon, with vase and bouquet pick-up on Wednesday, February 12 at 5:30 pm, in time for Valentine’s Day!
**SOLD OUT!–Handbuilding Basics – A Four-Week Workshop: Thursday evenings, January 30–February 20, 2025, 5:30–8:30 pm (12 hours total)
**NEW –KIDS’ CO-WORKSHOP!– Story Time & Paint-Your-Own Ceramic Valentine’s Heart! A Half-Hour Workshop for Kids Ages 5+: Saturday, February 8, at the Book Dragon bookshop, from 1:00–2:30 pm, with seatings every half-hour
Pottery Wheel For All-Level Beginners: Sunday afternoons, February 9–March 30, 2025, 3:00–5:15 pm (18 hours total)
**NEW –KIDS’ WORKSHOP! (Ages 6–11)– Marvelous MONSTERS! A Two-Hour Workshop in Two Parts: Saturday mornings, February 15 & March 1, 2025, 10:30–11:30 am
**NEW –YOUNG CRAFTERS’ WORKSHOP! (Ages 12–16)– Make A MONSTER MUG! A Four-Hour Workshop in Two Parts: Saturday afternoons, February 15 & March 1, 1:00–3:00 pm
Pottery Wheel For All-Level Beginners: Saturday afternoons, February 15–March 22, 2025, 3:00–5:00 pm (12 hours total)
Handbuilding Basics – A Four-Week Workshop: Wednesday evenings, February 19–March 12, 2025, 5:30–8:30 pm (12 hours total)
Pottery Wheel For All-Level Beginners: Monday evenings, February 24–March 31, 2025, 6:00–8:00 pm (12 hours total)
Scroll down for detailed info about each listing!
What’s already in session?
Pottery Wheel For All-Level Beginners: Friday evenings, January 3–February 28, 2025, 5:00–7:15 pm (18 hour total, with a break for Friday, Feb. 14, Valentine's Day)
Pottery Wheel For All-Level Beginners: Saturday afternoons, January 4–February 8, 2025, 3:00–5:00 pm (12 hours total)
Pottery Wheel For All-Level Beginners: Wednesday evenings, January 8–February 12, 2025, 6:00–8:00 pm (12 hours total)
Scroll down for detailed info about each listing!
Intermediate Wheel Throwing
Tuesday evenings, 5:00–7:15 p.m., January 14–March 4, 2025
(Note: This start and end dates of this class have been moved back one week due to the inclement weather on Tuesday, Jan. 7, the class’s original scheduled start date. The total run time of the course remains 18 hours.)
This is an intermediate class for students who are already comfortable with working on the wheel. The class is a good fit for students who can throw and trim complete vessels, with handles, unassisted. In this class we will practice throwing plates as well as elegant, rounded vases. Together, we will be tackling the more challenging forms and incorporating design elements that add interest and make our work shine.
Everyone will have functional food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe wares to take home by the end of this class!
Instructors: Valya Boutenko
Price: $270 (includes and all necessary materials and glazes. There is no limit to the number of pieces each student can make and fire during this class.)
A Tulip Vase With A Hydroponic Tulip Bouquet: A One-Day Handbuilding Workshop in January 2025 – A Partnership With Quince & Burdock
Choose from one of 3 workshop times:
Sunday afternoon (sold out), January 26, 2:30–5:30 pm
Tuesday evening (limited spots remaining), January 28, 5:30–8:30 pm
Wednesday morning (sold out), January 29, 9:00 am–12:00 noon
Pick-up for all three sessions, with tulip tips with Erin Wright of Quince & Burdock and bouquet pick-up, will be on Wednesday, February 12, at 5:30 pm.
Get ready for the profusion of spring tulips by creating a vase especially designed around the graceful curve of tulip stems. Over the course of 3 hours, through a combination of slab and sculpture, you will build and decorate your creation with handmade flower motifs. You will choose a glaze color from several options, and pick up your glazed and fired vase, complete with tulips, in time for Valentines Day! Erin Wright of Quince & Burdock will be on hand at vase pick-up to provide you with your bouquet, talk about tulip care and answer questions about hydroponic gardening. Vase is dishwasher safe.
Instructors: Cary Dahl and Erin Wright
Price: $95 for workshop plus $30 for a bouquet of one-dozen tulips, also available in our web store at this link, exclusively for workshop participants – Open to adults (age 14+ or 12+ if working alongside an accompanying adult).
Handbuilding Basics – A Four-Week Workshop
Thursday evenings, 5:30–8:30, January 30–February 20, 2025
SOLD OUT! BUT THIS WORKSHOP IS RUNNING AGAIN, ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, FEB. 19–MARCH 12, 2025! CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE LISTING!
No prior clay experience necessary!
Yes, we all love the movie Ghost, but pottery is so much more than just the wheel!
Over the course of four 3-hour sessions we will explore some of the essential techniques of handbuilding, making several unique functional pieces to take home. You will build confidence working with both soft and leather-hard clay, and explore a variety of surface texturing and glazing techniques. Possible projects will include a serving dish, an angular vase, and a utensil caddy (all food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe).
Instructors: Cary Dahl
Price: $200 (includes materials and all necessary glazes) – Open to adults (age 14+ or 12+ if working alongside an accompanying adult).
Story Time & Paint-Your-Own Ceramic Valentine’s Heart! A Half-Hour Workshop for Kids Ages 5+: Saturday, February 8, at the Book Dragon bookshop, from 1:00–2:30 pm, with seatings every half-hour
Saturday, February 8, at 102 W. Beverley St.
1:00–2:30 pm, with 30-minute seatings every half-hour
Story Time & Paint-Your-Own Ceramic Valentine’s Heart! A Half-Hour Workshop for Kids Ages 5+: Saturday, February 8, at the Book Dragon, from 1:00–2:30 pm, with seatings every half-hour.
Calling all kids ages 5 and up! Come and paint your own handmade Valentine’s Heart at the Book Dragon bookshop, located at 102 W. Beverley Street. Join us for a themed story time and a chance to decorate a clay ornament in the shape of a heart, handmade for you by the Staunton Clayground pottery studio! Parents can browse the shelves while they wait. Valentine’s Hearts will be ready to take home at the end of the session, and kids can collect a treat on their way out the door!
Ticket price: $10 (each additional child, $8.00). We will be seating 8 children at a time, every half hour. Don’t forget to click on the shopping bag at the top of the page to complete your purchase!
Instructor: Brooke Fawley
Pottery Wheel for All-Level Beginners:
Sunday afternoons, February 9–March 30, 2025, 3:00–5:15 pm
Eight sessions (18 hours total)
Come learn to throw functional pottery on the wheel. Students will try their hand at centering clay and throwing basic forms such as cylinders and bowls. The class will focus on mastering simple throwing and trimming techniques and will cover pulling handles for mugs as well as glazing techniques. First-time beginners are welcome.
Everyone will have functional food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe wares to take home by the end of this class!
Instructors: Valya Boutenko
Price: $270 (includes and all necessary materials and glazes. There is no limit to the number of pieces each student can make and fire during this class.)
Kids Workshop! (Ages 6–11) Marvelous Monsters!
A Two-Hour Workshop in Two Parts: Saturday mornings, February 15 & March 1, 10:30–11:30 am
Calling all monster makers! Join children’s art teacher and monster maker extraordinaire, Brooke Fawley, for a 2-part workshop and make your very own marvelous monster to take home! In the first session, we will learn how to hand-build and sculpt our monstrosities out of clay. In the second session, we will paint them with all kinds of fun underglazes to make them stand out from the crowd! Finished and fired monsters will be ready for pick-up at 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 8. Uaaarrrggh!
Instructor: Brooke Fawley
Price: $45 (includes and all necessary materials, glazes and firing).
Young Crafters’ Workshop! (Ages 12–16) Make A Monster Mug!
A Four-Hour Workshop in Two Parts: Saturday afternoons, February 15 & March 1, 1:00–3:00 pm
Make every day a terror-ifically monstrous delight by putting your favorite hot beverage in your very own handmade monster mug! In the first session, our fabulous monster maker, Brooke Fawley, will teach you the basics of a foundational hand-building technique, slab-building, so that you can craft your mug, and show you how to transform it into a monstrosity of the very best kind! In the second session, you will apply underglaze colors to make your monsters even more wild, wonderful and unique! Fired mugs will be ready for pick up on Saturday, March 8, at 1:00 pm.
Instructor: Brooke Fawley
Price: $60 (includes and all necessary materials, glazes and firing).
Pottery Wheel for All-Level Beginners:
Saturday afternoons, February 15–March 22, 2025
3:00–5:00 pm
Six 2-hour sessions (12 hours total)
Have you always wanted to try your hand at throwing pottery on the wheel and never had a chance? Have you spent some time on the wheel but want an opportunity to gain confidence and hone your skills? Over the course of six 2-hour sessions, we will focus on setting achievable goals and making them into a reality!
The newest potters will learn the basics of making classic vessels like cups and bowls. Those with some experience will focus on gaining confidence with foundational skills such as centering, pulling up the walls, creating consistent cylinders and more. Students who are already able to create simple wares on their own will instead concentrate on design and consistency. We’ll also look at trimming and decoration, as well as how to add handles to our creations. Everyone will have functional food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe wares to take home by the end of this class!
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $180 (includes materials and all necessary glazes. There is no limit to the number of pieces each student can make and fire during this class.)
Handbuilding Basics – A Four-Week Workshop
Wednesday evenings, 5:30–8:30, February 19–March 12, 2025
No prior clay experience necessary!
Yes, we all love the movie Ghost, but pottery is so much more than just the wheel!
Over the course of four 3-hour sessions we will explore some of the essential techniques of handbuilding, making several unique functional pieces to take home. You will build confidence working with both soft and leather-hard clay, and explore a variety of surface texturing and glazing techniques. Possible projects will include a serving dish, an angular vase, and a utensil caddy (all food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe).
Instructors: Cary Dahl
Price: $200 (includes materials and all necessary glazes) – Open to adults (age 14+ or 12+ if working alongside an accompanying adult).
Pottery Wheel for All-Level Beginners:
Monday evenings, February 24–March 31, 2025
6:00–8:00 pm
Six 2-hour sessions (12 hours total)
Have you always wanted to try your hand at throwing pottery on the wheel and never had a chance? Have you spent some time on the wheel but want an opportunity to gain confidence and hone your skills? Over the course of six 2-hour sessions, we will focus on setting achievable goals and making them into a reality!
The newest potters will learn the basics of making classic vessels like cups and bowls. Those with some experience will focus on gaining confidence with foundational skills such as centering, pulling up the walls, creating consistent cylinders and more. Students who are already able to create simple wares on their own will instead concentrate on design and consistency. We’ll also look at trimming and decoration, as well as how to add handles to our creations. Everyone will have functional food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe wares to take home by the end of this class!
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $180 (includes materials and all necessary glazes. There is no limit to the number of pieces each student can make and fire during this class.)
Pottery Wheel for All-Level Beginners:
18-HOUR EVENING COURSE – IN SESSION! COMING AGAIN LATER THIS YEAR!
Eight sessions (18 hours total)
Come learn to throw functional pottery on the wheel. Students will try their hand at centering clay and throwing basic forms such as cylinders and bowls. The class will focus on mastering simple throwing and trimming techniques and will cover pulling handles for mugs as well as glazing techniques. First-time beginners are welcome.
Everyone will have functional food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe wares to take home by the end of this class!
Instructors: Valya Boutenko
Price: $270 (includes and all necessary materials and glazes. There is no limit to the number of pieces each student can make and fire during this class.)
Pottery Wheel for All-Level Beginners:
Saturday afternoons starting in January - IN SESSION, BUT THIS CLASS WILL RUN AGAIN SATURDAYS STARTING IN FEBRUARY, FROM FEBRUARY 15–MARCH 22, 2025. CHECK OUT THE LISTING HERE!
3:00–5:00 pm
Six 2-hour sessions (12 hours total)
Have you always wanted to try your hand at throwing pottery on the wheel and never had a chance? Have you spent some time on the wheel but want an opportunity to gain confidence and hone your skills? Over the course of six 2-hour sessions, we will focus on setting achievable goals and making them into a reality!
The newest potters will learn the basics of making classic vessels like cups and bowls. Those with some experience will focus on gaining confidence with foundational skills such as centering, pulling up the walls, creating consistent cylinders and more. Students who are already able to create simple wares on their own will instead concentrate on design and consistency. We’ll also look at trimming and decoration, as well as how to add handles to our creations. Everyone will have functional food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe wares to take home by the end of this class!
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $180 (includes materials and all necessary glazes. There is no limit to the number of pieces each student can make and fire during this class.)
Pottery Wheel for All-Level Beginners:
Wednesday evenings, January 8–February 12, 2025
6:00–8:00 pm
IN SESSION! MORE 12-HOUR WEEKNIGHT COURSES AVAILABLE: Monday evenings, Feb. 24–Mar. 31; and on Wednesday evenings starting in April and in May (listings coming in February!)
Six 2-hour sessions (12 hours total)
Have you always wanted to try your hand at throwing pottery on the wheel and never had a chance? Have you spent some time on the wheel but want an opportunity to gain confidence and hone your skills? Over the course of six 2-hour sessions, we will focus on setting achievable goals and making them into a reality!
The newest potters will learn the basics of making classic vessels like cups and bowls. Those with some experience will focus on gaining confidence with foundational skills such as centering, pulling up the walls, creating consistent cylinders and more. Students who are already able to create simple wares on their own will instead concentrate on design and consistency. We’ll also look at trimming and decoration, as well as how to add handles to our creations. Everyone will have functional food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe wares to take home by the end of this class!
Instructor: Mary Tuttle
Price: $180 (includes materials and all necessary glazes. There is no limit to the number of pieces each student can make and fire during this class.)
Get in touch! We’re happy to answer your questions.
“Every time I center the clay on the wheel, I feel like I am centering myself. Creativity comes from a place of inner stillness and joy.”
