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)

What’s starting soon?

Kids Class! (Ages 7–12) Build a Pinch-Pot Turkey!

Saturday mornings, 10:00–12:00 noon,

November 2 and November 16

Two sessions (4 hours total)

Image of unglazed pinch-pot turkey with Thanksgiving-themed border

There’s a chill in the air and… do I smell pumpkin pie? That must mean it’s time to get a turkey for your table! Come join us at the Staunton Clayground from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 16 to create your very own ceramic turkey. In the first session, kids will learn how to handbuild a pot using the pinch-pot technique, then add coils and other decorative elements to transform it into a beautiful Thanksgiving bird! In the second session, they’ll use underglazes and glazes to give it color and personality. Turkeys will be ready for pick-up the following Saturday, Nov. 23, in time to grace the holiday table!

Instructor: Christy Pilson

Price: $60 (includes and all necessary materials, glazes and firing).

Kids Class! (Ages 6–12) The Penguins Are Coming!

Saturday afternoons, 2:00–3:30 p.m.,

November 23 and December 7

Two sessions (3 hours total)

Pottery penguins

Cold days are coming! When I think of winter, I think of wooly scarves, hot cocoa, a blanket of fresh white snow and… penguins! Come join us at the Staunton Clayground from 2:00–3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 7 to build a ceramic penguin. In the first session, kids will learn how to use clay to build and sculpt their feathered friend. In the second session, they’ll use underglazes and glazes to bring it to joyful life. Penguins will be ready for pick-up the following Saturday, Dec. 14, in time cheer your household through the holiday season and beyond!

Instructor: Brooke Fawley

Price: $45 (includes and all necessary materials, glazes and firing).

Paint Your Own Ornaments! A One-Day Workshop For Adults & Families

Saturday morning, 10:00–12:00 noon,

Choose between November 23 and December 7

(…or do it twice! 2 hours per session)

What better way to decorate your home for the holidays than with ornaments you've made yourself? Whether hanging from your Christmas tree or in your kitchen window to ward off the winter chill, they will brighten the season with extra love and cheer!

Participants will select three pre-fired ceramic ornaments made by hand right here in our studio to paint using underglaze colors. We will then seal them with a clear topcoat of glaze and put them through their second firing in time to decorate your home for the holidays or gift them to a friend. 

Shapes to choose from include trees, gingerbread men, stars, snowflakes, mittens, sweaters, stockings and wooly hats and hearts.

Come on your own, bring a friend or bring your whole family along! This two-hour workshop is open to adults ages 12 and up as well as to children ages 6 and up, as long as they are working alongside an adult.

Price: $45 per adult, $35 per accompanying child (includes and all necessary materials, glazes and firing).

November 23 pick-up day: December 7

December 7 pick-up day: December 14

An Introduction To Handbuilding

IN SESSION! COMING AGAIN IN EARLY 2025!

Yes, we all love the movie Ghost, but pottery is so much more than just the wheel!

Over the course of five 2.5-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 techniques. Projects will include a set of small plates, a birdbath with bird sculpture, an angular vase, and a mug (all food, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe).

Instructors: Cary Dahl

Open to adults (age 14+ or 12 if attending with a parent or guardian).

Pottery Wheel for All-Level Beginners:

IN SESSION! COMING AGAIN IN EARLY 2025!

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 3-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: $165 (includes materials and all necessary glazes. There is no limit to the number of pieces each student can make and fire during this class.)

Beyond Basics On The Pottery Wheel

Tuesday evenings

IN SESSION! COMING AGAIN IN EARLY 2025!

This is an intermediate class for students who are somewhat familiar with working on the wheel. The class is a good fit for students who can throw a basic cylinder and a simple bowl form. 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: $210 (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:

IN SESSION! COMING AGAIN IN EARLY 2025!

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: $210 (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.)

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.”

Come and clay!