ABOUT CLASSES
We have two 14-week class sessions at the Potters Guild, one in the fall and the other in the winter months. They are scheduled for one evening per week for three hours. There are two separate class groups, each with up to 14 students. Classes include 21 lab hours when students may choose to work at the Guild outside of the class hours.
FEES
The class fee is $475 and includes clay, glaze materials, kiln firing and lab hours. If you need to cancel your registration, we make every effort to provide a full refund minus a $25 handling fee, provided we are able to fill the vacant spot. Should the space remain unfilled we apologize, but we will be unable to provide a refund.
TAKE A BREAK
If you have taken four consecutive classes at the Guild you will be asked to step aside for a class session. This gives people who are on the waiting list an opportunity to take a class. Your name will be added to the bottom of the waiting list so it may still be possible for you to enroll.
SCHOLARSHIP
A scholarship of up to $475 is available for each class session. The scholarships the for winter/spring semester have been issued. New scholarships will be available in the Fall of 2026.
QUESTIONS?
Send an email to the registrar, Debbie Thompson pgregistrar@gmail.com If you would like to see the facilities.
HAIR DRYERS & HAND BUILDING: Evenings in Series, Repetition, and Play
Taught by Richard Boehnke
Tuesdays, January 13 to April 14 7:00-10:00 PM
$475 includes materials, firing and studio time
Hairdryers & Handbuilding: Evenings in Series, Repetition, and Play
You have one evening a week to step away from the routine and just MAKE SOMETHING. Yet, that project, that piece, that idea just takes more time than you have this evening: The clay needs to dry so you can attach that handle, to be ready to trim that base. Yet, when you come back the next week, it is TOO dry! In this course, we will explore how to craft handbuilt forms in class-sized pieces. Together, we will play within a series, repeating steps to practice. Yet, we will also finish pieces within one class period, so that idea doesn’t have to wait until next week… unless you decide to make another. Remember that while practice may not make “perfect,” it does make “better.” For the first several weeks of the course, students will be provided templates as starting points for forms (e.g. a cup, a bowl, a vase). In each meeting, students will make multiple iterations of these forms, focusing on different techniques to tease a unique form from a common template. After the collective practice of making these choices, guided exploration, and repetition, students will then be given time to create their own templates, embracing the thrill of taking that next step and uncovering another idea. This course is best suited for students who have had some prior clay experience and are comfortable making straightforward forms using whatever techniques you are comfortable with, e.g. throwing or handbuilding. Hairdryers will be essential equipment, and, should you not have your own, we recommend getting one used from one of the many thrift stores in town.
THE BASICS: Throwing, Handbuilding and Glazing
Taught by Daria Paik
Thursdays, January 15 to April 16 7:00-10:00 PM
$475 includes materials, firing and studio time
Daria has been teaching wheel throwing, handbuilding & glazing techniques for beginning students as well as advanced students since 2006. She also teaches brush & drum making. She has taught classes in clay at Glacier Hills, the Ann Arbor Potters Guild and was a student advisor in the clay studio for 9 years at Washtenaw Community College. In this class she will be teaching wheel throwing and glazing techniques in addition to exploring surface decoration using silk screening, slip trailing, stencils, and terra sigillata.
For Daria "Clay comes from the earth; art comes from the soul. Clay is like a blank state of mind waiting for me to make it into whatever I feel at the moment.
When I touch clay, I forget time. My passion for art stems from this basic premise: something from nothing, and the hope that the only prerequisite for art is a spark of creativity."
QUESTIONS? Send an email to pgregistrar@gmail.com
If you would like to see the facilities, this can be arranged by sending an email to the Registrar, Debbie Thompson.
A testimonial from one of our students:
My experience as a first time student at the Guild was such a wonderful and fulfilling experience. The community welcomed me with open arms, warm hellos, and invaluable sharing of knowledge. I was so excited to enroll in the class, and due to my current financial state, the scholarship allowed me the ability to do so! I am deeply grateful for the generosity of the Guild and its granting me of the scholarship. Thank you to all those involved, I cannot describe how I've valued connecting with these incredible individuals, the resources, and this creative environment.
Alyse G. Ann Arbor