For Students
Learn The Craft Of Clay
Structured instruction for people beginning ceramics and for students ready to build greater technical fluency and confidence at the wheel and on the table.
Twelve-Week Semesters
Foundations
Semester-length courses for students learning ceramics for the first time and for students building on prior experience. Each semester includes ten instructional sessions, one wrap-up week, and one spare week for holidays or schedule adjustments. Sessions run approximately 2.5 hours.
Foundations 1
No prior experience requiredWheel Throwing
Learn to throw on the potter's wheel. This course covers centering, opening, pulling walls, shaping, trimming, surface treatment, glazing, and kiln firing — the complete process from a lump of clay to a finished pot.
The first half of the semester focuses on forming skills. The second half introduces trimming, surface, and glaze as your work moves through bisque firing. You'll finish the semester with completed functional pieces.
Handbuilding & Sculptural Techniques
An introduction to working with clay by hand. Students learn pinch, coil, slab, and additive construction methods, along with joining, structural integrity, surface treatment, and how to think about form without a wheel.
Work can range from functional to decorative — vessels, planters, lidded containers, tiles, figurative objects, and sculptural forms. The course covers the full process through glazing and firing.
Mixed Methods
A flexible introduction for students who want to explore both wheel throwing and handbuilding, or who aren't sure which direction to go. The same foundational material is covered, with instructor guidance tailored to individual interests.
This is also a good option if other Foundations 1 sections don't fit your schedule.
Foundations 2
Prior wheel experienceWheel Throwing
For students who have taken a beginner wheel class — here or elsewhere — and want to develop their work beyond basic cylinders. The course covers shaping with intention, trimming as a design decision, pulled handles, lids, galleries, and more developed surface and glaze techniques including sgraffito, wax resist, and layered glazes.
The instructor still covers centering, but the pace assumes you've been on a wheel before. Most class time is spent on what happens after the clay is open.
Students purchase clay from studio stock and provide their own tools or purchase a starter kit from the studio. Firing and glaze materials are included in tuition. One student shelf is included for the duration of the semester. Students may practice in Studio A whenever classes are not in session.
Six-Week Intensives
Focused Work
Short courses built around a specific form, technique, or project. Topics rotate each term. Five instructional sessions plus one spare week. Sessions run approximately 2.5 hours.
Wheel Intensive
A focused course built around a specific wheel-throwing objective. Example topics include making a matched set of cups, throwing bowls, or centering progressively larger amounts of clay.
Mixed Methods Intensive
A focused course combining wheel and handbuilding techniques around a specific project. Example topics include coiled pots, slab work and templates, or constructed forms like teapots.
Students purchase clay from studio stock and provide their own tools. Firing and glaze materials are not included in intensive tuition. Students who wish to have work fired may do so through the studio's standard firing fee schedule.
Where To Start
Not sure which class is right for you? Here's a simple guide.
Never Touched Clay
Start with any Foundations 1 course. Wheel Throwing, Handbuilding, and Mixed Methods are all designed for complete beginners.
Taken A Class Before
Foundations 2: Wheel Throwing picks up where a beginner wheel class left off. If your experience is primarily in handbuilding, a Foundations 1 section or a Mixed Methods Intensive may be the best fit.
Want Something Shorter
Six-week intensives are focused courses for students who want to work on a specific skill or project. Some topics are suitable for beginners; others assume prior experience.
Want To Keep Going
Students who complete a Firebox semester may apply for studio membership. Additional course levels are in development for 2027.
Path To Membership
Learn Here. Keep Working Here.
Students who complete a Firebox semester may apply for studio membership. Membership readiness includes the ability to work safely, cleanly, and independently in the studio.
Firebox Pottery Studio is opening in Fall 2026. Course schedules, tuition, class sizes, and registration dates are being finalized. The first semester is expected to begin in October 2026.