Where do I park?

You can find our parking lot at 470 Salem Street, inside a chain link fence. To park closer to our building, drive through the rollup door in the cinderblock wall.

Do you handle ceramic repairs?

We do not. We encourage you to research pottery restoration and repair experts on your own.

Classes + Workshops

I want to take a class with Claymakers!

Great! The best way to stay in the loop about our classes is to sign up for our newsletter—you’ll get a heads-up when new sessions open for registration. Classes like beginning wheel fill very quickly, so if you don’t get a spot right away, don’t worry—just keep trying next time!

How do I find out when classes open for registration?

We announce our class registration date in our newsletter—we give a few days’ notice so that you can choose the class and times that work for you.

What’s included in class tuition?

• Weekly class instruction

• 25 pounds of clay (firing included)

• Access to Claymakers’ open studio hours (Tuesday-Saturday, 1-6 pm)

How does your waitlist work?

At the bottom of each individual class page, there is a space to enter your email address to the waitlist. If a space becomes available, everyone on the waitlist is notified at the same time by email. The waitlist space is filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Cancellations are not uncommon, but we can’t guarantee that a space will open up in your preferred class.

What is your class refund policy?

Class sizes are limited, and we truly value your participation—when you enroll, we’re counting on you to attend.

If you need to withdraw, you’ll receive a refund of your class tuition minus a non-refundable $25 registration fee per space reserved, as long as you cancel at least seven days before the start of the session as a whole (e.g., Session 1).

Our deadline for refunds is published in our newsletter and on our classes page: no refunds will be issued after this deadline passes.

Refund deadlines are always shared in our newsletter when registration opens, as well as on our classes page. We’re unable to offer refunds or credits after that deadline, or for missed individual classes during the session.

We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule classes based on enrollment. In the event of a cancellation, you’ll have the option to transfer to another class or receive a full refund.

What is your workshop refund policy?

If you drop a workshop up to 30 days before the workshop start date, tuition will be refunded except for:

•Workshops under $150: $45 non-refundable registration fee per space reserved

•Workshops over $150: $75 non-refundable registration fee per space reserved

No refunds will be made within 30 days of the start of the workshop, once the workshop has started, or for missed sessions. If a workshop is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, you will be offered a full refund.

I’m interested in taking classes, but my schedule means I will have to miss some of the dates. Can I make them up somehow?

We’re only able to offer makeup classes in cases of documented illness or injury. Our classes are in high demand, and we want everyone who registers to be able to fully participate—so if you anticipate missing several sessions due to scheduling conflicts, we recommend waiting until you can attend the full session. You can review our full class and registration policies here.

If I know I’m going to miss a lot of class sessions, can I prorate the class price?

Sorry, we can’t offer prorated prices. We encourage you to wait and take a class when your schedule allows you to attend all classes. View our class + registration policies.

Do you offer children’s programs?

Currently, Claymakers does not offer children’s programs. Students must be at least 18 years old to participate in our classes and workshops.

Do you offer private lessons?

Currently, Claymakers does not offer private lessons.

Do I need supplies or tools for my first class?

Enrollment in a class includes 25 pounds of clay and the cost of glazing and firing it.

You are responsible for providing your own small clay working tools. While a few tools will be available for common use, you will want to build your own collection of tools.

New students should get a basic pottery toolkit at or before their first class. Pottery toollkits are available at our supply store, at area craft stores, or online.

What is open studio, and when is it?

Open studio hours are an opportunity for current students to come outside of class to work in the studio independently. Open studio hours are an especially beneficial time for beginning students to practice skill-building. Open studio is Tuesday-Saturday, 1-6 pm.

I don’t want to take a class, but am not yet ready to rent a private studio. Is there an alternative for me?

Yes, we offer a limited number of open studio passes per class session. Visit this page for more information.

I’m looking for an activity for my friends or a date. Can we come in and work with clay?

Claymakers offers occasional one-time classes: check here for available sessions.

Store + Supplies

What are your supply store hours?

Tuesday-Saturday, 1-6 pm.

Can I place an order outside of these hours?

We cannot take orders by phone outside of these hours, but you can email orders to manager@claymakers.org. Emails will be answered Tuesday-Saturday.

Can I place a special order for something you don’t normally carry?

Absolutely! Contact manager@claymakers.org for any special order requests. Please note that we cannot guarantee the arrival date of your order. In the event your order cannot be fulfilled, we will give you a refund.

What is your store return policy?

We do not currently accept returns. If you have a product issue, please contact manager@claymakers.org.

Firing

Can I fire my work at your studio?

Yes, we offer firing services on a space-available basis. See this page for more information.

How long will it take to fire my pieces?

Student work is prioritized for firing. Outside makers should expect that each firing could take up to two weeks—longer if your piece is over 12” tall or wide. Please allow one week before calling to inquire whether your pieces have been fired.

I’m looking to fire pieces for a December holiday or market. Will my pieces be ready in time?

When it comes to the holidays, earlier is better! Every holiday season, our kilns overflow with pieces that people rush to finish at the last minute, creating a stressful situation for all. Both students and kiln renters should bring in any pieces with a December deadline by the week of Thanksgiving. After this week, we cannot guarantee that your piece will be fired in time to meet your particular deadline.

When do the kilns get loaded/unloaded?

Kilns are loaded and unloaded on a daily basis. The order in which pieces are loaded depends greatly on their dryness, dimensions, our class schedule, and other factors.

What do I do if I can’t find a piece of work that I made?

We have a lot of student work to look through, and your piece is most likely either still in the kiln or behind other pots. We recommend that you take pictures of the pieces you make, or use a pottery app to track your work (ClayLab is a cool one!).  Pieces transform so much in a glaze firing that they may be hard to recognize afterward.

After looking thoroughly, if you still can’t find your piece, ask a staff member. Student work can take up to a week to be fired, so please be patient.

Can I glaze my pieces in the studio?

Yes, outside kiln renters can glaze their pieces in-studio. The price of glaze is included in our glaze firing rate. In-studio glazing is available during open studio hours (Tuesday-Saturday, 1-6 pm).

Newsletter

I’m signed up for your newsletter but I don’t see your emails. Help!

If you have a Gmail account, here’s how you can ensure our newsletter goes to your main inbox (big thanks to our student Gabby for the tutorial!):

• On the upper righthand side of your browser screen is a gear icon; this controls your email settings.

• Click on the gear icon to open up the 'Quick Settings' on the righthand side of the browser. Click on 'See All Settings' to go to the full preferences panel; it will open in the 'General' tab. 

• Navigate to the 'Filters and Blocked Addresses' tab.

• Click on 'Create a new filter', input info@claymakers.org and click on 'Create Filter' to enter the filter creation panel.

• You will see a list of options; click the box to select 'Categorize as', then in the dropdown list, select 'Primary' and click 'Create filter' button to complete the process.  Clicking on 'Also apply filter to matching conversations' will recategorize all previously sent emails as well. 

The filter will now show up under the 'Filters' in 'Settings' and now emails from Claymakers will no longer skip the inbox.