Discover the joy of working with clay in 577’s dynamic pottery studio, where creativity, learning, and community come together. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced potter, our classes offer hands-on opportunities to explore new techniques and refine your skills. With access to three distinct kilns—wood, raku, and electric—participants can experience a range of firing methods that bring their work to life.
Our classes encourage artistic growth in a supportive and inspiring environment. Participants who complete the adult six-week pottery course gain access to independent studio time, allowing for continued exploration and creativity.
Join us and become part of a thriving community of makers dedicated to craftsmanship and discovery.
Upcoming Classes
January classes open for registration on Wednesday, November 18, at 9am. Click HERE to view a full list of upcoming classes.
Snowman Dip/Serve Plate
Two Dates Available!
Monday, November 9 ~ 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Thursday, November 19 ~ 9:30am to 11:30am
*This class is open to adults 18 and over; no prior clay experience is needed.
Get into the holiday spirit with this fun, hands-on pottery class! Participants will create a charming snowman-shaped serving plate, perfect for serving dips and snacks at holiday gatherings. Think veggies and dip, chips and salsa, or your favorite festive appetizers.
Your instructor will guide the class step by step, demonstrating how to properly roll a clay slab and use a provided template to cut and form the snowman plate. Participants will also learn how to create and attach extra details and accessories, such as a carrot nose, buttons, a cozy hat, and a scarf. Along the way, there will be plenty of opportunities to personalize each snowman and make the design your own.
Once the clay work is complete, participants will add color using underglazes (liquid colored clay), bringing their snowmen to life with color and creative details. After class, our pottery staff will complete the firing and glazing process. Each plate will be fired and glazed to create a finished, functional serving piece. You’ll be notified by email when your finished snowman plate is ready for pickup, approximately two weeks after class.
Create a festive and functional serving piece that can bring a little extra holiday cheer to your table for years to come!
577 Staff Instructor: Alison Buchanan
Clay Snowpeople
Wednesday, December 2 ~ 5:30pm to 7:30pm
*This class is open to adults 18 and over; no prior clay experience is needed.
A yearly favorite is back just in time for the holiday season! In this hands-on pottery class, participants will use traditional pinch pot techniques to create their own charming clay snowperson. Perfect for gifting or adding a little personality to your winter décor, these handmade creations are sure to bring a smile year after year.
Your instructor will guide participants step by step through the process of building their snowperson and adding fun, whimsical details like scarves, hats, mittens, and carrot noses. Depending on the details and decorations they choose, participants may create one more elaborate snowperson or two simpler snowpeople during class.
Once the clay work is complete, participants will have the opportunity to add color to their accessories using underglazes (liquid colored clay). After the first firing, our pottery staff will apply a clear glaze to preserve the snowy white clay bodies before firing the pieces again. Finished pieces are expected to be ready for pickup around December 15. Participants will be notified by email when their snowpeople are ready.
577 Staff Instructor: Julie Beutler
Adult Pottery 6-Week Course
Tuesdays, November 3, 10, 17, 24; December 1, 8 ~ 5:30pm to 7:30pm
*This class is open to adults 18 and over, no prior clay experience is needed.
Join us for this comprehensive adult pottery class. This multiple-week class is for adult beginners through advanced potters – all levels are welcome. This class is the pre-requisite class needed for many of our pottery classes at The 577 Foundation.
Open to students 18 and over, this class offers in-depth demos followed immediately by your own work time to create and have fun. You will be able to try all hand-building methods like pinch, coil, slab, and extruded techniques, plus a chance at the wheel. Finally, we will learn about glazing. Class is built around learning one skill each week.
All supplies and firings are included. Come play in the clay!
577 Staff Instructors: Julie Beutler, Pottery Studio Manager and Ceramic Artist & Alison Buchanan, Pottery Coordinator
Youth Pottery: Holiday Gnomes & Trees
Saturday, November 21 ~ 9:30am to 11:30am
Ages 7-17
Celebrate the holiday season with a little extra creativity! In this hands-on pottery class, youth ages 7–17 will use the pinch pot method to create two festive sculptures: a holiday-themed gnome and an evergreen tree.
Your instructor will guide participants step by step, demonstrating how to make a pinch pot and transform it into the basic forms of both sculptures. Along the way, youth will learn how to create and attach extra details and accessories, including the gnome’s hat, beard, and other features, as well as decorations for their tree. Each child will also explore ways to add texture and personality to make each piece their own.
Once the clay work is complete, participants will decorate their sculptures with underglazes (liquid colored clay). They can choose traditional holiday colors or create unique color combinations and designs of their own. After class, our pottery staff will complete the firing and glazing process. Each sculpture will be fired and glazed to create a finished holiday keepsake. Families will be notified by email when their finished pieces are ready for pickup.
Class Notes: This class is open to children ages 7 to 17. No prior pottery experience is required. Youth Pottery Classes are designed to be drop-off classes to support the creative process. Adult guardians will be asked to drop students off at the beginning of class and return at the scheduled end time for pickup. This allows young artists to fully engage, explore, and create independently
577 Staff Instructor: Alison Buchanan
Youth Pottery: Cat Snack Plate & Bowl
Thursday, December 3 ~ 4:30pm to 6pm
Ages 7-17
Get creative with a playful pottery project! In this new, hands-on class, youth ages 7 to 17 will create their own adorable cat-themed snack set, featuring a square plate decorated with a cat’s body and a matching bowl shaped like a cat’s head.
Your instructor will guide participants step by step, beginning with pre-rolled clay slabs. Youth will learn how to cut out their square plates and carefully place them into molds to give them shape. They’ll also learn how to form their cat-head bowls, creating ears and adding fun details and textures to bring their cats to life. Along the way, participants will explore ways to add personality and make each piece their own.
Once the clay work is complete, participants will decorate their pieces with underglazes (liquid colored clay). They can get creative with different colors, markings, and facial features to give their cats their own unique personalities. After class, our pottery staff will complete the firing and glazing process. Families will be notified by email when their finished pieces are ready for pickup.
Class Notes: This class is open to children ages 7 to 17. No prior pottery experience is required. Youth Pottery Classes are designed to be drop-off classes to support the creative process. Adult guardians will be asked to drop students off at the beginning of class and return at the scheduled end time for pickup. This allows young artists to fully engage, explore, and create independently
577 Staff Instructor: Alison Buchanan
Family Pottery: Cookie Plate for Santa
Monday, December 7 ~ 10am to 11am
Ages 4-6/Adults 18+
Designed for youth ages 4 to 6 and an accompanying adult, this hands-on family pottery class brings a little extra holiday magic to the table! Together, each pair will create a special plate for Santa’s cookies on Christmas Eve, complete with a handmade clay cookie. This personalized keepsake can become part of your family’s holiday traditions for years to come.
Your instructor will guide families step by step, beginning with a pre-rolled clay slab. Families will cut out a plate and carefully place it into a mold to give it shape. They’ll also learn how to create and attach a clay cookie before adding their own creative touches. Use festive textures, stamps, and personalized details to make each plate one of a kind.
Once the clay work is complete, families will decorate their plates with underglazes (liquid colored clay), bringing their designs to life with their own colors and creative details. After class, our pottery staff will complete the firing and glazing process. Families will be notified by email when their finished pieces are ready for pickup.
Class Notes: Each registration is for one (1) youth between the ages of 4 and 6, with one accompanying adult age 18 or older. Due to the small class size, only one adult may accompany each registered youth. If an adult would like to attend with multiple youth participants, please register each youth individually and list the adult’s name for each registration.
577 Staff Instructor: Alison Buchanan
Gingerbread House/Advance Slabs *New Class!
Two-Part Class
Thursday, November 12 ~ 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Monday, November 16 ~ 5:30pm ~ 7:30pm
Prerequisite: To register for this class, participants must have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6-Week Class.
A new twist on an old tradition! This year, we’re not only making gingerbread houses, we’re using this festive project to explore the slab-building process from start to finish.
During this two-session class, your instructor will guide participants through the basics of building with leather-hard slabs and using patterns to create a small gingerbread house. Participants will learn how to roll slabs to the proper thickness, when to cut pieces, and how to manage the drying process so the leather-hard clay is strong and workable when it’s time to assemble.
During the second session, participants will put their houses together and spend the rest of the class adding the fun details, including trim, decorative elements, and all the sweet touches that make a gingerbread house special. Julie will also demonstrate how to use thick slip-like icing and how to decorate the houses with underglazes (liquid colored clay). The techniques explored throughout this class can be used all year long and adapted to create teapots, boxes, bird and fairy houses, Halloween houses, and other imaginative architectural forms.
Class Notes: This is a two-session class, and attendance at both sessions is required. Glazing will be completed independently during indie time.
577 Staff Instructor: Julie Beutler
Altering & Darting with the Extruder *New Class!
Wednesday, November 25 ~ 9:30am to 12pm
Prerequisite: To register for this class, participants must have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6-Week Class.
Discover just how versatile the extruder can be! This fun, technique-filled class will explore the basics of using the extruder along with some of its fantastic, often underused capabilities. Starting with a simple extruded tube, participants will learn techniques for altering and transforming forms into interesting cups, mugs, vases, bottles, and even sculptural pieces.
Your instructor will demonstrate a variety of altering and darting techniques, with a focus on creating movement, shape, and personality. The goal is to become more comfortable using the extruder, better understand its advantages, and discover how these techniques can also inspire work created with slabs or on the wheel. Come ready to experiment, play, and look at the extruder in a whole new way!
Class Note: Glazing will be completed independently during indie time.
577 Staff Instructor: Julie Beutler
Clay Santa Claus Sculpture*New Class!
Monday, November 30 ~ 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Prerequisite: To register for this class, participants must have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6-Week Class.
Get into the holiday spirit with this fun and festive pottery class! Participants will create their own charming Santa Claus sculpture using hand-building techniques, with plenty of opportunities for personalization along the way.
Your instructor will guide participants step by step, demonstrating how to roll clay slabs and shape them to create the base of Santa. Participants will also learn how to add texture and create individual accessories and details, including Santa’s beard, hat, coat, belt, and other festive features that bring each sculpture to life. Once the clay work is complete, participants will add color using underglazes (liquid colored clay). Choose traditional holiday colors or give Santa a unique style and personality of his own!
Along the way, participants will have the opportunity to practice hand-building techniques while exploring texture, sculptural details, and creative ways to personalize their work.
Class Note: Glazing will be completed independently during indie time.
577 Staff Instructor: Alison Buchanan
Cups & Mugs: Patterns & Advance Slabs
Friday, December 11 ~ 9:30am to 11:30am
Prerequisite: To register for this class, participants must have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6-Week Class.
A yearly favorite returns with an opportunity to take your slab-building skills to the next level! In this hands-on pottery class, participants will explore advanced slab-building techniques while creating their own cups and mugs using patterns.
Your instructor will guide participants step by step through the process, beginning with prepared patterns and exploring how to create and adapt patterns for future projects. Along the way, participants will learn more about clay management, including how to work with slabs at different stages of moisture and firmness to successfully shape and assemble their pieces.
The techniques explored throughout this class can be applied to a variety of future pottery projects, giving participants new skills and creative possibilities to bring into their own work.
Class Note: Glazing will be completed independently during indie time.
577 Staff Instructor: Julie Beutler
Kintsugi: Finding Beauty in the Broken
Tuesday, December 15 ~ 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Prerequisite: To register for this class, participants must have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6-Week Class.
Discover the beauty of imperfection through Kintsugi, the centuries-old Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by highlighting cracks and breaks with gold rather than hiding them. Rooted in the idea that imperfections have value, Kintsugi reminds us that something broken can still be beautiful, meaningful, and worth keeping.
Your instructor will introduce participants to the history and philosophy behind this traditional art form before demonstrating her own modern adaptation using affordable, readily available materials. Participants will explore techniques for repairing broken pottery while celebrating the unique character and history of each piece.
Have a broken or cracked piece of pottery you made at 577? Bring it along and learn how to give it new life! For this class, pieces should be broken into no more than three or four sections to allow enough time for repairs. Participants will also learn techniques they can use independently to repair more intricate pieces in the future. Don’t have a piece to repair? No problem! Participants are still welcome to join, explore the process, and gain the skills to try it on future pottery projects at home or at 577.
Class Notes: This class introduces a modern, accessible adaptation of Kintsugi rather than the traditional Japanese method. Participants wishing to repair a piece should bring pottery broken into no more than three or four pieces.
577 Staff Instructor: Julie Beutler
Half Day Throwing
Saturday, November 21 ~ 1pm to 4pm
Monday, November 23 ~ 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Tuesday, December 2 ~ 9am to 12pm
Monday, December 14 ~ 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Prerequisite: To register for this class, participants must have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6-Week Class.
Practice your pottery skills in this intensive wheel-focused class! Designed around your personal goals, the class aims to build your confidence and refine your technique on the potter’s wheel.
Each session begins with a couple of quick demonstrations from Alison, providing inspiration and guidance to get you started. Afterward, you’ll have plenty of time to practice and work on your projects. Don’t worry if you’re feeling a bit out of practice, Alison will rotate between everyone in the class, offering personalized tips and support.
To help you prepare, you’ll also receive an email before class with links to helpful throwing videos, so you can refresh your memory and hit the ground running
577 Staff Instructor: Alison Buchanan
Supervised Indie Time
Friday, November 20 ~ 9:30am to 11:30am
Thursday, December 3 ~ 9:30am to 11:30am
Thursday. December 10 ~ 9:30am to 11:30am
Prerequisite: To register for this class, participants must have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6-Week Class.
Supervised Indie Time sessions are perfect for those who have recently completed the 6-week adult class and want a little extra time with instructors, or for anyone needing a refresher after a short break from the studio. It’s also a great opportunity if you’re looking to challenge yourself with new projects or are feeling low on inspiration. Many participants find these sessions helpful for fresh ideas and extra guidance.
Join us for these casual supervised classes, perfect for you to work independently on your projects, where you can use the table, extruder, slab roller, the wheel, and glazing advice. If you need some tips on projects or ideas you are working on, Alison or Julie will be in the studio to help answer questions, remind you of techniques or where things are, and just be there to help give you inspiration on a project.
577 Staff Instructor: Alison Buchanan or Julie Beutler
Hybrid Pottery to Go – Raku
Sessions Available Each Month
November Firing: Pick-up: Oct. 2; Drop-off: Oct. 30; Raku Fire: Nov. 18
December Firing: Pick-up: Nov. 6; Drop-off: Nov. 29; Raku Fire: Dec. 9
January Firing: Pick-up: Dec. 4; Drop-off: Jan. 5; Raku Fire: Jan. 19
Prerequisite: To register for this class, participants must have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6-Week Class.
This class is a hybrid of our popular “work from home” classes where you will make all the pieces at home and then join us for an in-person outdoor firing of the raku kiln. We will supply you with all the tools and resources you need to make four to six pieces: clay, pottery tools, drywall board, plastic bags to make your pieces at home.
You will also have options to receive links to videos on basic constructions to make pots of your choosing using techniques including, pinch, coils, slabs, as well as instructions/ideas for what to make for your raku firing. You can also choose to use your block of clay to create your pieces at home, in your own indie times or other clay classes at 577, or a combo of both.
Pottery to Go – Custom Design by You!
Multiple Dates – See below
Prerequisite: To register for this class, participants must have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6-Week Class.
Try this unique at-home class that allows students a chance to work from the comfort of their home strengthening their pottery skills. The only (mostly) limits are your imagination. This class is designed to be what you want to make. Experiment with new forms, work out a pattern, or work on more labor-intensive techniques like sgraffito or coils. It’s your clay to create what you would like.
Don’t worry if you are stumped for ideas. Julie can provide you with videos from previous Pottery-to-Go classes like pinch pot animals, slab plates, coil pots, and more. In this “work from your home” class, we will supply you with all the tools and resources you need to make this project: clay, pottery tools, drywall board, plastic bags, a few short videos if you choose, plus email support from Julie. Optional: underglazes are available for an additional fee.
Important Note: For those interested in this class, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND completing 15 to 20 hours of indie studio time and a couple of other pottery classes before signing up for these at-home classes (in addition to the required 577 six-week class). Please note: This class no longer counts toward the three classes needed to keep indie time privileges.
November ~ Pick up: November 6; Return: November 20
December ~ Pick up: December 11; Return: January 8
Independent Studio Time
Access to our pottery studio for independent time is designed to give qualified students equipment andstudio space to create pottery. Students must have completed the 6 week adult pottery course and beapproved by the Pottery Studio Manager.
Program Registration Policies & Forms
577 is committed to creating welcoming and inclusive experiences for all participants. If you have accessibility needs or require reasonable accommodations to fully participate, we encourage you to contact us before your class so we can work with you to provide appropriate support whenever possible.
Class Locations & Parking Map
Signed up for a class and need help finding your classroom location and parking? Each class description lists its location. Click the button below to view a full map of the grounds and buildings with two lots available for easy and convenient parking.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
Because space is limited, we rely on you to register for classes thoughtfully. Please help us continue to offer these wonderful classes as affordably as possible by adhering to the following registration, cancellation, and refund policies.
Photo & Video Release
Photos and videos may be taken during 577 classes and events for use on our website and other relevant media outlets and your attendance constitutes consent. View the full policy below including how you can opt-out of this release.