Pottery

Learn techniques or sharpen your skills with classes available for beginning and experienced potters. Classes take place in our robust pottery studio and 577 offers three kilns – wood, raku, and electric. Independent studio time is available for students who have successfully completed the adult six-week pottery course and with permission. Classes are taught by the 577 Pottery Studio Manager/Ceramic Artist and teaching fellows.

Upcoming Classes

Adult Pottery 6-Week Course
Wednesdays, March 20, 27; April 3, 10, 17, 24 ~ 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Thursdays, April 18, 25; May 2, 9, 16, 23 ~ 9am to 11am

*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.

The class instructors are Julie Beutler, Pottery Studio Manager and Ceramic Artist, and Emily Horst, 577 Pottery Fellow

Clay Garden Markers
Monday, March 25 ~ 9:30am to 11:30am

*This class is open to adults 18 and over, no prior clay experience is needed.

Spring is almost here which means it’s garden planning time. Join us in the 577 Pottery Studio creating handmade clay garden markers. The perfect class to add a touch of handmade beauty to your space. Gather a list of 10 to 12 plants that you plan to label (names under 15 letters work best) and head to the pottery studio to create simple rectangular in-ground markers or oval/circle hanging markers. The choice is yours – mix it up and do some in both styles! Not sure what you are planting or looking for some fun variety, use fun sayings like “weeds” or “help me” instead.

Your instructor, Jule Beutler, will demonstrate how to use slabs and stamps to create your markers. Choices for how to finish the pieces will be discussed in class and you will choose how you want your set to be glazed. You will have an opportunity to paint your markers with colorful underglazes ~ which are liquid-colored clay. You will leave your creation with us to bisque fire, glaze (clear or color based on your in-class decisions), and fire again. You will receive a notification via email a couple of weeks later about a pickup date.

This class is perfect for all levels, come play in the clay!

Pinch Pot Turtles
Tuesday, March 26 ~ 9:30am to 11:30am

*This class is open to adults 18 and over, no prior clay experience is needed.

Join us for a morning of fun creating a cute turtle out of clay using simple pottery techniques. This class is open to all adults, no experience is necessary. Your instructor, Julie Beutler, will walk you through the process step by step. Watch as a ball of clay can quickly turn into an adorable turtle that is perfect for your garden, a planter, on the patio, or your desk.

You will have the option of painting your turtle with underglazes or picking out a glaze. Unsure which to choose? There will be an example of both styles. You will leave your creation with us to bisque fire, glaze (clear or color based on your in-class decisions), and fire again. You will receive a notification via email a couple of weeks later about a pickup date.

This class is perfect for all levels, come play in the clay!

Clay Night Lights
Tuesday, April 16 ~ 9am to 11am

*This class is open to adults 18 and over, no prior clay experience is needed.

Join us for a fun morning creating two plug-in night lights. Your instructor, Julie Beutler, 577’s pottery manager and ceramic artist, will walk the class through each step of using simple hand-built slabs and fun textures to make these one-of-a-kind night lights for your home.

The class will view several examples of styles and glaze choices to get the creative juices flowing. Choices for how to finish the pieces will be discussed in class and you will choose a glaze color for each.

You will leave your night lights with us to fire with pick up a couple of weeks later. No prior clay experience is required.

This class is perfect for all levels, come play in the clay!

Celebrate Clay: The NCECA Conference
Tuesday, April 16 ~ 5:30pm to 7pm

*This class is open to adults 18 and over, no prior clay experience is needed.

Enjoy an evening with Emily, 577’s pottery coordinator, as she shares her experience attending the annual NCECA conference with a slide presentation and a Q&A. Emily will share photos, tidbits from lectures, and new technologies. Light refreshments will be served, and each participant will leave with a surprise gift!

What is NCECA? The National Council on the Education of the Ceramic Arts, or NCECA, holds a national annual conference every year that is a dream for any ceramic enthusiast. The four-day weekend includes a resource hall with a huge open space filled with many clay/tool/glaze vendors, daily lectures from incredible speakers from around the world, gallery expos featuring student and professional work, and so much more.

This year the conference is being held in Richmond, Virginia, where the conference and its attendees will take over the Greater Richmond Conference Center and the surrounding city. Galleries and businesses alike participate by having exhibitions and pop-ups throughout the week. Want to learn more? Join us in Virginia’s House for an evening of inspiration from a potter’s favorite event of the year!

April Family Pottery: For Ages 7 to 17 w/ Adult
Thursday, April 4 ~ 5pm to 6:30pm

This family pottery class is open to children 7 to 17 with an adult over 18, no prerequisite or experience is required.

Join Emily Horst, 577’s pottery coordinator, for a new family class featuring a monograph letter. This family clay class is for both child and their accompanying adult to enjoy an exploration of hand-built pottery projects. This month’s adventure in the 577 Pottery Studio will be to create a wall hanging piece personalized with the letter of your choice. They will be perfect for hanging in a bedroom or on a door, or try placing on a mantle or in the garden. The options are endless.

The class will begin by rolling out slabs of clay together in preparation for cutting out the letter of your choice. Once cut out, Emily will demonstrate how to add pizzazz using coils, stamps, carving tools, and more to create a dynamic and sculptural piece. After construction, you can choose to either paint your letter with underglazes or pick from the many colors of our class glazes.

No experience is necessary. Come play in the clay!

Class Registration Requirments:
• Each registration is for one (1) youth between the ages of 7 to 17, with an accompanying adult 18 years old and older. Due to the small class size, only one adult may accompany the youth registered.
• If an adult would like to accompany multiple youth participants, please sign up each youth participant individually and list the adult’s name for each registration.

Aquarium/Terrariums ~ Youth Pottery for Ages 6 to 11 
Monday, April 1 ~ 4:30pm to 6pm

This class is open to children ages 6 to 11. No prerequisite or experience is required.

Join Emily, 577’s pottery coordinator, in this fun class using clay to express your creativity! April’s adventure is perfect if the kiddo in your life is interested in aquatic or plant life. Emily will start class by demonstrating how to roll out slabs, clean edges, and make all kinds of creative shapes like fish, plants, sea life, for the aquariums and plants, bugs, and other fun for the terrariums. Reference photos will be available to help with their design.

Students will finish class customizing their designs by painting with underglazes. Adding bright stripes and patterns to fish and foliage will bring this project to life. After the first fire, Emily will glaze with clear to give the projects a beautiful shine and keep them durable. An email will be sent out with a pick-up date scheduled a couple of weeks late to schedule pickup.

Please note: Adults are not required to attend youth pottery classes. Students may be dropped off at the beginning of class and picked up at the scheduled end time. Please remember to be on time.

No experience is necessary. Come play in the clay!

Throwing/Trimming Demo: Stop the “S” Crack
Tuesday, March 19 ~ 5pm to 6pm

Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

Are you having repeated issues with the bothersome “S” crack on the bottom of your thrown pieces? Spend an hour watching Julie do demonstrations on the wheel throwing a cylinder, plate, and bowl. She will discuss different techniques to help cut down on the amount of “s” cracks that can send your lovely pot into the recycle bin. She will also demonstrate trimming a pot, because “s” cracks can also be prevented in the trimming process. In-person wheel demonstrations are a great way to get a refresher.

*Please note this class is demonstration-only. There will be no hands-on work. Therefore, this class will not count as part of your three-class requirement for indie time.

    Solar Eclipse Wall/Fence Hanger
    Thursday, March 28 ~ 5:30pm to 7:30pm

    Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

    Join your 577 pottery instructors, Julie and Emily, for this once-in-a-lifetime class creating a solar eclipse-inspired wall/fence hanger!

    The last total solar eclipse in Ohio was in 1806, and the next one is scheduled to take place in 2099. In this class, we celebrate the eclipse happening on April 8 by making a sun, moon, and a few stars. Hang them inside or outside on a string or wire. They will be the perfect fun decor to commemorate this special event.

    During class, we will walk through a few ways to make your sky-inspired work using simple sculpture methods, foam/rubber stamping, coil, pinch, and even silk screen techniques on slabs of clay. We will discuss how to hang them during class and will show you out-of-this-world design examples.

    *Please note: Glazing is not included in class time. You may also need to use your indie time to continue to work on the construction of your piece(s) if not completed during class time.

      Supervised Indie Time: Slab Fun! 
      Thursday, April 4 ~ 9am to 11am

      Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

      Join Julie for this special Supervised Indie Time with some slab-inspired fun! She will review important techniques about slab rolling/making and will give a demonstration on the slab roller. She will also review some of her favorite things to do with slabs. Come with all your slab questions!

      Supervised Indie Sessions are perfect for folks who have recently completed the 6-week adult class and need additional time with your instructors or for those needing a refresher after a short break from the studio.

      Trimming Demonstration Hour
      Tuesday, April 9 ~ 4pm to 5pm

      Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

      Have you been taking the Half Day Throwing classes or practicing your wheel skills during indie time and feel like you are still struggling? Have questions or need to learn more about the final step of trimming your pots? This class is for you!

      Spend an hour with Julie as she demonstrates trimming various styles of pieces including a bowl, plate, and cylinder. She will also show you the best way to use a throwing chuck to trim bottles. The class will include discussion time on the best tools and how to burnish your pots.

      This is a great class for anyone who is just starting or for those who are doing well on the wheel but are still struggling with heavy bottoms/lower side thickness. In-person demos are very helpful and the perfect time to ask those burning questions.

      *Please note this class is demonstration-only. There will be no hands-on work. Therefore, this class will not count as part of your three-class requirement for indie time.

        New Class! Mosaic Flower Pot
        Two-Day Class:
        Thursday, April 11 ~ 5:30pm to 8:30pm
        Monday, April 15 ~ 5:30pm to 7:30pm

        Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

        Join Emily in this new class creating a mosaic flower pot. If you’ve ever been interested in creating a mosaic or giving new life to some old pots, this is the class for you! This unique class has two parts and two dates:

        DAY 1: CREATE YOUR MOSAIC: The first class is on Thursday, April 11, 5:30pm to 8:30pm. Together we will safely break apart our pots creating tile pieces. Then, using mastic, we will attach our tile pieces to a terracotta pot. The pots will then need to sit untouched for 24 to 72 hours as they dry. Day 2: GROUT OUR POTS: The second class is on Monday, April 15, 5:30pm to 7:30pm. We will focus on grouting our pots, as well as, cleaning and sealing them.

        Materials Included: The 8-inch flower pot, mastic, grout, and sealant are included as well as broken pots and other fun finds. What To Bring: Please wear old clothes that can get stained or mastic on. You may also want to bring a pair of work gloves. Optional items: If you would like to bring your own older pottery to break up and give it a new life, please do! Other fun items that you could bring to add to your mosaic pot are commercial ceramics, glass beads, polished stones, or maybe grandma’s old broach that you’ll never wear.

        *Please note: Your pots will be ready to take home and use after the second session. They will be usable indoors and outdoors. But just like your other flower pots, they will need to come in for the Ohio winter.

          Saturday Workshop: Teapots
          Saturday, April 13 ~ 9:30m to 3:30pm

          Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

          Join Julie for a relaxing Saturday working on your very own teapot. For hundreds of years, teapots have represented the pinnacle of pottery making and are “steeped” in tradition in many cultures around the world. Julie will demonstrate both thrown and handbuilt finished examples then proceed to wet work demonstrations on both wheel and handbuilding. She will include demos on how to make the spout, handles, and lids. Multiple techniques will be featured including slab, extruder, wheel, coils, and pinch pot techniques.

          Once the demonstrations are finished, you will choose how you want to build your teapot. For those interested in a thrown teapot and/or using mostly wheel-thrown parts, you should be at an intermediate to advanced level on the wheel. If you have less experience, try using the wheel for a couple of parts. One way or another, we will make sure you can create a successful pot, even as a beginner!

          We almost forgot our favorite part! We will share in a lunchtime potluck break including hot tea served from Julie’s example teapots. Look for Julie’s email about potluck details and any clay preparations you might want to make before class.*

          Please Note: It is not required to premake items before class. However, glazing is not included during class. You may also need to use your indie time to continue to work on the construction of your piece(s) if not completed during class time.

            Extruded Clay Butter Dish
            Friday, April 19 ~ 9am to 11:30am

            Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

            Join Julie for this fun Friday morning class making an extruded butter dish. She will demo and walk you through the steps including how to make unique handles. Don’t forget to explore using underglazes, they can add something special to your design.

            *Please note: Glazing is not included. You may also need to use your indie time to continue to work on the construction of your piece(s) if not completed during class time.

              Half Day Throwing
              Friday, March 29 ~ 9am to 12pm
              Tuesday, April 9 ~ 5:30pm to 8:30pm
              Friday, April 12 ~ 9am to 12pm
              Thursday, April 18 ~ 1pm to 4pm

              Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

              Practice your skills on the wheel in this intensive study class with Julie & Emily. Class is set around your individual goals but the focus is to help you gain confidence on the wheel.

              Start the session with a couple of short demonstrations from Julie or Emily, then you will have the rest of the time to work. Don’t worry if you feel a little rusty, your instructor will rotate between students to give advice and help. Prior to class, you will also receive an email with links to throwing videos to help rekindle that memory of throwing on the potter’s wheel.

              Waitlists are available if class is listed as full.

              Hybrid Pottery to Go – Raku
              Sessions Available Each Month
              • April 2nd Firing: Pick-up: Mar 1; Drop-off: Mar 18; Raku Fire: Apr 2
              • April 30th Firing: Pick-up: Apr 2; Drop-off: Apr 19; Raku Fire: Apr 30
              • May 14th Firing: Pick-up: Apr 12; Drop-off: May 2; Raku Fire: May 14

              Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

              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 for 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

                Mandatory: MUST have successfully completed the 577 Adult Pottery 6 Week Class to participate.

                The only (mostly) limits are your imagination in this “work from your home” class. This class is designed to be what you want to make. Experiment with new forms, work out a pattern, or make presents for the upcoming holidays or birthdays. 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. Please Note: This class no longer counts toward the three classes needed to keep indie time privileges.

                March ~ Pick-up: March 1; Return: March 27

                April ~ Pick-up: April 2; Return: April 23

                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.

                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. 

                Join us on March 20 for a Day of Giving to celebrate Virginia’s birthday! Join us and make a gift to protect, preserve, and support the evolution of this magical place. Won’t you help us reach our goal?

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