Beginning in Spring 2023, all ceramics classes are located at our new studios at 87 Maple Street, White River Junction, VT 05001.

Shared studio resources include wheels, wedging tables, hand-building tables, a slab roller, slump molds, texturing tools, studio glazes, stains, slips and underglazes, extruder, and necessary tools for wheel throwing, hand-building processes. We have two electric kilns which fire at Cone 6.

CraftStudies Clay Studio is a teaching and learning studio, not a production studio.

Clay is not included with class registration for most classes, and must be purchased separately.

Clay can be purchased on the CraftStudies website.

Clay should be labeled with the student’s name.

The use of glazes and firings are included with the price of clay.

Students should bring the following items to class: a towel, an apron, a mask, a water bottle, and the willingness to learn.

Each student is provided a cubby in which they may store their clay and personal belongings for the duration of the class. Cubbies must be labeled with the student’s name.

Students are entitled to the equivalent of one ware board for wet work storage. Ware boards must be labeled with the student’s name.

Current student first names and monograms are recorded for reference in the studio each session.

All students are asked to sign a waiver of liability through the registration process for their participation in classes and activities at CraftStudies, as well as a photo release form.

Students' work will be kept in the studio for one month from the end-date of the class. After one month, it may be discarded.

Notifications and reminders for students are sent via email. Please check your email regularly for important student information.

Current Open Studio Hours and registration for Open Studio time can be found on the CraftStudies Website. We ask that students register or cancel at least 24 hours in advance.

All Open Studio Hours are subject to change based on workshops and special events*

Students currently enrolled in a class in the Clay Studio at CraftStudies (87 Maple Street Studio) may attend Open Studio sessions free of charge throughout the duration of their class and for two weeks after class ends. We ask that no new work be produced in Open Studio Practice sessions after the completion of the class, and that these sessions are reserved for finishing

Free Open Studio Hours do not apply to Youth Classes, Camps or Workshops.

It is the responsibility of all users to clean up and put away any areas, equipment and tools they have used.

As you go and/or at the end of each class or work session, all surfaces, including the floor around your work area, glaze tables, hand-building tables, wedging tables and sink counter, must be properly scraped and cleaned with a damp sponge (large rectangular sponges) or mop.

Please put all throwing water, water/slip from your splash pan, heavy slip or discarded clay chunks of any size in the reclaim bin.

Clay should never go down the sink. When washing clay off of hands, tools and equipment, please ensure that this clay ladened water goes into the bucket in the sink to catch the clay. Clay settles in the water bucket, making it easier to safely dispose of. Do not use the bathroom sink to clean your hands, tools or equipment if covered in clay.

Studio towels are for drying clean hands only (Please bring your own towel for classes and open studio time).

After the wheel and splash pan is clean, please make sure it is turned off and unplugged (please do not pull on chords; pull the plug itself). Place the foot pedal on the wheel’s front tray. Stack stools or store on the wheel’s front tray. This makes mopping easier for everyone.

Dust from clay & glaze is a respiratory irritant and must be minimized whenever possible. Leaving wet clay and glaze to dry on surfaces or the floor will dry into fine particles of silica dust that remain in the air into which we breathe.

Do not sweep dried clay dust. Clean areas with a wet sponge or mop, vacuum with the shop vac, or use sweeping compound to collect. Any sanding or grinding must be done outside, regardless of weather. When sanding, wearing a mask is recommended.

Mop water may be disposed of down the drain outside the kiln room or in the mop sink.

Please put away clean tools in their appropriate storage spots.

Please leave the studio cleaner than you found it. If you notice something wasn’t cleaned or returned by another user, please do so as a courtesy to the community, and the safety and longevity of the studio.

All clay used at CraftStudies must be purchased through the CraftStudies website. If clay was not purchased in advance, please use your personal device or studio iPad/computer to purchase clay through the CraftStudies website. The price of clay includes a fee to cover a portion of the cost of glazes and firing.

Monitors and/or Teaching Artists will distribute purchased clay to students.

In order to sign out a new bag of clay, potters must record proof of purchase in the Clay Distribution Log with the help of Monitors or Teaching Artists. Please include the following information: Name, Order Number (from online purchase), Bag Number, Initial & Date by Monitor or Staff

The Studio Coordinator will verify all purchases within the week. Please mark clay bags with your name and store them in your cubby.

Reclaim must be used for class/instructor demos, when possible.

Please keep the glaze area clean and tidy. Return lids to glaze buckets and buckets to storage spots after use.

Please make sure your pots have clean bottoms and that glaze isn’t too thick on the lower half of your piece before placing them on the glazeware shelf. If the glaze is too close to or on the bottom of a pot, it will be placed on the “Needs Help” shelf. If you find one of your pots there, clean up the bottom and put it back on the glazeware shelf. Please ask a Teaching Artist or Monitor if you have any questions about properly glazing your work.

“Biscuits” or “Cookies” are available to place under your work if you are worried about glaze dripping onto the kiln shelf. Please be aware that if glaze runs down your pot onto a biscuit/cookie, it may not separate cleanly.

Work should be placed on the glazeware shelf the way it should go in the kiln.

Only studio clay and glazes may be fired at CraftStudies

Carefully sign all your work to have it fired. Any unmarked work will be placed on the ‘Mystery” greenware shelf and will not be fired.

Only Studio Monitors may load and unload the kilns.

The Studio Coordinator is responsible for assigning Monitors and Staff to fire the kilns

We only fire full loads of both bisqueware and glazeware, and always prioritize student work.

Many factors can delay the firing or unloading of the kiln. Please keep this in mind when waiting for your work.

The Studio Coordinator will send out a weekly email to all registered students, community studio users, teaching artists and assistants with the firing schedule. Please keep track of where your pieces are in this process.

An email will be sent to registered students/participants/monitors in the event of class or open studio canceling due to inclement weather or illness.

Work unclaimed after one month on any shelf (ware, bisque, glaze, finished, mystery, needs help) may be discarded.

Please communicate low supply quantities (clay, glazes, clay, tools, etc.) to a Monitor, who will report it to the Studio Coordinator by writing and dating a note on the whiteboard in the Studio Communication Corner.

Our studio monitors are volunteers who help keep our community clay studio humming in exchange for access to the studio and the ability to fire their work in CraftStudies kilns. Monitors have prior experience working and maintaining a clay studio, and have taken at least three class with CraftStudies.

In exchange for a minimum of 3 hours of studio work a week, Clay Studio monitors have access to the CraftStudies Clay Studio during non-class and open studio hours, and are able to fire their own work in the kilns for the cost of clay. Monitor Tasks include, but are not limited to:

Opening and Closing the Studio

Student Studio Assistance & Clay Distribution

Studio Safety, Cleanliness & Processes

Personal/Creative Use

Monitors are entitled to the equivalent of one ware board for storage of their personal wet ware production, and are provided a cubby in which to store their clay and personal belongings.

Monitors meet on a monthly basis for studio training and community learning opportunities, and quarterly to review and uphold current policies and procedures.

All Monitors must sign a Volunteer Agreement to acknowledge that they accept the terms and responsibilities of the position.

We encourage our Teaching Artists and Teaching Assistants to use the clay studio as members of our CraftStudies community.

Teaching Artists are employees of CraftStudies who teach at least one class/term.

Teaching Assistants are volunteers whose registration fees are waived in exchange for instructional assistance.

All Teaching Artists and Teaching Assistants must purchase clay through the CraftStudies website.

Reclaim should be used for all demonstrations, when possible.

Teaching Artists and Teaching Assistants are entitled to the equivalent of 1 ware board for their wet ware, and are provided a cubby in which to keep their personal belongings and supplies.

To prepare for and support their students, Teaching Artists and Assistants have access to the studio during non-class and open studio hours two weeks before class begins, throughout the class period, and for two weeks following the conclusion of each class.

Teaching Artists are responsible for appropriately signing out clay for student use, ensuring that every student receives training in safe studio practices and clean-up procedures, monogram their work, and label their ware board, cubby and clay.

Teaching Assistants are responsible for assisting the Teaching Artist with set up, class instruction and clean-up each session. Teaching Assistants must arrive 15 minutes before each session begins and stay until clean-up is complete.

Teaching Assistantships are available for community members who have taken at least two (2) classes in the content domain with CraftStudies.