Clay Studio Policies

No food is allowed inside the studio.  Students may eat in our lounge.  Please bring beverages in containers with lids only.

No food, beverage, soap or anything non-clay and glaze related can be cleaned in the sink in order to keep the reclaim filter under the sink from producing an odor.

CLEANING THE STUDIO:

  • Pottery students are expected to clean their supplies, table area and wheel at the end of each class.  All tools must be cleaned and returned to their proper container.
  • Pottery students are expected to clean your working area and all common use areas; wedging table, sink, glaze area, worktables, slab roller
  • Use only the cleaning materials provided and DO NOT SWEEP the studio floor!  Clay dust can be hazardous, so dry sweeping is not permitted. Sweep the leather hard trimmings from trimming your pots only.
  • Please mop around your wheel if needed. When mopping the floor, rinse out mop in the SINK WITH CLEAN WATER.
  • Please RE-WEDGE your used clay. If it needs to harden up a bit, place in a rainbow shape on your wheel, table or wedging table.
  • DO NOT LET CLAY GO DOWN THE DRAIN. Please catch as much clay as possible when cleaning up, wash hands and tools in your water bucket in the sink.  All clay residue should be dumped into large wet reclaim bucket.  Please place all pliable reclaim clay in the appropriate bin under the pug mill.  Dry, hard reclaim clay should be broken into small pieces and placed on the rectangular dry plaster bats located on the racks facing the pug mill.
  • If you use the table or coffee bar in the lounge during the time you are in the studio, please clean up after yourself. Wipe down the table and counter, wash out any mugs with the dish soap under the sink in the art studio.  Please throw out any garbage in the lounge garbage can or recycling can.

GLAZE BUCKETS:   

All Potters and pottery students should be extra to KEEP FOREIGN MATTER OUT OF THE GLAZE BUCKETS.  Accidental mixing of glazes might change the appearance of the glaze, making it very unpredictable and unstable.

IDENTIFYING WORKS:  

Please be diligent about identifying your work with your name!

WORK READY FOR THE KILN:  

The shelves near the kiln are for pottery only that is complete and ready to be fired; Bisque or Glaze.

Bisque Firings:

  • Frequency is based on the volume of work available to fill a kiln load (Cone 05).
  • Place only bone-dry work on the appropriate shelves.
  • Fired items are placed on marked shelves for glazing.
  • Items left on the shelves for 30 days or more will be discarded.
  • If a piece has special firing requirements, please leave a note for the Pottery Studio Manager.

Glaze Firings:

  • Frequency is based on the volume of work available to fill a kiln load (Cone 6).
  • Place glazed work on the appropriate shelves (student or member) when ready to fire.
  • All pieces must have a ticket. Pieces with no ticket will not be fired.
  • Bottoms and sides (up to 1/4 inch from bottom) of all pieces must be free of glaze. Ware with glaze on the bottom surface or with questionable glaze thickness will not be fired.
  • If a piece has special firing requirements, please leave a note for the Pottery Studio Manger.

MATERIALS FEES:  

All clay students in adult & teen classes will be charged a per piece clay and firing fee of $.06 per cubic inch. If a student does not measure their pieces for firing a flat fee of $75 will be charged. Firing fees will be noted prior to a glaze firing & paid once per session, after your final class.    Additional information on firing fees is posted in the Firing Fee Book located in the Clay Studio.  Please use the Firing Fees book to record all of your payments.  All fees must be paid prior to taking work home.

Note: There is an extra charge if you would like to re-fire your piece.

MEASURING PROJECTS:

It is the instructor’s responsibility to teach students how to measure projects to determine materials fees. Alternately, instructors can measure their student’s work.  Fees must be collected before work will be put into a glaze firing.

CERAMIC PICK UP: 

Works are to be picked up as soon as they are completed and available.  Unclaimed works will be discarded after 30 days.  Please note that clay and glazes are unpredictable.  Works might crack or break at multiple points in the drying and firing process and color and finish can vary.  No refunds or fee exemptions will be issued.