NEW! Tea Time: Teapots Through Clay & Culture

Instructor: Danya Pirie
Sunday, 10AM-12:30PM
Location: Clay Studio
Tuition: $45

Join us for tea time at the studio as we explore the essential elements of teapot design. Creating a handmade teapot is both a technical and artistic challenge, requiring thoughtful attention to form, function, and aesthetics at every stage.

Together, we’ll examine what makes a teapot successful: a well-fitted lid, a balanced body and handle, comfortable ergonomics, and a spout that pours cleanly and effortlessly—all while leaving room for personal expression and creativity.

As we sip tea together, we’ll break down each component of the teapot and discuss how design choices influence the brewing experience. We’ll explore how tea traditions and brewing styles from different cultures shape the form and function of teapots, from loose-leaf teas of China and Japan to Indian tea traditions and everyday brewing methods such as teabags. Through this lens, we’ll consider how different teas call for different teapot styles and approaches to design.

We’ll also discuss how various clay bodies affect heat retention and influence the experience and quality of tea, deepening your understanding of both ceramics and the art of brewing.

Following our tea discussion, there will be a demonstration on constructing a teapot, focusing on the individual components and principles of design. This workshop invites you to expand your understanding of teapot design and construction through technique, culture, and history. Tea & light refreshments will be served.

June 14  REGISTER>

NEW! Form & Transform: Altering on the Wheel Workshop

Guest Instructor: Stuart Gair
Monday & Tuesday, 1-5PM
Location: Clay Studio
Tuition: $210

We’re delighted to welcome Stuart Gair to the clay studio this summer as a guest instructor for an immersive two-day workshop. He will demonstrate a variety of throwing and altering techniques, along with the process of making and using a bisque hump mold to create a large tray. Participants will add new tools and approaches to their repertoire while exploring how combining techniques can expand expressive possibilities in creating more dynamic forms. Demonstrations will include throwing a pitcher on the wheel, constructing a five-sided teapot, crafting a sapphire box, and creating a functional pouring vessel.

This workshop offers a unique opportunity to observe Stuart’s process up close while experimenting with new ideas in your own practice. We’ll conclude with an informal artist talk, where Stuart shares insights from his pottery journey while enjoying pizza from our wood-fired oven. Adults, Int./Adv*

*This workshop is suited for students with prior wheel experience and a consistent throwing practice. Participants are welcome to bisque-fire the molds they create during class. Additional work will only be fired for students currently taking another class and have a shelf space.

Stuart Gair’s work balances form and function through thoughtful design, reflecting architectural influences and enhanced by layered surface treatments. To learn more about Stuart or view his work, visit stuartgair.com

August 10 & 11  REGISTER>

Date Night: Wheel Throwing

Instructors: MSS Staff
Fridays, 5:30-7:30PM
Location: Clay Studio
Tuition: $80/couple

Have a date night at the studio! Couples will explore this captivating medium and learn about wheel throwing while spending some quality time together. Experience using a wheel while getting your hands in some clay. Learn about centering, shaping, and the process of making a pot on a wheel. Create memories and possibly some masterpieces to treasure in this 1-night class! Clay will be provided and each participant will be able to fire 1 piece which will be glazed by a staff member. All levels/no experience required. BYOB Ages 21+

Tuition includes registration for 2 people. Please provide the name of the other participant when registering.

May 29  REGISTER>
June 12  REGISTER>
June 19  REGISTER>

Fire & Form: Alternative Firing Techniques

Instructors: Dave Meath, Ethan Quillen & Bethany Farrell
Wednesdays, 1-3:30PM
Location: Clay Studio
Tuition: $450

This class integrates both handbuilding and wheel throwing, with a focus on creating pieces and forms specifically for alternative firing processes. Experiment with surface decoration techniques using cobalt and salt as well as burnishing with terra sigillata for interesting finishes. Participate in multiple firings to explore a range of alternative methods, including Raku, Naked Raku (slip resist), Obvara, horsehair, and saggar pit firing. Each firing offers an opportunity for creative discovery as you reveal shimmery, iridescent, smokey matte surfaces or crackle effects. All levels, Adults /Teens 16+

Students will have an outdoor shelf space in a covered area to store pieces.

May 27-July 1  REGISTER>

Hands on Glazing

Instructor: Cath Manegold
Tuesdays, 1-3PM
Location: Clay Studio
Tuition: $152

Red, blue or green? It sounds simple: Pour some glaze on your pot, let it dry, and put it in a kiln. But glazing is not simple. To develop consistent results you need to understand some basic application techniques, and why they matter. Using test tiles and bisqueware you bring, we will move through the process of cleaning and preparing your work and then selecting and applying the glaze. After firing, we will gather one last time to examine results and explore problems, successes and hopefully — some magic. This final class will bring us back together after a gap, so we may share and hopefully celebrate once everyone’s work is done.

Materials: A ‘glazing journal’ for documenting results will be provided. Students will need to provide 4 pieces of their own cone 9/10 bisque-ware for glaze samples and will be able to purchase their own clay for making test tiles.

June 2-30*  FULL/WAITLIST>

*Glazing Review Day on June 30th to go over results-no class on June 23rd.

Monday Evening Wheel

Instructors: Dasha Kalisz & Kristi Tolgyesi
Mondays, 6-8:30PM
Location: Clay Studio

This class is for students of all skill levels. For beginners the focus is on basic skills. Students who have mastered centering will be challenged with projects that match their interests. We will all stretch and grow no matter where we begin! All levels Adult/Teens 16+

Students may purchase clay at the start of class. It is recommended that students bring their own aprons for class. Aprons are available at the studio for students who are unable to provide their own.

Spring Session: May 4-June 22 RUNNING
Summer Session 1: July 6-27, Tuition: $180 FULL/WAITLIST>
Summer Session 2: August 3-31, Tuition: $225  REGISTER>

Monday Afternoon Hand Building

Instructor: Kathy Clarke
Mondays, Noon-2:30PM
Location: Clay Studio

Come sit around the table in the time honored activity of making pottery and sculpture using hands, tools, stamps, slips. Appropriate for beginners and professionals. Project ideas will be offered, independent projects welcome, and serious fun will be had! All levels/Adults

Students may purchase clay at the start of class. It is recommended that students bring their own aprons for class. Aprons are available at the studio for students who are unable to provide their own.

June 1-29, Tuition: $225  REGISTER>
July 6-27, Tuition: $180  REGISTER>
August 3-31, Tuition: $225  REGISTER>

Tuesday Hand Building

Instructor: Kathy Clarke
Tuesdays, 10AM-12:30PM
Location: Clay Studio

Come sit around the table in the time honored activity of making pottery and sculpture using hands, tools, stamps, slips. Appropriate for beginners and professionals. Project ideas will be offered, independent projects welcome, and serious fun will be had! All levels/Adult

Students may purchase clay at the start of class. It is recommended that students bring their own aprons for class. Aprons are available at the studio for students who are unable to provide their own.

May 5-26, Tuition: $180 RUNNING
June 2-30, Tuition: $225 REGISTER>
July 7-28, Tuition: $180 REGISTER>
August 4-25, Tuition: $180 REGISTER>

Wednesday Evening Hand Building

Instructors: Catherine Brooks, Bethany Farrell & Elizabeth Stahl
Wednesdays, 6-8:30PM
Location: Clay Studio

Discover the endless creative possibilities of hand building with clay! Using just a few simple tools, slips, and glazes, you’ll explore a range of methods for creating functional and/or sculptural forms.
The class will be team-taught by three MSS potters. Bethany Farrell will share surface design techniques including sgraffito, burnishing with terrasigillata, and incorporating underglazes and stains. Elizabeth Stahl will focus on building with slabs, and decorating with underglaze transfers. The third section will be taught by Catherine Brooks, exploring the potential of using coils to build vases and lidded jars.
In addition to sharing these techniques and ideas, students will have the freedom to pursue their own creative visions. Guided instruction will support your growth at any level, while providing an opportunity to refine your skills. All levels/Adults 16+

Spring Session: May 5-26 RUNNING
Summer Session: July 1-29, Tuition: $225 REGISTER>

Thursday Morning Wheel

Instructors: Kathy Clarke & Cath Manegold
Thursdays, 10AM-12:30PM
Location: Clay Studio

This wheel class will focus on improving skills as needed for each student to grow in their abilities. We will cover centering, pulling up, shaping, trimming, surface treatment before bisquing and glazing after. Gaining confidence in the basics allows for self exploration in specific areas: rims, feet, lids, handles, spouts, altering, throwing larger and generally challenging yourself. Historic and contemporary pottery will be our inspiration. Join us for a fun class! Students purchase clay at the start of class. All levels, Adults/Teens 16+

Students may purchase clay at the start of class. It is recommended that students bring their own aprons for class. Aprons are available at the studio for students who are unable to provide their own

Spring Session: May 7-June 18  RUNNING
Summer Session 1: July 2-30, Tuition: $225,  FULL/WAITLIST>
Summer Session 2: August 6-27, Tuition: $180,  REGISTER>

Thursday Evening Wheel

Instructor: Saisorn Peemanao
Thursdays, 6-8:30 PM
Location: Clay Studio

This class will focus on making functional pottery using the potter’s wheel. Students will learn how to make bowls, cups, and plates. Several altering techniques will be demonstrated for making oval, square, and irregular forms in addition to round pots. Appendages such as handles, feet, and spouts will be considered in relation to form and function. Clay can be purchased at the beginning of class. All levels/Teens 16+

Students may purchase clay at the start of class. It is recommended that students bring their own aprons for class. Aprons are available at the studio for students who are unable to provide their own

Spring Session: May 7-June 18  RUNNING
Summer Session 1: July 2-30, Tuition: $225, REGISTER>

Independent Study

Monthly sessions
Tuition: $120

Independent Study is an option for more experienced potters who are interested in studio time rather than a class setting. Adults/Teens 16+

After taking two Adult weekly pottery classes (minimum 4-week session) at MSS, students are eligible to register for Independent Study to have access to the clay studio during open studio hours. Each participant will have a shelf for their work, clay and tools during the session. Open studio hours are offered daily and listed online on the open studio calendar which is updated regularly.

Tuition includes access to the studio which is equipped with a hand building room, wheel throwing room, and glazing area. Clay must be purchased at the studio which includes the cost of firing, and any outside glazes must be approved before firing. MSS offers a variety of clay to work with, including terracotta or white & brown stoneware.

Due to our limited space & capacity for firings, there is a limit of 2 bags of clay a month per participant. Independent study potters may glaze fire up 10 pieces per month (average in size, i.e. mugs, bowls). Please monitor how many pieces you glaze per month, to ensure to not exceed the limit. Sessions are offered on a monthly schedule and fill on a first-come, first-served basis. Independent study is a very popular offering, so slots fill quickly. We apologize that we cannot accommodate all who are interested.

How to Register

A new monthly session of independent study opens up for enrollment each month. A registration link will be listed online on the 1st day of each month, unless the 1st falls on a weekend or Holiday. If the first day of the month falls on a Holiday or weekend, enrollment will open up on the next business day.  Check below for the registration link and if a session is full there is an option to add yourself to a waitlist.

Cancellation Policy

No refunds will be issued for Independent Study cancellations made less than 7 days prior to the first day of the session. A partial refund may be issued for cancellations made within a week of the start date.

May  RUNNING
June  FULL/WAITLIST>
July FULL/WAITLIST>

Check our open studio hours on our clay studio calendar