Pottery Class: Intro to Wheel Throwing Seize the Clay

San Francisco

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Craft

•

Pottery

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Wheel Throwing

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Kid Friendly

Pottery Class: Intro to Wheel Throwing Seize the Clay

Seize the clay and learn wheel throwing in San Francisco

SMAart Gallery and Studio

4.6 (97)

104k followers

ClassBento donates with every booking to

2 hours

1 to 10 $89

San Francisco

•

Craft

•

Pottery

•

Wheel Throwing

•

Kid Friendly

What you'll do

Learn a new skill and take a 'claycation' with the experts from SMAart Gallery and Studio in San Francisco. Discover how to use a potters wheel at this beginner-friendly class and create something absolutely clay-mazing!

We will begin with introductions and a basic wheel demonstration by one of our instructors. You will learn the basic steps of throwing a cylinder on the potter's wheel, before trying it out yourself using up to three one-pound balls of clay.

You can keep your new works of art, we will dry, trim, bisque fire, glaze and glaze fire them. When your masterpieces are ready, we will notify you when they are ready for pick-up (allow three to six weeks).

We will literally get down to earth in this wheel throwing class, get centered, and throw some mud!
Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and explore the depth of your creative spirit.

After you have created your masterpieces, the last fifteen minutes of class will be for clean-up. If you want to use all your time creating, for a small fee, the teacher will do the clean-up for you, just ask.

We have two pottery studios, both in San Fransisco. Please take care to check which location you are booking for.

Please note:

Please arrive 10 minutes early so we can start on time. When we get started the doors will be locked and the activity will be moved to the studio area. If you arrive late, we may not know that you are at the door. Please do not call if you are running late. The phone does not ring in the studio and the instructor will not be notified.

See available dates or Gift

See booking options

Add-on available for this class

Have the clean up done for you at the end of the class (per guest) ($11)

You can add these when you book (optional).

Knowledge required

Great for beginners.
Note: wheels are adult sized, so younger children may need extra assistance from their guardian.

What you'll get

Up to three pounds of clay to make up to three items. We will trim, fire, glaze and re-fire them for pick up at 4-6 weeks later. An email will be sent when they are available.

What to bring

Wear clothes and shoes you don't mind getting dirty and bring your creative spirit!
You may wish to bring your own apron and hand towel.
Consider trimming your fingernails for the best experience.

Suitable for

Suitable for adults, and kids (minimum 10 years old). An adult must accompany any attending kids, and must pay for a separate ticket.

This would also be a unique gift for her, gift for mom, anniversary gift or birthday gift.

SMAart Gallery and Studio is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and adheres to COVID-19 government guidelines.

ClassBento donates with every booking to

Location

SMAart Gallery & Studio - 3135 24th Street, San Francisco, CA

Your teacher

SMAart Gallery and Studio

4.6 (97)

104k followers

Steve has been an artist and creator his whole life and working in clay for over 35 years. After working in the high-tech manufacturing industry for more than two decades, he quit his day job and received a BA and MFA. He began teaching ceramics at Bay Area colleges, universities, and community centers. He also managed the ceramic studio at the Richmond Art Center until he opened SMAart Gallery and Studio in 2012. He loves to create and is pleased to share his passion here at SMAart.

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Verified reviews

We only show reviews from customers who have paid for and attended this class

Jason Beveridge • Mar 2023

Good pace with instructional demo and the right amount of individual hands on support throughout

Jennifer Yun • Mar 2023

Fun and informative class! Seasmus was a helpful and hands on teacher. We’d love to take another class soon and look forward to picking up the pieces we made in the near future.

Omar Mwinila-Yuori • Mar 2023

Dev was very patient and helpful in her teaching style. It was an enjoyable experience!

Yaqueline Loyola • Mar 2023

The teacher was very kind, helpful and understanding. There were people there with different experience levels so I felt a bit self conscious about it, but the environment was very welcoming and once we started I got focused in the clay. I personally had never been in a ceramics class and I learned so much with this experience, I’m excited to go back and try again.

Prati Dayal • Mar 2023

Took a pottery class last weekend with Itai. He was knowledgeable, but didn't offer enough individual attention or guidance and was not friendly. Also the material were given in limited quantity which made it difficult to complete the project.

Kirsten Calverley • Mar 2023

The class was great! The teacher, Annemarie, was very kind and helpful. All materials were provided and I am looking forward to picking up my pieces in a few weeks!

See 75 more reviews

Nikki Campos • Mar 2023

Loved this class so much! Teacher Ann Marie was great and hands on for helping. Must try this class out they provide all tools needed!

Daniel Keener • Mar 2023

The experience was cool, but my partner and I definitely left feeling a little frustrated with the lack of teaching. I don’t think I ever properly “centered” the clay, and wasn’t able to make one functional object. We also paid an extra fee for cleanup which we still had to do. Not a bad experience but certainly overpriced for what we received.

Cecile Boulou • Mar 2023

Amazing experience with Dev ! She is a great teacher and we had a lot of fun to learn pottery with her

Apoorva Sharma • Mar 2023

Great fun class, Dev was a great teacher and explained the details for us to started with pottery.

Tia W. • Mar 2023

Great vibes! Love how mistakes are welcome to be made! Teacher was outgoing and helpful.

Deanna Woods • Mar 2023

First for the good, the studio was well equipped and easy to find, my partner and I were ten minutes late due to parking being very tight, and they were very accommodating with us.
However that’s kind of where the positive experience ends, the teacher had a strange way of teaching that made us uneasy. Twice she loudly criticized my (admittedly terrible) pieces, it made me feel pretty embarrassed. She seemed really upset to have to be teaching this class and talked down to/snapped at students multiple times. This could have been such a fun activity, I’m bummed the instruction made it less than positive.

Niko Abitbol • Mar 2023

2 ClassBento workshops attended

This was my 3rd time taking a beginner ceramics class in the last 5ish years and it was my least favorite. It was a mix of 6 week class students and one-timers. The teacher did one full demo and then we were on our own the rest of the time while the teacher came around to help one on one. It was chaotic and not structured enough IMO, for the cost I would have expected more instruction or at least more than one demo of the skills.

Amy Cha • Feb 2023

Super nice and easy to follow! Made pottery feel really approachable and easy. Would highly recommend this teacher

Khin Thomson • Feb 2023

Dev was awesome! Her instructions were clear and she was super helpful. She allowed us to go for it and do our own thing but also offered to help when needed. My girls and I really enjoyed your class. We’d def take her class again and again.

The studio space was clean and the class size was perfect.

Carla Shao • Feb 2023

Dev was a wonderful teacher. She was supportive and helped make it a fun experience for us first timers. We are excited to see how our pieces turn out!

Pottery class review by Carla Shao - San Francisco

Alyssa Quezada • Feb 2023

Mary Anne was extremely helpful and very approachable. I felt like I learned a lot in such a small amount of time. Highly recommended!

Beatriz Rodriguez • Feb 2023

The class had a mix of multiple levels. Given that this was my first time, I would’ve preferred to be with same level people and received more training in the basics. Having said this, it was a nice experience overall.

Jenna Taylor • Feb 2023

Jason was great! My boyfriend and I had an amazing time! Would definitely recommend them to our friends!

Pottery class review by Jenna Taylor - San Francisco

Jonas Fishburn • Feb 2023

Dev was an amazing instructor. It was a great introduction to the pottery wheel and we had a blast getting our hands dirty. We highly recommend Dev and this class! Five stars!

Charlie Chai • Feb 2023

Lesson was good and wheel spinning was fun. Feel like we were not taught any techniques in the class and the demos were short

Lucky Zafra • Feb 2023

2 ClassBento workshops attended

I don’t even remember my teacher name but the class wasn’t that bad

Olga Ovcharskaia • Feb 2023

This was great! Dev is a wonderful instructor and we had a lot of fun! Highly recommend!

Maria Choi • Jan 2023

Jason was amazing and a great and patient teacher. Definitely makes a difference for a memorable experience.

Cynthia Milionis • Jan 2023

Great environment, friendly, welcoming, teacher funny and eager to communicate as a group and help each person individually.

Stephane Can • Dec 2022

We came with our all family and had a great time. Itai was an excellent teacher. I highly recommend this class.

Phoenix Tower • Dec 2022

Emilie was an encouraging and helpful teacher Thank you for providing us with so much clay

Sawyer McKenna • Dec 2022

Sasi was very patient and always had something positive to say about our work. The time was structured very well and we all had a lot of fun!

Amanda Dilena • Dec 2022

Class was great, although could’ve been a little shorter. Also would have liked the option to make more than 3 pieces and pay extra for it.

Abhilash Dighe • Dec 2022

Loved the class. She did a great job helping us out when we got stuck and was very encouraging.

Haley Berkoe • Dec 2022

The class was really fun and the teacher did a great job at proving instructions. Also, the studio is very cute and clean. Would definitely take another class!

Pottery Class: Intro to Wheel Throwing Seize the Clay review by Haley Berkoe - San Francisco

Vijay • Dec 2022

It was mine and my husband's 1st attempt at pottery. We decided to try this as a fun activity to do for our anniversary and had quite a good time. When we walked in, the teacher - Itai - wasn't in yet but there were other students and we waited a little bit. He came in and introduced himself to us, and gave us instructions on the items we need to gather etc. Overall, Itai was personable and helpful. He demonstrated the steps, while emphasizing what to be careful about and sharing tips. There were 7 students that day and pitched in to help out anyone who needed it. he kept a positive vibe flowing, encouraging us to keep trying and letting us know when to stop, before we completely mess up our work. We were lucky to get some extra time in the end as it was the last class of the day. By the end, we made 3 pieces to take home, which was more than many other studios allowed for the same price. I am waiting eagerly to go and collect the finished pieces.
The studio by itself wasn't very fancy but the class and instructor was good. Overall, it was a good value for the money.

Nicky Jacobson • Nov 2022

I loved *trying* to create pottery on the wheel. It was pretty difficult! I thought our instructor could have connected with us a little better. She could have been more relaxed and welcoming. We were all happy and eager and she was rigid in the way we needed to do things and curt when we asked questions. She did let us try more than the 3 balls of clay when we messed up so that was really nice of her. I would have loved to have tried to make something different than the same plain bowl 3 times. Even just a small variation on the bowl, maybe curving it some or flaring it or carving something into it at the end. But those were not offered as options or suggestions. It also would be cool to be able to choose a color for your bowls to be glazed in but I get that that would be a bigger ask. Overall it was a great experience and one of our friends is going to take some classes now!

Sutien Wong • Nov 2022

Always wanted to try ceramics, and had a lot of fun learning in this class. We had everything we needed, and were given Clear instructions on everything. Ittai (sry if I’m spelling it wrong) was super nice, helpful, and patient :)

Elaine • Nov 2022

The class was super fun! Candace was our instructor and she was very patient and thorough about teaching us how to get started. The class was definitely harder than expected but clay was fairly easy to work with and just about getting a good technique down. The studio was really cool, pretty spacious and they have a great pickup system that works for the students. We were admiring the pieces on display made by the talented instructors.

Meggan Molinaro • Nov 2022

6 ClassBento workshops attended • 4 reviews

Our team love the class, the teacher Candice was great at teaching us the skills and ensuring we did not rush the process. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn how to do pottery. I know most of the people from my team are planning to do more pottery classes now because it was such a soothing experience.

Pottery class review by Meggan Molinaro - San Francisco

Tyler Marshall • Oct 2022

2 ClassBento workshops attended

It was a very enjoyable class. As a first timer, I think a bit more instruction around what to do when things go wrong or how to save a piece before it’s too late would have been appreciated.

Melissa Sparks • Oct 2022

The teacher seemed a bit disconnected from her students. It would have been nice to see more cultural competence. The instruction was okay but she could be sharp with her corrections.

Wenqian Yan • Oct 2022

I enjoyed this clay making class a lot Ann taught very helpful tricks to gain confident in starting clay making. Would highly recommend this class

Elizabeth Saenz • Oct 2022

The class was great. Dev was very helpful. She made sure we understood the process and helped us throughout.

Edith Francoeur • Oct 2022

Jason was great, very thorough and helpful. It was a fun, interactive experience. I would definitely recommend.

Pottery class review by Edith Francoeur - San Francisco

Arjun Chakravarty • Oct 2022

This was my first time working on the wheel. Candace was great, she had a very friendly demeanor and the pacing of the demonstration was excellent. Additionally when she comes around the instruction she gave me seemed personalized for my smaller hands. I struggled with some of the techniques, but it was really fun and at many points very satisfying. Making a shape that you see in your head is a great feeling even if the end product doesn't work. Overall the class was great, and Candace was an awesome teacher.

Mehul Nair • Oct 2022

A super fun class, and Jason was a great teacher! Highly recommend to any beginners!

Yu-Hua Hsu • Sep 2022

I love how the teacher taught us! She is very patient and guided us with our hands. She emphasized how important “center” is and she encouraged us no matter how our project turned to.

Aayush Saxena • Sep 2022

Great teacher to help out beginners. Was patient with first timers. Will definitely recommend him

Michelle Simi • Sep 2022

Jason was nice & helpful
We made fun bowls & cups, easily made reservations
Parking was tough

Baron Bautista • Aug 2022

I purchased this experience as a birthday gift for my boyfriend. We enjoyed the pottery class this past week which included basic lessons and teaching points. I felt like we had a lot of time to explore and make a lot of different creations (to the best of our ability :). I would definitely take this class again!

Amanpreet Kaur • Aug 2022

I enjoyed the experience and felt that the teacher could be a little more hands on with supporting those of us who were attending class for the first time. Instead of being told “next one will be better”. I appreciated when she would take over for a person and show them how to improve their clay piece.

Manasa Sriram • Aug 2022

She was extremely patient and helpful. As a beginner, received great help from my teacher to start the course

Pottery Class: Intro to Wheel Throwing Seize the Clay review by Manasa Sriram - San Francisco

Irene Faizi • Aug 2022

The class was good, but I think the teacher could have provided more support in troubleshooting. Also, we ended much earlier than the class time stated on the booking.

Madonna Pendleton • Aug 2022

It was really cool and fun first time trial run at pottery. Two hours went by so quickly. The area around the shop is a little challenging if unprepared but once indoors, we felt completely at ease.

Robin Rasumov-Rahe • Jul 2022

Fun experience overall but instruction felt cursory. Two classes being taught simultaneously so even with only 4 people in the 1 day class, there wasn't much explanation for newbies.

Lindsay Nelson • Jul 2022

Such a great experience! The teacher was such an expert and incredibly helpful, yet still made it light and playful since the whole class was pretty much brand new to pottery. I really enjoyed the experience and it felt like a real treat to be taught by someone who really knows what their doing and has been in the industry for I think close to 50 years!

Caroline Sherratt • Jul 2022

Great teacher and fun intro class in an intimate group. Really enjoyed learning pottery basics!

Kendra Willis • Jul 2022

I had a great time at the class. I booked this as a birthday present for myself and I had a great time. The instructor, Ann Marie, was really good. She was very patient and took time to explain everything we were doing thoroughly. I will definitely be booking another class in the near future.

Pottery class review by Kendra Willis - San Francisco

Keyana Willis • Jul 2022

Mari Anne was a great teacher. She taught us the basic techniques to create pottery. This was a great glass and I’m interested in taking a few more to learn different tips & techniques.

Pottery class review by Keyana Willis - San Francisco

Trygve Neufang • Jul 2022

Incredible experience for first-time pottery. The instructor was great, patient, and “taught by example” by making a huge vase in a couple minutes. The class was well structured and all of the materials were nicely prepared for participants to jump right into it. Will be back!

Pottery class review by Trygve Neufang - San Francisco

Anonymized Customer • Jun 2022

everything was great. engaging and helpful teacher, great venue, enough time and not too many people per class. thank you!

Paige Mughannam • Jun 2022

2 ClassBento workshops attended

We had a lot of fun taking this class! Pretty informative and plenty of time to play with clay.

Arie Luttikhuizen • May 2022

It was a lot of fun! Really chill vibe and our instructor was really personable and friendly. We may come back for the 6 week course later this year if we can find 6 weeks that we'll both be in town.

Kenya Lam • Apr 2022

The class was fun, it was my first time trying pottery and I think it was a good first introduction to it. I was able to try on my own and ask the instructor questions as needed to create my pieces. I learned basics of how to shape the clay and create a bowl/vase. I definitely want to try again and take another class in the future because of the great first experience I had.

Joe Sevillano • Apr 2022

Fun teacher and plenty of time to make atleast one take home worthy item. I would definitely go again with a friend.

Yan Zhou • Apr 2022

First of all, the teacher wasn’t there. They didn’t know the schedule. Then finally they found a substitute teacher.
She is very nice, but l learned absolutely nothing. At some point l was so frustrated. Not mention the class is overpriced! Waste money for one time class.

Janny Huang • Apr 2022

The class was great! The teacher did a great job accommodating and helping us make sure we leave feeling accomplished. She made sure we made at least one thing we were proud of. I really enjoyed the class and will definitely be coming back!

Svetlana Polonsky • Mar 2022

Kaytea is fun and energetic. She shows the basics well and encourages everyone not to give up, which i was close to after 4 attempts to make the first item. This class is good to take your mind away from daily routine. And if you are gentle, you may end up with some cups/tumblers/ashtrays. I would do this class again.

Jasmine Deng • Mar 2022

It was a lot of fun, the teacher was very helpful and helped repair failed/broken pots and cups, and I'm looking forward to getting the final product.

Leisha Ishikawa • Mar 2022

I would’ve appreciated more guidance from the instructor, especially repeating instructions. The quality of the materials were very good.

Shreya Jaiswal • Mar 2022

2 ClassBento workshops attended

Really fun class, pottery is hard to start but I think this was a better class than I've taken

Shalagha Mahajan • Mar 2022

KayTea was a lot of fun, she was chill and super engaging. She had so many fun instances to share and was a great teacher!

Kennedi Wilson • Feb 2022

Teacher was amazing! Class instruction was helpful especially for a beginner would go back again!

Pei Lin • Feb 2022

Overall we enjoyed ourselves at this pottery class! However, there wasn't enough instruction and hands-on training for beginners like me, especially since pottery requires a lot of skill and experience. I really didn't know how to proceed as the instructor was going through the steps too quickly. But the instructor was nice and the atmosphere (there was about 6 other participants) was fun!

Krista Granieri • Feb 2022

It was a really fun experience. Our teacher Marianne was patient and very cool.

We had a really great time. Would definitely recommend and would do it again. I’m not sure I can say too much about my pottery skills but practice makes perfect right?

Susan Barker • Jan 2022

I did this class with my 2 teenage kids and we all had a super fun time. The teacher was great, gave us good feedback and helped us improve. Everything was well organized and everyone was very friendly. A good time was had by all!

Rodney Montenegro • Jan 2022

The teacher (Candice) was super nice and helpful! The class went by super smoothly, she was a great instructor and everyone seemed to have a ton of fun.

Its an endorsement of the class that it went over by like 30min and no one really wanted to leave because they were having such a nice time!

Sean Silva • Jan 2022

Dev knew what she was doing and could tell from across the room that somebody needed help!

Dhwani Zatkia • Jan 2022

Teacher was amazing. She thought us all techniques and also helped us if we would mess up out pot.
I had a fantastic experience.

Manasvita Lakhotia • Nov 2021

Great experience! Time length of the class is good for getting the hang of it, even for absolute beginners. Space is quite nice!

Daniella Ponce • Nov 2021

Candace was an amazing and patient instructor. She helped every single one of us beginners with a huge smile! The materials provided were clean and in great condition and the studio felt like home. I can’t wait to see the final result. Thanks so much!

Veronica Puistonen • Oct 2021

Great teacher, great vibe, and super fun class! Would definitely attend again. Thank you for the experience!

Rhean Sun • Sep 2021

I thought this provided a good intro to the potter’s wheel. Candace did a great job demonstrating what to do and then letting us apply the techniques on our own. I thought the class offered a good balance of formal instruction and hands-on learning, and I liked that we were able to create three pieces each to take home. I would consider taking more classes here!

$89 per guest

4.6 (97)

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