Private Pottery Class

Itai was excellent we were all beginners and he did a great in explaining the basics and also helped us in getting our initial piece right totally enjoyed the 2 hours class

What a great experience! The entire team had a great time as we unleashed out creativity. Very few of us had any previous clay experience, the introductory demo was great, and the teachers were very informative and helpful during the class.

We booked the private pottery wheel course for a large group and the course started off great. Our instructor gave us a quick tutorial on how we should center our clay and had us practice after the tutorial. We were not expecting this to be the only instructions for the 2.5 hr course.

We felt the instructor was just quickly trying to get through the lesson. She walked around twice to see each individuals clay throughout the 2.5hrs and definitely felt like she needed an assistant. Maybe she’s better with 6 or less people. One participant asked about possibly making a plate/bowl and the instructor mentioned to take the 6 week course.

1 hour and 45 minutes into the 2 hour and 30 minute course, the instructor mentioned we should clean up. At this moment more than half of our group got up and started cleaning/washing their workstation. I don’t think we needed 45 minutes to clean up so someone mentioned to the instructor that we paid to be there for 2.5 hrs and she responded saying “feel free to continue, I don’t want to make you feel rushed” but by then roughly 5 of 13 stayed to finish the remaining 45 minutes of the course.

In regards to cleaning, be prepared to clean your workstation and mop the perimeter of the class or pay $11 per person to clean. You would think since she wanted everyone to hurry up and clean she would have given clear instructions on what to do. There is a section to dispose clay and water, rinse compartment that catches the water for the machine, sponges to wipe your area down, flip chairs, dry tables, mop areas. These instructions came after things weren’t done properly.

At the end, you were only able to keep 3 of whatever pieces you made. We paid for all the materials and only 3 pieces could be kept? What about people that only made 1 piece? Could a student use their two other pieces for them? These pieces also will take roughly 6 weeks to be ready as well so keep this in mind in case you think you’ll be taking anything home.

I would not take this course again with this instructor and I think the teaching experience frustrated some students from staying for the full course. For the price, just invest in your own wheel and watch some YouTube videos.

Highlights of the course: timeliness, knowledge.

Ryley was such a great instructor and very patient. He took the time to re-explain the basics when we needed it and was happy to step in to help our projects whenever we asked, he also had a great shirt.

Anne Marie was very nice and talented. We had a great time and I'd love to take another class with her in the future!