SF, San Francisco

classes: Wheel Throwing • Clay Sculpture and Hand Building • Pottery

4.7 (172)

4.6 stars (67+)

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.

Classes

Pottery Class: Intro to Wheel Throwing Seize the Clay

4.7 (149)

Runs regularly

1 to 10

$89

Clay Sculpting Class

Runs regularly

1 to 10

$89

Private Pottery Class

4.8 (23)

Your choice of time

1 to 48

$115 - $185

Pottery Course: Play in Clay

Contact for details

1 to 48

$340

Reviews

(172)

Leslie Littlefield • Apr 2024

Mason was great! He was so patient and made the class so much fun! Highly recommend.

Katarina Djuric • Apr 2024

Dev was great and super clear in walking us through each step, especially for first-timers.

Nicole Britton-Snyder • Apr 2024

Had a nice time with my husband in this class. Ana Marie was patient, helpful and walked us through the process. You definitely get dirty and it will take about a month to get your pieces back. I like that we could make up to three pieces. They provide the equipment, tools, clay and apron. You just have to show up. For $20 extra you don’t have to clean up. It’s messy for sure but fun!

Emily Kwan • Apr 2024

The teacher Victor was great! We learned a lot form him! Will go back again!

Joanie Saelee • Mar 2024

The class was great for a beginner like myself. The instructor moved at a good pace and was helpful throughout the process. It was a great experience

Rosa Martinez • Mar 2024

The friendly and welcoming environment. Jason was great at explaining every step and super patient. He made the class fun and very engaging. I had such an amazing time.

Evan • Mar 2024

Took the first wheel throwing class - good time. No pottery experience going into it but by the end was able to make two pieces (and had fun doing it). Instructor did a good job of going around and providing pointers.

Jessica Fan • Mar 2024

Amazing class! I very much so enjoyed learning how to use a pottery wheel in this intimate setting. Very hands on and I felt supported through every step of the way

Trey Mack • Mar 2024

She was very knowledgeable and willing to help! We definitely come back for another full course.

Morgan Landes • Mar 2024

I had taken a class before and done some time throwing but didn’t consider myself very skilled. My teacher was able to get even the most inexperienced of us to the point where we threw something we could keep and let me try some intermediate things! Would definitely recommend!

Graham Delafield • Mar 2024

We had an amazing time working with Erika. We now have an immense appreciation for the art form and we look forward to trying to improve in the future!

Alyssa Voss • Feb 2024

My husband and I did this for my birthday and had a great time. It was a fun experience and Erin was a great teacher. She was patient and willing to help with any questions she had. We look forward to picking up our pieces when they are done.

Megan Bigelow • Feb 2024

I really liked the class overall. The teacher was very clear and made it fun. I had a good time overall.

Phoebe Nguyen • Feb 2024

The teacher was so patient with us, the only thing is I would have say it's not really easy to do it. And im afraid with bigger group it might be harder to skill it. But me and my boyfriend really enjoyed it, we learnt something new z

Colin Williams • Feb 2024

The class was a ton of fun and our teacher was very kind and helpful.

Jessica Gines • Feb 2024

We decided to do the class for a team building event. It was great and everyone enjoyed!

Zachary White • Feb 2024

We had a great class together! Excited to see how the final items turn out

Nathalie Rajwar • Feb 2024

Awesome experience for my daughter and I. Dev was super knowledgeable and provided customized instructions to everyone. Very happy with the results

Jacqueline van Siclen • Feb 2024

Phoebe had a very thorough demo and was very helpful once we tried everything out on our own. You can tell she’s very passionate about ceramics.

Anam Haque • Jan 2024

Great class and Mason was great! Would have appreciated some more time as I barely got the hang of it until my second slab of clay!

Would have appreciated an option to glaze the item too? Or something so it’s not the raw clay color.

Teacher's response

Anam - Thanks for your 5 star review and feedback. A 1-day class is a good start and gives you a taste of the throwing process. We will do the trimming for you tomorrow and once it is bisque fired, we will glaze it for you. The items will be ready for pick-up in 4-6 weeks. We will send you an email at that time. You might consider one of our 6 week classes so that you can make more items, develop your skills and do all the steps from throwing, trimming, shaping, decorating and glazing.
We hope to see you in the studio again soon.
Best,
The SMAart Team

Kevin Shin • Jan 2024

Loved the class! It was so much fun. Jason the instructor was great. Would come again!

Sarah Morphis • Jan 2024

We all had a great time in our private pottery class. Our instructor was super helpful with very clear instruction. We also liked that he taught us the foundation but then gave everyone the freedom to create what they wanted or could. It was a great time!

Tina Sugimoto • Jan 2024

Jason was a great instructor for the beginning pottery wheel class in San Francisco. He is patient & relaxed and allowed us to try out different shapes: bowl, cup, etc.
I especially am grateful that they allowed me to have this class with my daughter since I made an error on scheduling and they were so kind to let me come on the day I thought o had scheduled. Very accommodating and forgiving.
The pottery studio is excellent and well equipped. Difficult to find parking, but worth the walk.

Fiona Hanly • Jan 2024

Great course! Our teacher Itai was super knowledgeable and patient. Great for beginners and also those with a little bit of experience. We had a great time as a group of coworkers!

Robyn Navarro • Jan 2024

Dev was an amazing teacher and was super articulate and clear on how to be successful in the process! We had a great experience and would recommend it to friends.

Parul Arora • Jan 2024

Venue was good but we still cleaned up despite paying extra? Not a problem tho the instructor was good.

Quinn Fishburne • Jan 2024

Really amazing class, Anne marie was super helpful and a great teacher we had a blast

Siddharth Nayar • Jan 2024

Teacher was very good and friendly. Enjoyed the class thoroughly and would recommend it to others

Rebecca Mirro • Dec 2023

We had a great time! Thank you so much for your flexibility in adding guests and helping to make out surprise baby shower such a success!

Emily Wallace • Dec 2023

We had a great time and learned a lot! The teacher was very nice and helpful and I made 2 items and my partner made 3 items. Would definitely recommend!

Amanda Chiang • Dec 2023

Itai was amazing. Great teacher and helpful with everyone in the class. 10/10 recommend

Sergio Soria • Nov 2023

A Fun, relaxed atmosphere with a great teacher. Left me wanting to learn/make more!

Gary You • Oct 2023

great teacher! fun class. Would recommend anyone to join esp for first timers that want to try

Adam Gray • Oct 2023

Mason was great, the class was a good intro for someone who had never done this before. They provide the clay and tools, the time is enough to make something, and the facilities were up to snuff

Arvin Valmonte • Oct 2023

This was me and my group's first time taking a pottery class and it was amazing. The instructor, Itai, was extremely helpful and made the class enjoyable for first timers like us. We highly recommend taking this class and supporting this studio. We can't wait to see how our creations look after the glazing.

Nicholas Hamilton • Oct 2023

very fun and fulfilling if you're looking to try a new craft love getting to keep the pieces we make too :)

Anonymized ClassBento student • Sep 2023

Our class was intimate and light hearted, but there were integral parts of the lesson that were skipped over. We were not offered to wear their complimentary aprons, we were not told there was more practice clay, and we were not explained what we were doing incorrectly when our clay kept breaking in half.

Rebecca Yoshiyama • Sep 2023

Dev was super informative and helpful throughout the session. We had a great time! Thank you!

Valerie Jord • Aug 2023

The class started out well, except 2 students were about 5 minutes late. As the class progressed the instructor seemed to become more impatient with us. We all asked for assistance at least once, and maybe that was too much for him. My sons and I stopped asking for help, and we only made 5 pieces total instead of 9. Somewhat disappointed and wouldn't take this class again with the same instructor.

Wen Yi • Aug 2023

Had a great time! I knew we weren’t going to be experts by the end of one class, so expectations were realistic. Instructor gave great basic tips and pointers. In the beginning, I wish the instructor spent a little more time making sure everyone was up to speed because at one point I was struggling with the first step of centering the clay while they had moved on with the rest of the group. It wasn’t a big deal as I caught up eventually.

Michael Felix • Aug 2023

It was fun! throwing is harder than it looks, expect that your pieces wont be perfect the first time. Go in ready to learn and not expecting perfection and you'll have fun. The teacher was busy because they were teaching another class at the same time but the instruction overall was good. Don't worry if all your pieces come out as trash, there is a pile of items that are free because people never come to pick up their stuff. I definitely want to take another class.

Geneva Gregorio • Aug 2023

Great and fun experience! Simple instructions and good feedback that allowed me to make 2 pieces. Really enjoyed the class!

Julieta Loaiza • Aug 2023

Jason was great! Class was very informative and it was plenty of time to create multiple pieces.

Frankie Munoz • Aug 2023

Mason was amazing and was extremely patient and clear with his instructions. I highly recommend taking the pottery wheel class with him.

I took my family here for a surprise birthday gift for my mom and she loved it.

Erin • Aug 2023

I had fun, the instruction was good but felt like I needed more guidance than what was given.

Ehsan Gholami • Aug 2023

Overall enjoyed the experience. Things that can add to the experience joy:
- Ambience. Maybe the entrance could be organized a bit better to give a better feeling. A bit tidier place with nice ceramics on display adds joy.
- The instructor was knowledgable. However, they were more focused on a few students and basically left the rest of us alone. Maybe dividing time equally between participants or having smaller classes so instructors can attend to everyone is better. For this reason, I think the experience was overpriced. I was expecting at least 5-10mins interaction with instructor for this price! Had I gotten enough instructions and help from instructor, I would learn and enjoy more.
Overall I had a positive experience from both activity and instructor. I would love to go back and do it again, hopefully with an improved class structure. Thank you.

Jill Petersen • Aug 2023

Mason was awesome as a teacher and an artist. Went through the basics and explained all from clay to wheel to tools etc spent time w each of us (6) to support, provide feedback and modeled hands on on what to do. I appreciate the arts and Mason is an artist sharing what he loves to others.

Michelle Loven • Aug 2023

We both thought the class was great. We had good time to work on our own and the teacher was present for questions.

Tina Kwong • Jul 2023

My daughter and I had a great time. The teacher was really patient in teaching my daughter and gave us a lot of advice on how to work with the clay.

Katie Ballard • Jul 2023

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews

Itai was a patient instructor, making sure to fully explain and demonstrate steps for all to understand. He was willing to go walk around and help the group whenever needed. He made for a great experience and I cannot wait to go again and make more pieces!

Bruna Neuenschwander • Jul 2023

The explanation was good, but I wish the teacher would walk through the room providing more insight while we were doing the additional pieces.

Chisom Mbakogu • Jul 2023

2 ClassBento workshops attended

She was so sweet! She was very helpful, kind, reassuring. I learned so much in her class!

Kalina Grimm • Jul 2023

Mason, our instructor was friendly and knowledgeable. I felt the class size of 8 people was perfect to still maintain enough one on one assistance from the instructor. I do feel the price for the class is a little expensive given we are only able to keep 2 pieces from the class and there were no options for which glaze we wanted (all pieces are glazed with standard blue glaze).

Omoruyi Atekha • Jul 2023

Itai was great, and his instruction was informative. Want to go again! Or sign up for the 6 week after this.

Donna Sabbatani • Jul 2023

We were a birthday party of four and able to have a private class which is awesome. The space is great, spacious, had everything we needed. Having others around working on their craft makes the experience feel truly artistic. Our instructor was Itai who is a great teacher. His directions were clear, well demonstrated and easy to follow. He leads the class with confidence and authority, while being easy going and accessible. We were each able to complete something. I would definitely recommend the studio to others and am likely to return. Also, the pre event information was complete and accurate.

Sarvesh Patki • Jul 2023

It was such a fun experience. I have done this before and always enjoy a good pottery session.

Sarvesh Patki • Jul 2023

Had a great time. It was a fun experience and great way to spend a few hours. Thank you!

Maggie Sweeney • Jul 2023

My friends bought this class for me as a birthday gift. Such a great idea.

Isha Gupta • Jul 2023

The teacher (Dev) was absolutely amazing. She really went above and beyond. Everything was prepared in advance and smooth sailing. Would highly recommend the class!

Andrea Mariotti • Jul 2023

Great teacher, great studio, great value. My partner and I had fun and we will have something (pottery) to remover the experience.

Ayushi Srivastava • Jun 2023

Teacher was really nice and helpful! Was a very fun time and would look into doing the six-week classes

Song Vo • Jun 2023

3 ClassBento workshops attended • 3 reviews

Great fun class. It was challenging but at the same time, a great introduction to wheel throwing. Our instructor was super knowledgeable and nice. Parking is quite difficult in the mission on the weekends so plan extra time for that.

Nikhila Chandrashekhar • Jun 2023

Dev was patient and a great teacher. The class was overall good, and we got to build 3 pieces that we could take home.
The instructor could have been situated in a better location such that her demonstration is more visible.

Abby Nowak • Jun 2023

The teacher was incredibly friendly, gave clear instructions, and structured the class in a way that we had instructional time but also independent time. Although I am not a natural at pottery and everything I made was a little crappy, I enjoyed myself so much that I’d go back again.

Susan Lei • Jun 2023

Fun class and teacher gave time to us to work on the clay and understand how things work.

Will Fitton • May 2023

Nice and knowledgeable instructor, and fun environment. I learned a lot. But there were too many people in the class and the studio felt very crammed. The prior class ran long, which made the start of class chaotic and resulted in a pretty long set-up period.

I think the studio should have a teacher assistant who can help when folks' pieces go awry, rather than the teacher having to pause instruction time. Aprons were pretty dirty, and hand towels were hard to come by, so definitely bring your own. It was loud in the studio (some folks were there for open studio working on their pieces), so sit close to the instructor if you have difficulties hearing in loud places. Also, if you pay extra not to clean up, let your instructor know when you check in so they are aware.

In retrospect, I probably should have signed up for a private lesson.

Tobiah Talsma • May 2023

Learned some fundamentals about pottery throwing such as how to center the clay, fold it, and pull it. We some rudimentary pieces of our choice that we will be able to pick up at later date once they have been hardened and glazed. Would definitely come back again, although learning new and progressively more advanced skills and techniques would be ideal!

Jonathan Pohahau • May 2023

Ann Marie was a great instructor she was very intentional with every instruction she gave

Kandice Horton-Gomez • May 2023

Overall, we had a great first time experience! We loved how intimate the class sizes were. Our instructor, Ann Marie was very kind and attentive. We had have appreciated a little more instruction and tips but overall so was clear and thorough! Definitely want to go back again!

Lauren Lew • Apr 2023

It was an intimate experience on a Monday night, with only 2 other people joined with my group. The teacher was hands on and helpful in answering questions when needed or stepping in if necessary. I personally liked being able to work on the project on my own. He allowed us to make multiple projects, which I didn't expect but really appreciate. I wish I was able to make 1 more as I think time allowed. The class was very chill and the teacher was so kind. Overall a great experience! I was just a bit confused on the checking in part as it seemed like they didn't know there would be a class or who was leading it, but maybe that was because I was a bit early.

Charlize Semana • Apr 2023

Our instructor was Itai and he lead the class with clear instructions, one step at a time. As we started to try to spin our clay he took that time to assist us one by one. Pretty nice guy! I just wished we had a bit more time because near the end we only had about 20mins to make the second piece and we had to rush the whole process that we just learned. Fun challenge tho haha They did provide wooden tools, aprons, sponges and what not which was great since we didn’t have the hassle to bring all those for our first time. Itai also taught us how to clean up after as well. Great first time experience in my opinion. I would love to come back to this studio or just try beginner classes for pottery in general.

Tushar Chakravarty • Apr 2023

This was such a fun, relaxing, and humbling activity that is great for big groups. I brought my wife and our friends here for here birthday, and all of us had a blast! Thanks for hosting us, Mason!

Pallavi Kishore • Apr 2023

Had an amazing experience - we were trying pottery for the first time, our teacher was very patient with us and explained everything wonderfully He made the class interesting and we loved attending the class! Highly recommend

Michelle Alexander • Apr 2023

Itai was awesome! super patient and chill. This is the first time I've taken a pottery class and actually successfully made something!

Ivan Sopin • Apr 2023

We thoroughly enjoyed the class! Our instructor Itai was really friendly, helpful, and chill. We now have a far greater appreciation of pottery and have crossed something cool off our bucket lists.

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!

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!

Kristina Llanes • Mar 2023

2 ClassBento workshops attended

Mason was really patient and accommodating. Definitely recommend this class Before coming to class make sure you get there early. It is hard to find parking in the area.

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!

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!

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!

Kavitha Vijayakumaran • Jan 2023

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

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!

Thomas Patterson • Dec 2022

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.

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 :)

Alejandro Garcia • Nov 2022

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.

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

10 ClassBento workshops attended • 10 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.

Andrew Eigel • Oct 2022

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.

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.

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.

Chris Rueckert • Sep 2022

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!

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

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.

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.

Susan • Jul 2022

The teacher told me the four important steps to build a bowl on the wheel it was perfect instruction

Kathleen Mooney • Jul 2022

Coreen was fun, kind, patient and a great teacher with many years of experience!
Thank you!

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!

Anonymized Customer • Jun 2022

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

Amanda Lockwood • Jun 2022

She was fantastic in making the class fun fun the kids! We had a great time

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.

Sarah Struck • May 2022

We LOVED our time here! This was the first time our team has gotten together in over a year and everyone is now asking when we will go to SMAart again. Our teacher Ann Marie was absolutely wonderful, not only in her personality but also her gentle guidance in throwing pottery. Did I mention the space!? It was cool People working on their own projects in the back. The pottery wheels are set-up in a circle making it fun to chat while learning. We can't enough great things other than you gotta try this!

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!

Bethany Longoria • Apr 2022

I purchased this class as an anniversary present for my partner, and we have very little experience throwing clay. Ann Marie was a wonderful and patient instructor! We feel much more confident on a pottery wheel now. Ann Marie was very sweet and understanding when we arrived late because of car troubles. Overall a really fun and exciting class. We would come here again!

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!

Murshida Chowdhury • Mar 2022

We had a great time, Jess was great showing the techniques. Ayman and I had a great time making pottery.

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!

Claire Perelman • Jan 2022

Our group had a fabulous time at our private pottery class! Our instructor, Jason, was super easy to work with and he gave us great tips throughout the class. We were provided with aprons and several balls of clay to work with, and we all had a great time! Definitely recommend.

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.

Kuo-Pin Tseng • Dec 2021

Ryley is a great instructor. We have a lot of fun and create our pottery works!

Katrin Svensson • Dec 2021

Great class, fun teacher, and a good way to get introduced to pottery. Thanks Will recommend

Janine Hurty • Nov 2021

Ann Marie was wonderful. It was a great experience and a great date night for us. Thanks

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!

Dylan Ferber • Nov 2021

This was a great experience! We took a few clients out and the 5 of us had a lot of fun learning from Ann Marie on basics on using the pottery wheels and some cool techniques. She was very talented and patient in fixing our mistakes and coaching us along the way. As they tell you to do, I recommend bringing your own aprons - I bought some fun cheap ones on Amazon and single use boot covers too which everyone loved.

Highly recommend this class!

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!

SMAart Gallery and Studio

location_on SF, San Francisco

local_activity classes: Wheel Throwing • Clay Sculpture and Hand Building • Pottery

Reviews

SF, San Francisco

classes: Wheel Throwing • Clay Sculpture and Hand Building • Pottery