A handbuilding pottery lesson is one of the most satisfying team building art projects for adults, and this one comes with the Bay Area coast a block away. In a bright community ceramics studio in Pacifica, each guest makes a tall mug or small vase and a sushi dish, then picks the glaze that will color the finished pieces.
The workshop runs up to 2 hours with two projects per guest and experienced instructors, and it is priced at $95 per guest. Any group from 2 to 45 guests books at the same rate, from a small team to a full department. It is great for beginners and intermediates: the lesson covers the basics of clay from the start, so nobody needs prior experience.
What's Included
- Up to 2 hours of instruction
A handbuilding pottery lesson is one of the most satisfying team building art projects for adults, and this one comes with the Bay Area coast a block away. In a bright community ceramics studio in Pacifica, each guest makes a tall mug or small vase and a sushi dish, then picks the glaze that will color the finished pieces.
The workshop runs up to 2 hours with two projects per guest and experienced instructors, and it is priced at $95 per guest. Any group from 2 to 45 guests books at the same rate, from a small team to a full department. It is great for beginners and intermediates: the lesson covers the basics of clay from the start, so nobody needs prior experience.
What's Included
- Up to 2 hours of instruction with experienced instructors
- Two projects for every guest
- Clay, firings and glaze
- The service of glazing your work from a choice of 4 dipping glazes
- A call in 3 to 4 weeks when your fired pieces are ready to pick up
What You Will Make
Guests shape clay using slabs and molds, then add design and texture with plenty of pattern rollers, mats and stamps. Each person makes a tall mug or a small vase plus a sushi dish, which keeps the projects practical and easy to finish in one session. After the pottery is made, a color selection of glazes is provided so guests can choose how their pieces will look; the studio glazes the work from a choice of 4 dipping glazes and fires it on site.
Why It Works for Groups
Handbuilding is relaxed and very forgiving, which makes it a natural fit for team building events for small groups and for mixed teams where some people have never touched clay. Pattern rollers and stamps mean every mug and dish ends up different, and guests enjoy seeing how the same tools turn into completely different designs around the table. Those small comparisons are what make it one of the easier creative team bonding activities to run.
Because everything happens at the work table, it is also a good choice among indoor team building activities for small groups when the coastal weather is changeable, and the same format scales up to 45 guests for large group team building activities for adults. The studio describes the goal simply: connect with your group and learn some new skills together in a different setting.
A Studio One Block From the Beach
The studio sits one block from Linda Mar Beach in Pedro Point and just a turn away from Devil's Slide, so the session can anchor a whole coastal outing. Groups can enjoy a hike along the bluff or the beach before or after the lesson, watch the surfers catch waves, and sometimes spot a passing whale. There are restaurants, a brewery and a coffee roaster a block away, and the instructors are happy to recommend a few places during your lesson. The bright, newly renovated space is clean, relaxed and friendly, and the studio welcomes all ages and skill levels.
About the Studio
This women-owned community ceramics studio offers memberships, classes, single-day pottery experiences, workshops and atmospheric firings, with 20 mid-fire dipping glazes on the shelves and a separate atmospheric firing center in San Gregorio for woodfire, soda, raku and pit firing. The team includes experienced wheel throwing, handbuilding and firing instructors who teach private lessons for team building, group celebrations and anyone who wants to try clay for a day. Guests give the studio a 4.9-star rating across 61 reviews and often mention the welcoming atmosphere and kind staff.
Good to Know
- Clay is a fun and messy medium, so wear clothes you are comfortable getting dirty
- The weather in Pacifica varies, so dress in layers
- The clay does not stain and comes out in the wash
- Expect a call in 3 to 4 weeks letting you know your fired pieces are ready
- Pieces are held for up to one month after you are notified, due to space limitations
- For groups larger than 45, the studio's mobile clay team offers separately priced events at your location
Plan Your Handbuilding Lesson
Share your preferred date and group size to check availability. At $95 per guest with instruction, clay, glaze and firing included, it is creative team building that sends everyone home with a mug or vase and a sushi dish they made by hand.
