Take a claycation and discover the many ways to sculpt with clay in a beginner-friendly hand building class, one of the more creative team building activities in the San Francisco Bay Area. In a ceramics studio in Lower Nob Hill, your group learns coil, slab and pinch techniques and makes up to three pieces each.
The class runs two hours and is priced at $155 per guest for private groups of 2 to 20 guests. It is great for beginners. Every guest gets up to three pounds of clay to make up to three items, and the studio dries, trims, bisque fires, glazes and glaze fires the work for pickup at a later date.
What's Included
- Two hours of hand building instruction
- Coil, slab and pinch techniques, introduced step by step
- Up
Take a claycation and discover the many ways to sculpt with clay in a beginner-friendly hand building class, one of the more creative team building activities in the San Francisco Bay Area. In a ceramics studio in Lower Nob Hill, your group learns coil, slab and pinch techniques and makes up to three pieces each.
The class runs two hours and is priced at $155 per guest for private groups of 2 to 20 guests. It is great for beginners. Every guest gets up to three pounds of clay to make up to three items, and the studio dries, trims, bisque fires, glazes and glaze fires the work for pickup at a later date.
What's Included
- Two hours of hand building instruction
- Coil, slab and pinch techniques, introduced step by step
- Up to three pounds of clay to make up to three items
- Drying, trimming, bisque firing, glazing and glaze firing by the studio
- A notice when your pieces are ready for pickup, in three to six weeks
About the Class
The session begins with introductions and some basic hand building techniques: coil, slab and pinch. From there, everyone sculpts their own pieces, and most guests are amazed at how the clay responds to every touch. You keep your new works of art; the studio handles the drying and firing and lets you know when they are ready.
The class gets down to earth in the most literal way. After you have created your pieces, the last fifteen minutes are for clean-up, and if you would rather use all of your time creating, the teacher can do the clean-up for a small fee.
Why It Works for Groups
Hand building is calmer and less messy than the wheel, which makes it one of the friendlier crafty team building activities for mixed groups. Everyone learns the same three techniques and then goes in their own direction, so the table ends up full of very different pieces, from small figures to vessels and abstract forms, and comparing them is half the fun. Groups of 2 to 20 make it one of the flexible team building activities for small groups and mid-size teams.
The class suits a team building activity, a Christmas party, a birthday, a bachelorette party or a date idea. It ranks among unique team building activities because everyone leaves with handmade ceramics, it works well for holiday team building, and it is one of the more interactive team building activities for adults who like to compare ideas while they work.
About the Studio and Its Founder
The studio was opened in 2012 by a ceramic artist who has been working in clay for over 35 years. After more than twenty years in high-tech manufacturing, he earned a BA and an MFA, taught ceramics at Bay Area colleges, universities and community centers, and managed the ceramic studio at the Richmond Art Center before opening his own space. Throwing on the wheel has always been his first love in clay.
Today the studio runs two San Francisco locations, in Lower Nob Hill and in the Mission, with more than 10,000 square feet of studio space, a team of instructors and cone 5, cone 10 and raku kilns. Its motto is simple: learn, create, share.
What Past Guests Say
One guest whose group included several people who had never touched a pottery wheel called the class a perfect group activity, praising an instructor who explained things clearly, demonstrated techniques from multiple angles and guided anyone who was struggling. Another described a very relaxed, fun and intimate class, and a third booked a class with friends for a birthday and had a blast.
Good to Know
- Great for beginners
- Suitable for adults and kids aged 8 and up; an adult must accompany kids and pay for a separate ticket
- Wear clothes and shoes you do not mind getting dirty, and consider trimming your fingernails
- The last 15 minutes are for clean-up, or add instructor clean-up for $12 per guest
- Please arrive 10 minutes early so class can start on time
Plan Your Sculpting Class
Share your preferred date and group size to check availability. At $155 per guest for two hours, with clay, instruction and firing included, this class gives every guest up to three finished pieces.
