Make your own plates, bowls and trays in one of the most useful team building art projects for adults in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this hands-on dinnerware workshop your group learns how to make a plate and a bowl from clay slabs and molds, then leaves the firing to the studio.
The workshop runs 2.5 hours and is priced at $149 per guest for private groups of 4 to 10 guests. All skill levels are welcome, whether your team has never touched clay or a few people want to refine their skills, and the instruction stays close and attentive in a small group.
What's Included
- Two and a half hours of guided slab-building instruction
- Clay, tools, stamps, texture tools and a variety of studio molds
- Handmade tableware: 4 to
Make your own plates, bowls and trays in one of the most useful team building art projects for adults in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this hands-on dinnerware workshop your group learns how to make a plate and a bowl from clay slabs and molds, then leaves the firing to the studio.
The workshop runs 2.5 hours and is priced at $149 per guest for private groups of 4 to 10 guests. All skill levels are welcome, whether your team has never touched clay or a few people want to refine their skills, and the instruction stays close and attentive in a small group.
What's Included
- Two and a half hours of guided slab-building instruction
- Clay, tools, stamps, texture tools and a variety of studio molds
- Handmade tableware: 4 to 8 unique plates, bowls or trays per guest
- Your choice of glaze color for the finished pieces
- Firing and finishing completed by the studio
- Finished pieces ready for pickup at the studio in about four weeks
What You Will Make
Each guest rolls out clay slabs and shapes them over molds to form plates, bowls and trays, then adds creative surface design with stamps and texture tools. Guests can use the variety of molds supplied by the studio or bring their own porous molds in wood or terra cotta up to 10 inches across. Depending on the shapes you choose, you will finish with 4 to 8 unique pieces that will brighten a kitchen windowsill or dining table.
Once the forming is done you pick a glaze color, and the studio handles the firing and finishing so your tableware comes back ready to use. It is a relaxing, mindful way to spend an afternoon or evening, and most guests leave with a little more creative confidence than they arrived with.
Why It Works for Groups
Few team building workshops end with something your colleagues will eat from every day. Slab-building is approachable for first-timers, yet there is plenty of room to experiment with stamps, textures and shapes, so mixed groups stay engaged from start to finish. With 4 to 10 guests per private session, it is one of the easier team building activities for small groups to plan.
The workshop also works well as one of the more creative team building activities for the season. The class page lists it as a fit for a team building activity, a Christmas party, a birthday or a bachelorette party, so it suits a holiday outing or a christmas team building session as easily as a celebration with friends. For teams that need a break from screens, it is one of the most relaxing team building activities on the calendar.
About the Studio
The host is a women-owned pottery studio in the Inner Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco. Its founder grew up in her mom's pottery studio, spending most of her childhood covered in clay, helping customers and learning to make things by hand. Before opening her own business she worked as an elementary school teacher, and that background still shapes the room: the goal is a space where people feel comfortable trying something new, slowing down and not feeling intimidated.
The studio opened in 2023 and now runs one-night hand-building workshops, memberships, kids pottery parties and private events for teams and friends. Its own ceramic line focuses on color, form and playful pieces meant to be used every day, and that same spirit carries into every class.
How the Session Runs
- Arrive, settle in and get an introduction to slab-building
- Roll and cut clay slabs, then shape them over molds
- Add surface design with stamps and texture tools
- Choose your glaze color for each piece
- Leave the firing and finishing to the studio and pick up in about four weeks
Good to Know
- All skill levels are welcome; no experience is needed
- Optional: bring your own porous molds (wood or terra cotta, max 10 inches)
- Pieces are picked up at the studio in about four weeks
- Your group may bring food and drinks, including alcohol for guests 21 and up; the studio adds a $50 food fee for cleanup, and plates, cups and utensils are not provided
- Private groups of 4 to 10 guests at $149 per guest
Plan Your Dinnerware Workshop
Share your preferred date and group size to check availability. With per-guest pricing, clay, molds, glazing and firing included, and a set of handmade plates and bowls for every guest, this is a team outing people will remember at every meal.
