Learn to throw on the pottery wheel in one of the most absorbing hands on team building activities in Sonoma, a short trip for teams across the Bay Area. Sink your hands into the clay and watch it take shape. Your group tours the kilns and ceramics studio, then settles in at the wheels to watch the clay take shape.
The private class runs three hours and is priced at $175 per guest for groups of 8 to 10 guests. It suits complete beginners starting their clay adventure as well as improvers who want new ways to make pots. All materials are supplied, and firing your pieces and shipping them back to you is included in the price.
What's Included
- Three hours of wheel throwing with a local clay master
- A tour of the kilns
Learn to throw on the pottery wheel in one of the most absorbing hands on team building activities in Sonoma, a short trip for teams across the Bay Area. Sink your hands into the clay and watch it take shape. Your group tours the kilns and ceramics studio, then settles in at the wheels to watch the clay take shape.
The private class runs three hours and is priced at $175 per guest for groups of 8 to 10 guests. It suits complete beginners starting their clay adventure as well as improvers who want new ways to make pots. All materials are supplied, and firing your pieces and shipping them back to you is included in the price.
What's Included
- Three hours of wheel throwing with a local clay master
- A tour of the kilns and the pottery studio
- All the clay and materials you need
- Firing of your finished pieces
- Shipping your fired pieces back to you
What You Will Learn
- The basic steps of throwing on the wheel
- How to shape your clay into a pot
- How to trim your piece
- New ways to develop your skills on the wheel
Why It Works for Groups
The wheel has a way of humbling everyone at once, which is exactly why it brings a team together. People cheer each other on, laugh at the first wobbly attempts and celebrate when a pot finally rises. It is creative team building at its most tactile, and with a small private group of 8 to 10 guests, everyone gets real time at the wheel and with the instructor.
Because every piece is fired and sent back to you, the experience keeps going after the day ends, which sets it apart from many unique team building activities. It suits a team offsite, a birthday, a bachelorette party or a Christmas party, and as a holiday team building idea it gives each guest a handmade keepsake to unwrap later.
Your instructor works with the group as a whole and with each guest at the wheel, so beginners get the help they need to shape their first pot while improvers can push their shapes further. The class is a soothing, focused break from screens and meetings, and it is a great way to pick up a genuinely new skill in the world of pottery making.
About Your Host
Your class takes place at a nonprofit arts and community hub that has been bringing people together since its founding in 1952. For more than six decades it has worked to inspire creative expression in the Valley of the Moon, and it cares for a grand, historic building that now holds ceramics studios, art rooms, a kitchen, a dance studio and a hidden outdoor garden.
The center offers a broad range of classes for people of all ages and abilities, from ceramics and painting to fiber arts, culinary arts and printmaking, and it hosts community events through the year. Its team and group program pairs your group with one of its teaching artists in a private studio space, and the staff help you shape the experience around your group, your time frame and your goals.
Booking a group experience follows three simple steps. First, you reach out to discuss your group size, interests and ideal date, and the team helps you choose the right creative activity. Next, you tailor the workshop to your needs, select your time frame and finalize the details. Finally, your group enjoys a private, guided workshop in a dedicated studio space, with a teaching artist making sure everyone has a memorable, hands-on experience. All ages and skill levels are welcome.
There is a large amount of on-site parking, plus EV charging spots, which makes it easy for a team to arrive together from anywhere in the North Bay.
How the Class Runs
- Arrive and tour the kilns and the pottery studio
- Learn the basic steps of throwing from your instructor
- Take your place at the wheel and start working your clay
- Shape and trim your piece with guidance from your instructor
- Leave your work to be fired and shipped back to you
Good to Know
- All levels are welcome; no pottery experience is needed
- Tie any long hair back
- Wear clothes you don't mind getting a little messy
- Pieces are fired after the class, so they arrive later by mail
Plan Your Pottery Class
Share your preferred date and group size to check availability. At $175 per guest, with materials, firing and shipping included, it is a relaxing, creative way for a small team or a group of friends to try something new together in the heart of wine country.
