open studio policies
NOTES AT LARGE
The studio will be closed for a re-set between sessions, as well as periodically for a few hours at a time within sessions for cleaning and private events. These times will be clearly marked on the shared google calendar. No use of the studio will be permitted during these times.
There is a recording studio upstairs. We’re friends! They keep it down during class times, but, as it goes… they’re a recording studio. They can be pretty loud sometimes. Bring headphones!
The studio has an industrial heater, and the heat in the space fluctuates. Wearing layers here is never a bad idea in the winter. Do not adjust the heat.
The studio runs an Instagram account. We periodically create content out of kiln loading and unloading videos, and your work may be included in these videos. If you would like for us to share your work, you’ll need to tag us. The studio does not have the capacity to find and share student work that we are not tagged in.
Please take your phone calls outside.
PARKING
Do not park in the lot during business hours. The parking spots do not all belong to the studio. You may park in the non-numbered spots after 5pm only. Do not block our large doors. You may never park in the numbered spots in the lot. They are not ours, you are likely to be towed, and the studio is in no way liable if you are.
ENTERING + EXITING
All members must enter through the door in Unit 1. Please lock the door behind you. Members are not to answer the door at the studio. Everyone who requires access to the studio has a code, and we do not allow drop ins. No member is to bring guests into the studio without Court’s permission. Members are not to open the doors in unit 3 or the windows unless members of the studio team are present. Members must lock the door behind them when leaving. If you have trouble locking up, text Court - do not email about problems locking up.
CALENDAR
All open studio slots must be booked on the google calendar. You can claim your open studio spot by adding your name to the calendar as an event. You must add your name to the calendar before entering the studio. If you’re having problems with the calendar, email the studio.
The calendar must mirror studio attendance at all times. Once again, you must add your name to the calendar before entering the studio. If you find yourself staying longer than your originally booked time, you must extend your time on the calendar.
Open studio is not “unlimited”. I ask that you are mindful of the fact that this is a shared space, and that you are a guest here. There is no room for entitlement or territoriality in this community. Do not book spots to hold them and then not show up without updating the calendar. We formerly asked you not exceed 15 hours per week in the studio and have since waived naming a hard limit, but ask that you keep in mind that this is a space supporting hobby potters and not potters with serious production goals.
IN THE STUDIO
Members do not have access to teachers as resources. All questions about materials and use of the space can be directed studio@oftheearthcollective.com.
Membership does not include access to studio tools or reclaim. Members must provide their own tools and bats and maintain their own reclaim. Use of studio bowls, sponges, and wrapping plastic is permitted. You may use studio bats for throwing, but may not store work on studio bats on your shelf. You may use studio boards, but it's never a bad idea to bring your own as availability fluctuates.
No sanding may happen in the studio. Please take it outside! No sanding bats.
No heat guns or blow torches are to be used in the space. Hair dryers are fine.
This is not a production studio. Membership includes one 25lb bag of clay + firing of all subsequent work per month. We prefer you use clay provided by the studio. You may pay an additional $15 for a second bag of clay. If you’re producing more than 50lb of work per month, you’ll want to email us to see if reserving the kiln for individual loads may be a good solution for you.
All work + materials must be stored on your shelf. All work (including unglazed bisqueware) and personal materials must fit on your shelf. If you are producing more work than this, you’ll want to re-assess your process and work out a way to ensure you are not overflowing onto other shelf space.
No member is to provide any offerings independent of the studio. Member-led workshop requests must be submitted to court@oftheearthcollective.com and approved by Court. Members may not hold classes or lessons of any kind in the space, nor are guests permitted.
No unsolicited advice is welcome in this studio. Neither are negative comparisons or redundant complaints. Clay can lead to frustration, but it is not your studiomates’ responsibility to absorb yours. On the flip side, there is no need for you to solve other people's problems without them asking for help. Problem solving is a big part of the clay process. Let people ride their own waves.
If someone is wearing headphones, please don’t disturb them. If you’re looking to be left alone, please wear headphones to signal that to your studio mates. Should you find yourself chatting, please keep volume in mind. With that in mind…
Please take your phone calls outside.
CLEAN UP
Members are responsible for cleaning up after themselves entirely. This means:
wheel, tools, work surfaces and floor area are clean
any reclaim you’ve generated is wedged and stored on your shelf
no clay is left behind on the plaster
no work is left around the studio
Clean doesn’t mean a quick wipe down - it means clean! Please factor in cleaning time when planning your studio sessions.
No clay may go down the drains. Please use the rinsing buckets located around the studio to remove thick clay from tools and splash pans. Tools may only be rinsed in the sink once the clay has been removed.
FIRING
Under no circumstances are students or members to touch the kiln.
BISQUE - cone 05. We stack work. Unsigned work will not be bisque fired, nor will work with cracked bottoms. Unsigned pieces will be placed upside down on the shelf and will not be loaded until they are signed. Once a piece is fired, it is your responsibility to remove it from the shelves. We do quarterly shelf sweeps. Do not just leave it on the shelves!
GLAZE - cone 6. Work without at least ¼ inch of space between the glaze and the bottom will not be fired. Pieces with glaze on the bottom will be placed upside down on the shelf and will not be loaded until they are clean. Once again, once a piece is fired, it is your responsibility to remove it from the shelves. We do quarterly shelf sweeps. Do not just leave it on the shelves!
A NOTE ON UNDERGLAZE - We’ve had fairly consistent issues with the amaco black velvet underglazes sticking to our kiln shelves. It doesn’t ruin our shelves, but it does ruin your work! Proceed with caution.
Let us know about oversized projects. If you’d like to produce work over 12 inches in height or diameter (which you are more than welcome to do), please just give us a heads up so we can factor it into our firing schedule.
All outside materials must be approved by the studio. Outside materials must be run by us first. This includes glazes you use at home. If it goes in our kiln, Court needs to OK it. If you disregard this policy and ruin a shelf, you pay to replace it. $75 per replacement shelf. of the earth bisque fires to cone 05 and glaze fires to cone 6. Glazes must be cone 4-6 glazes - this is not to be confused with cone 04-06. No zeros!
The studio cannot support black clay bodies or the firing of outside work made by non-members at this time.
I’m so excited to have you all working autonomously in the space, but please remember that you are a guest in this shared studio. Our aim is to maintain a comfortable, easy-to-create-in community space, and you can best contribute to that by following the guidelines above. While this may feel like a lot all up front, these rules are in the best interest of the community at large and I trust that in following them, we’ll all fall into a rhythm beautifully. That said… should you go against any of these policies, I will not hesitate to revoke your access to the studio, and you will not be issued a refund. I’d prefer to never need to go that route, so let's follow the rules and operate from a place of respect!
have a great time :)
- court