Starting soon

Elana Cady returns to the wheel with smiling eyes

Here are the classes starting in July. Registration for on-site classes is limited to accommodate safe social distancing, so be sure to sign up now to reserve your seat. All of our health and safety precautions will continue to be in effect for these classes. Introductory and Continuing Wheel Thurs, July 9-Aug 13, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Kay Yourist Tues, July 14-Aug 18, 1:15-3:15 pm, with Kay Yourist Try It Once on the Wheel Sat, July 25, 1:00-2:30 pm, with Kay Yourist. New! A House of Clay on Zoom Mon, July 27-Aug 17, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Nancy Bulkley. Tell me more about the new class : Join us for A House of Clay on Zoom , which will guide you through making a house without leaving home. We will build small ceramic house forms that could be used as a planter, spoon holder, vase, or any other vessel. We will mainly use slab building, with a bit of pinching and coiling, to construct our houses and have lots of fun designing and decorating them. Your clay will be available for pickup from the studio as soon as you enroll. You will bring your works to the studio for firing. Curbside service is available. Register for classes at our web site today.

Coming this fall

Master ceramicist Alex Pratt safely distance teaching

We're delighted to welcome master ceramicist Alex Pratt back to the studio to teach our Advanced and Intermediate Clay class this fall. This class, which runs on Tuesdays, September 1 to December 1, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm, is open to both experienced throwers and hand builders. Each class will feature a different skill-building project that offers unique challenges to the ceramic artist. Students will focus on mastering complex forms and developing their distinctive personal style. Enroll now . Our Early Bird Discount for this class is in effect through July 26.

We'll publish our full fall class schedule soon.

Questions? If you have any questions about our classes, please call Kay at the studio from 1:00-5:00 pm Monday through Friday at 734-662-4914.

Studio life . . .

Staying safe in the studio We know what it takes to keep COVID-19 from spreading: responsible behavior by all of us. We want to remind you of the safety practices we have adopted for students to keep everyone safe and healthy. Mask up. Wear a mask while in the studio. If you do not have your own mask, please use one we provide. Sanitize. Visit our hand sanitizer station and sanitize your hands before you enter the studio. Sign in and out. Sign in when you enter the studio and sign out when you leave. We need to keep track of who has been in the studio. Keep your distance. Keep a six-foot distance between you and everyone else in the studio at all times. Pay attention to your hands. Avoid touching your face and be sure to wash your hands frequently. No sharing. Do not share your tools. Limit your time. Come only during your class time and leave immediately when your class is over. No guests. Do not bring guests with you to the studio. Sick? Stay home. Do not come to class if you are unwell. If you are exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms, please let Kay know and self-quarantine for two weeks. All student rules that apply indoors also apply in the tent.

During this pandemic, we must also be especially conscientious about doing a thorough cleanup after using the studio. Be sure to mop your work area and clean your wheel, mirror, wedging table, glaze table, and sink. Give yourself half an hour for cleanup. No matter how thorough you have been in the past, you must be even more meticulous now These procedures are the safety of ALL of us, and we must all do our very best to observe them. In this studio we want to stop COVID-19 in its tracks.

Ready, glaze, fire! Here's the tentative date for our July gas kiln firing: Wednesday, July 15  As usual, we will fire in July when we have accumulated enough pieces to fill the kiln, so glaze, glaze, glaze now. Be sure to check with the studio for July firing updates.

Make way . . . . . . for new bisque ware. Our bisque shelves are filling up fast. If you have bisque ware on our shelves that was fired in June , please glaze it or pick it up and take it home by Friday, July 31 . Regrettably, any unclaimed bisque ware remaining after that date will be discarded.

Potter's quick tip

Q. I'd like to give some commercial glazes a try, but I find the cone numbers on the jars confusing. Why are some glazes marked as cone 6 and others as 06? Are they the same?  A . When buying commercial glazes, be sure to pay attention to that cone number because cone 6 and cone 06 are definitely not the same. Danielle McDaniel , The Clay Lady, explains the firing temperatures of clay, cones, and how they determine the glazes you use. This video is part of our continuing series for beginners.

Clay lover's web events

Delicious Dish Distractions With Plush Peeps The International Museum of Dinnerware Design

A selection of pottery events, exhibitions, and museum tours that you can visit and enjoy online.

Virtual tours and videos Delicious Dish Distractions...with appetizers The International Museum of Dinnerware Design. More . . . Delicious Dish Distractions...with plush Peeps The International Museum of Dinnerware Design. More . . . 26 Years of Art in Clay. Now - August. Online exhibition of the finest pottery being made by UK and European ceramic artists. More . . . Spring Form: ICAN Online Exhibition. Now - August 20. Online spring exhibition by the International Ceramic Artists Network. More . . .

Call for entries Michigan Ceramics 2020 Biennial Exhibition & Competition. October 16 - November 12, Michigan Ceramic Arts Association. More . . . Fourth Biennial Juried Exhibition: Breakfast.   April 10 – August 28, 2021, The International Museum of Dinnerware Design. More . . .

Resources for potters

It's a big job . . .

. . . but you can do it. Want to throw a bunch of identical pots? Potter Bill van Gilder shows you how to find your rhythm to get that big job done.

The wow factor

Watch potter Joe Thompson apply his famous nautilus design to his pots.

Studio and Gallery hours

With new classes on Thursdays and Saturdays, we have adjusted our open studio hours . Here's the new schedule: Tuesday, 12:00-6:00 pm Wednesday, 12:00-5:00 pm Friday, 12:00-6:00 pm Saturday, Noon-6:00 pm As of June 20, Saturday open studio hours begin at noon. As of June 25, there are no open studio hours on Thursdays. Please be aware that we will continue to adjust our open studio hours as additional classes on our schedule start and activity restrictions are lifted. As is customary, only registered students will be admitted to the studio during class times. During open studio hours we will limit our number to a maximum of 10 people in the studio at one time. We will continue to observe all our health and safety precautions during open studio time. Please sign in when you arrive and out when you leave. And make sure to clean your work area thoroughly before leaving. We also have curbside delivery of clay, tools, and pottery. We will keep you posted on changes in hours in our mailings and here on our website. If you have a specific need, please call Kay at the studio from 1:00-5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, at 734-662-4914.

Yourist Studio Gallery 1133 Broadway Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734-662-4914 | www.youristpottery.com •Classes and workshops •Community studio workspace •Pottery tools for sale •Exhibit gallery