I had signed up for the beginner's wheel pottery evening class as I was curious about the craft. There was about 8 of us in total and Miriam welcomed us warmly into the class. She demonstrated the basics the method and she articulated in detail the key things to be mindful of to be successful. We each got onto our individual pottery wheels with a lump of clay to try. As we were all first timers, we had to learn how the process was like by some trial and error. She went to each one of us and told us why we were struggling and what we were doing well. She was spot on with her observations as she had clearly done this a lot. All of us were able to make a clay vase. Some were progressing better and were able to make 2 or even 3 vases, bowls etc. There was more than enough clay for us to play with and we were encouraged to experiment and just get a feel for things. It was truly a wonderful experience. The pottery wheels were close enough that you could chat with your neighbor/friend but far enough that you could be lost in the craft of the pottery wheel. You can come alone and feel welcomed! You can come with friends and also have a great time! By the end of the night, I was exhilarated by the experience. The stress of work melted away as the tactile experience of squishing the clay was so relaxing. The way the clay vase slowly shaped itself in your hands was so magical. The ambience of the environment was so calm (there was nice gentle background music). It just such a chill and creative vibe about the place and the people running the classes. At the end of the class, we get to pick a color for our creation and they will paint/fire it. When it is ready, we will be notified and we will get to collect the clay creations we had made. Super cool! Getting here wasn't a problem and there was ample street side parking. Highly recommended. If you have a date night or you just want to de-stress after work, this is a great option. I am definitely thinking of coming back for the full length course and also letting my friends know about this gem in the city. read more

Strange and unfriendly. Sarcastic and disrespectful. So weird and rude they make you wonder who's paying who to be there. I don't know who they think they are but I do know this: they are delusional if they think talking down to customers and giving them severely negative attitude is the way to run a business or get even 2 star yelp reviews. ZERO STARS read more

Community Clay - My disapproval - Art Classes Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I really wanted to love this studio. The space is really amazing. But after about four months of full time membership, none of my projects were able to be glazed due to the really strange rules on glazing workshops and times. When I asked the assistants, and long term members, very few of them had successfully glazed projects either. I have worked in other studios and this isn't the norm. The lack of trust for members to be left unsupervised for any amount of time was difficult to contend with. We were all adults at the studio, who had extensive orientation to keep the space safe and tidy. But it was run like a prison. The doors are locked, and opening them for any reason, including other members usually led to being reprimanded. The owner also seemed to resent most of her clients, and talk quite unprofessionally to a captive audience of members most sessions. There was always a feeling you had to agree to everything she said since it was her space. In the end, it didn't feel like a community, it felt like sharing your kitchen with your landlord. The power dynamic never let up, and in the end I couldn't cook with them there. I hope this helps someone choose another studio. read more

I have been making pottery at this studio for over 3 years, taking a variety of wheel-throwing and hand-building classes as well as some 1:1 sessions with Gabrielle. She has a great eye, and her direct manner will cut through to the heart of improving your pottery skills with simple tips like "slow down" or positioning - things that you can't see yourself since you are in the process but can be spotted from the outside. I also love her enthusiasm for pottery and the studio space - she is always trying to improve, moving shelves, creating new offerings, or asking for feedback. Those rules that do exist, like check-in time, are there to ensure everyone is in a safe space where we can be absorbed in our craft and not be disturbed by people wandering in and out. I highly recommend! read more

Very strict for an art studio. You can't be early or late and if you drop in you cannot speak to the staff. Questions are frowned upon. It takes forever to get things fired and booking a time to glaze is harder than getting floor seats for Taylor swift. they "try to keep costs low" but everything is extra such as tools, glazing, pots over 6", pots wide than 10"... read more

I did not enjoy my time at the studio and here is why: MEMBERSHIP: Membership seems reasonable until you find out that glazing, tools, and clay are not included in monthly fees and the amount you can make (fire) is carefully monitored and extremely small. If you want to glaze at the studio, you need to first book and pay for 4-5 glazing workshops, which are expensive, only 1 hr, and offered 1-2 times a week at very un-optimal times. Once you pass the glazing workshop and get "checked out", you need to pay for glazing drop in (again, not included in membership). I found that I was paying more than double or triple my membership fee in additional costs each month. USING WAX AND TONGS: Waxing pot bottoms is not allowed and you cannot use tongs to dip your pots. A rule that never made sense to me as all other studios allow this. LIMITED DROP-INs: Access is not 24/7 and there are also only 2-3 drop in slots available each day. You need to show up within the first 30mins of a class/workshop/drop-in or doors are locked and the studio cannot be access. At times, I found the doors would be locked earlier at the 20mins mark which meant that you missed that session. STAFF CONTINUALLY QUIT: I have never known a business that had 100% of their staff continually quit. The owner has a very challenging personality and you don't know what kind of Gabrielle you will face when you go to the studio. She is either overly energetic, talking to everyone, or is very closed off and snappy to members for bothering her. A toxic and stressful environment were cited repeatedly when staff would leave. EXTENSIVE RULES: I love rules and know the importance of rules yet following the rules at the studio was a challenge because they change without notice and are so extensive. You will spend at least 30mins of your drop-in or class on a clean-up checklist at the end of the session and if you see anyone not following the rules, you are encouraged to share with Gabrielle/Myriam if other students/members don't follow rules. Communication is lacking in the studio so there is a lot of confusion and you never know what is changing or what rule you are breaking. Those that don't follow the rules will get a strongly worded email. CONSTANT LAYOUT CHANGES: I have seen the studio completely change their layout 3 or 4 times. The studio is not member-centric so there is no communication or notice about these changes. Members can find their items damaged while wheels, furniture and shelves are moved. You are also left searching for your shelf of items as there isn't any info or chart around where your items were moved to. CAMERAS EVERYWHERE: The owner keeps adding more and more cameras to keep watch of members/students. You feel constantly monitored and some members quit because of the stress of it all. The owner can often be heard sharing what rules members have broken from looking or listening to the audio of the videos. GOOGLE REVIEWS: The owner will pressure students and members to give a 5 star google review. If you don't provide a review, Gabrielle will follow-up 2 or 3 times to ensure reviews were added. If someone posted a review that was not 5 stars, Gabrielle will talk to the member/student to persuade them to change their review. Gabrielle is in a position of power as the owner and the high pressure tactics to get positive reviews is a not right. read more

I have absolutely loved this place. Such a great Studio. It's welcoming and the owner, Gabrielle is so kind and heartfelt. I just read Christina's review and feel compelled to share that the information is not true at all so obviously so that it seems VERY FISHY. MEMBERSHIP: The Membership offering is the same as you will find in the city, in fact most studios have copied the set up Gabrielle created. Clay and tools are not included in Memberships. Glaze Workshops are $20, with Instruction and at times that are quite convenient: 630-730 on weekdays and Sat/Sun at different times. I am checked out for "Glazing Time" which is $20 for 2 hours, and offered many times during the week. I find I only need to book one Glazing Time per month, or less depending on how much work I am making. WAX AND TONGS: Gabrielle explained to us that they had a lot of issues with people not using wax properly, and it was adding a lot of overhead and breaking the equipment. Also it takes SO MUCH MORE TIME to use wax instead of learning how to glaze well :) I'm all about developing skill! DROP-INs: There are also 2-3 drop available 7 days a week, and times that work well for my schedule! You may arrive within the first 30mins of a class/workshop/drop-in which is LOADS of time, even if you're running late. The doors are NEVER locked ahead of the 30 minutes window. There's loads of street parking, and you may upgrade your Membership to get extra shelf space and free (first come first serve) parking. Clean up is straightforward and quick, about 15 minutes when you get the hang of it. I actually felt like I should have cleaned more, but they were pretty chill about it, clean your station and help out with another task or two and then you're done. They go over this in classes & member orientation, and there are signs if you forget. Communication is intentionally infrequent- they understand that people come to the studio to relax and only send out emails when there are important things (2-4 a year.) I asked Gabrielle if she's ever sent out a "strongly worded email" and she said no. I can't imagine this to be true even with a stretch of my imagination. I forgot to sign out and receive a really nice reminder email, with an thoughtful explanation of why we were asked to clean up after ourselves (which I don't even feel is necessary...) For security purposes there are cameras at the entrances. I know for a fact that Gabrielle only looks at them in the event of incidents. Gabrielle is very focused on hearing what we think and feel. She wants to hear out opinions about what is working/not and will make changes depending on what people say. She sends out feedback forms with all the classes, and I've seen 2 feedback forms to the members. All forms have an option to be anonymous. I've seen the studio move 2x in the past two years, and the supervisor was helpful letting me know where to look for my shelf (they're labled.) None of my or my friends work was broken. Gabrielle is always friendly, even when she's there on her own time working on her own things. I've enjoyed getting to know her, and observed her being friendly with other students/members. I think she's done a good job of handling the 1-2 situations I've witnessed of people being rude to her. It's insane what people think is acceptable behaviour. After taking a Course, I shared with Gabrielle that I really enjoyed my experience. She asked me if I wouldn't mind writing a review, but has never followed up with me. When I brought up Christina's review she was visibly upset, and mentioned that that person has never attended the Studio, and there are other Studios in Vancouver who are writing bad reviews about the Studio. I am absolutely disgusted and flabbergasted. I can't believe that anyone would do that. I honestly have nothing but good things to say about Community, and I know this place will be home for a long time. read more

Great instructors and a lovely, artist run studio. I've had nothing but positive experiences at this studios. The level of instruction compared is superb. I have learned a lot and have been inspired to continue to learn. read more

The good: The space itself is nice, clean and the instructors are friendly and knowledgeable. The bad: The owner (Gabrielle). She's rude, arrogant and always very short with everyone. I've been fortunate enough to visit a lot of pottery studio's around the world and met some fantastic instructors/owners and artists and never had I dealt with someone who is so abrupt, presumptuous, and overall unpleasant. I've spoken to a few other artists while I was in the studio and many try and avoid her in any way possible. The worst part is many of the artists don't realize it until it's too late, they've settled in there, paid their fees, mid creation, and that's when they start to find out the type of person/owner they're dealing with. I had been a member here on and off for quite a while and heard the stories internally among the other artists but took me some time before I started to see it myself. I thought that perhaps after the pandemic things might have changed and especially that I live close to the area, but it has only gotten worse and amplified. There are many other studio's in the area and around Vancouver / GVA that are available and are much better. As an artist and pottery lover I cannot recommend Community Clay to anyone. (Unless the ownership changes-Since as I mentioned the space itself and the instructors are lovely) read more

I saw these guys at this year's Got Craft. Artisan tableware and accessories hand made in South Surrey, BC. I am in love with the sea themed plates. The guy at the booth was awesome to talk to and for what it is, the prices were amazing. read more

Did my first set of classes this fall and loved it! Classes are small and we were making things right away. BY the 4th class I could feel I was getting better and I am anxious to sign up for more classes! read more