Really cool spot! Came here for a birthday party and learned wheel throwing and it was a blast. The class was $80 and our group was taught by an instructor who went over all of the basics. While wheel throwing isn't necessarily easy, it was helpful to have someone go through all of the steps and show us how to make bowls/pots/etc. I was actually surprised when mine turned out to look somewhat like what it was supposed to! I have been trying to get into some of their weekly classes but they are booked up pretty far. Hoping I can get into a class in 2022! read more

Had my "One shot!" class today, which is for newbies that need training with the pottery wheel! It was a $45 class but it lasted about 3 hours. I had no previous experience and it was a wonderful experience! The instructor was able to give specific instructions for those that are left/right handed. They offer different classes/workshops if you check out their website and their studio is open for use on sundays if you want to build on your skills. The studio is larger than expected with plenty of room to get dirty with some clay :) read more

District Clay - Art Classes Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Booked a pottery class for me and my fiancé for an early Valentine's Day celebration. The email said to arrive at 5:30pm and that the class would begin at 5:40 sharp. Well, the instructor never showed and we never got an explanation as to why...We don't live in DC and the studio is a decent drive away for us, so we won't be making the trek again. Bummer. read more

My partner and I have taken two classes here about a year apart. I cannot recommend enough! For the record, I'm pretty terrible at pottery. I just enjoyed the teaching style and the opportunity to experience "the wheel". The classes are long enough to allow you to improve as you practice. The teachers energy motivated me try to keep trying despite my ineptitude towards clay. read more

I recommend this place only to people who are flexible and not too concerned about what comes out. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it's a good deal and the instructors are nice (for the most part). On the other hand, you need to speak up if you need guidance, most of the time the kiln is loaded by work-study people that are sometimes a bit careless and unfocused, so there are accidents, and then there are also problems with glazes. After the 10 weeks of class, students must clear their shelf but the temporary shelf is always crowded, increasing chances of accidents, and it takes a few more weeks for your final pieces to be fired. So even if you are finished, kiln traffic is always high and you have to go back every other week to see if your pieces are done. read more

District Clay is an amazing place to learn, have fun and be part of a welcoming community. I started taking classes here just last summer with an incredible instructor (Mike) and have felt like my skill has improved by leaps and bounds, though I am continually humbled by the amazing artists that I get to work side-by-side with. Though the price of a set of classes can seem steep up front ($300), there is a lot of bang for the buck. There's a ton of available glazes, tools and most importantly, expertise that comes with your initial block of clay. Mike in particular has a funny, no-nonsense style of teaching that really helps students grasp the fundamentals before branching out on their own into making more whimsical forms. On the plus side, if 10 classes isn't enough, you can drop into open studio hours or even the occasional class if there is an empty seat. Generally, the more practice time you can devote to learning, the quicker you'll pick it up and the more you'll get out of your initial investment. My only gripe is that sometimes the studio is so popular that I'll send out a pot to be fired and not see it in several weeks, as there is substantial backlog on the kilns at times. However, I heard that this problem is being addressed soon. read more

I started taking classes here in spring 2014 (total beginner!) and can only say positive things about it. I'm now wrapping up my 3rd 10-week session and planning to sign up for a 4th. There are incredibly talented people both teaching AND attending classes here. Everyone is very accessible and the instructors are always willing to show you how to do something new or walk you through something tricky. They also do demos, hold special workshops (like raku), invite guests to do pottery "jams," etc. Cass (the owner) + Toby (resident basset hound) are extremely nice. All of the tools and equipment is relatively new, all in good condition, and you have unlimited access to clay and glazes. Cool space, although not metro accessible or super walk-friendly... but there is a bus line that goes directly from Rhode Island Ave. station over here in about 10 minutes! I've learned so much so far and can't wait to start my next session. You really start to develop an appreciation for the craft, and the people there are awesome. If you're not sure about it, try a class on Tuesday nights. read more

Great energy from a great group of people! I have hand building experience and am enjoying the freedom to pursue my own projects as well as being pushed to try different sculpture techniques. So happy to have District Clay in the city! read more

I have been going to District Clay for over a year when I started as a beginner in Jon Kerr's class. It is very clear that the people who run, work, or teach at District Clay want to share their love for pottery with the rest of the world. The instructors (Jon in particular, as well as others) are fantastic and committed to teaching (at all levels), there is an inspiring gallery space with top ceramic artists from around the country, there are many workshops to explore beyond what is taught in the regular classes, the open studio hours are generous, and you can even read books on pottery. I am now completely addicted to pottery and to the studio. District Clay has changed my life -- in a very positive way! read more

This place was not for me. As far as I can tell, you don't pay for classes... you pay for studio time. You can't really call what happens here classes. There is no curriculum and everyone is working on different levels. Imagine my surprise when my beginner/intermediate class was full of people who were working on things they had been specially commissioned to make and also lots of ceramics majors! There are far too many people in each time slot, my instructor always seemed preoccupied, showed me the basics my first class and never paid attention to me again. Never checked to see if I was making progress or asked if I needed help when I was obviously struggling. I never managed to make anything worth glazing in nine weeks (not that anyone would have been available to show me how to glaze anything) so I gave up. Maybe pottery isn't for me, but I also would have benefited from more structure and actual instruction. Thanks District clay, but I think I'll try something else instead. read more

Stumbled on this gem just a few short weeks after its initial opening while looking for a studio in the city. I'd taken classes long ago (in high school and at a community center well over 8 years ago) so I was looking forward to more instruction. Classes are reasonably priced and include all of the materials, both for throwing (tools, clay, etc...) and glazing. All of the equipment is brand new (wheels, kilns, etc) and Cass (the owner) and all of the instructors are personable, knowledgeable, and friendly. I've sat in on classes outside of my regular time and find the range of style and willingness to instruct invaluable. It's cool to learn different techniques from different people. In addition to the classes, they have flexible open studio time and have been working to expand their offerings (Raku workshop coming up in September), along with slowly expanding the glazes, ranges of times for classes, and getting an enormous gas kiln for glaze firing. I'm part way through my second 10-week session and expect to continue taking classes for the foreseeable future. The space is gorgeous, parking is easy, and I look forward to class every week. If it was closer and easier for me to get there after work I'd be there all the time. A welcome addition to the city and a wonderful place to work with ceramics for anyone interested at any skill level. read more

My girlfriend had purchased a try it Tuesday for me for my birthday and I was finally able to get there 6 pm on a Tuesday after about 10 months. it's a little out of the way, but I managed to drive there. positive :. love the studio,. they're well equipped, and seem to have experience. negative:. communication was a challenge ( emails would be days or a week later, phone went to voicemail or had no space to leave messages). I had taken off a half day to do a Tuesday and he didn't tell me until about 6 pm the day I took half day that it's not happening. Michael our instructor was perhaps not in a normal mood during the class. it was unclear to me that the class was to end at 8 or 8:30 . when we made our first bowl ( mine was actually pretty darn good and Mike acknowledged that). I was on my second and Mike rushed us to get the stuff cleaned and just said " I gotta leave by x time". I just had to cut the bowl off and he rushed us to get cleaning. i asked if I could just get the bowl off and he said you should start cleaning. I felt rushed and the second bowl didn't come out anywhere near the first one. I was under the impression we can keep the bowl and he told us it's not necessary and replied like "are you gonna join the class, if yes, then great". I didn't like his tone and his rushing. I found his teaching style a little impatient and unclear at times. I would only go back if I didn't have to deal with them anymore. read more

Took the "Tuesday try it!" class with some coworkers and had a great time. We had about 10 people in our class and we got plenty of 1 on 1 attention from Mike, the instructor, and Cass, the owner. The studio is tucked away in a residential area of north east but is very easy to find. There's plenty of street parking and a small parking lot, too. The class is designed to get you interested in signing up for additional classes, so don't expect to go home with a beautiful vase. That said, there was no pressure at all to sign up for additional classes...just a coupon that put your "try it" class cost toward your future classes. As far as the actual lesson goes...It was my first experience with a wheel and I was impressed at how well the instructions translated to my "creations". Mike and Cass taught all steps prior to letting us go and were right beside us to help along the way. I walked away having made 2 bowls which exceeded all expectations. A+ on instructions! In conclusion, if you want a fun thing to do on a Tuesday, take this class! If you want a good starter class, take this class! All I would recommend is definitely bring a towel. Cass emailed the suggestion prior to the class but I completely forgot. And then completely regretted it. Oh, and Cass brings his adorable bassett hound, Toby, to classes. He's adorable and so friendly...but you should definitely know this if you are allergic to dogs. If not, Happy throwing! read more

District Clay has become a home away from home for me over the past couple of months. I am finishing my last semester of a graduate program and started to feel really burnt out and creatively stifled, so I decided it was time to find a creative outlet and seeing as I've always admired beautiful ceramics, I wanted to give it a shot. I really couldn't be happier with my experience at District Clay. Prior to my first class I'd never done pottery before, but I thought it might be something I'd be good at. The learning curve turned out to be quite steep, but I've kept at it and have seen a lot of progress in just eight weeks. Much of that progress is thanks to the amazing Open Studio policy, which allows students to come in and sit in on a class whenever there's an open wheel. Since starting the class I've come in at least 2 or 3 times every week, and all of that extra time (with no extra cost for using the clay, glazes, tools or getting instruction!) has been invaluable. There's no other studio in DC that offers anything remotely close to such an amazing deal, which sold me on the studio in the first place, and given that there's currently almost always an available wheel, the deal has been a gift that keeps on giving. I can't imagine the policy will be around forever, since it really is almost too good to be true, so I encourage people to get at it while it lasts! All of the instructors are fantastic - wonderful people who have obvious passion for both pottery and teaching. The other students are great as well; I've met so many really sweet people, who often bring in drinks or food for everybody to share, and now hang out with some of them after classes end. This studio has given me the desire to keep on creating pottery for the foreseeable future, as well as something to look forward to on a regular basis over the past few months. Thanks Cass and District Clay, I wish you tons of continued success! They've also recently started an instagram (DistrictClay) filled with students' and instructors' art! read more

I can't say enough about how awesome District Clay is! I started taking classes there a couple months ago, and it's so fun. I've had a chance to work with two of the instructors, both fantastic, and Cass the owner is really nice. This is my first time taking ceramics classes, so I don't know how this compares to other studio policies, but District Clay is an incredibly good value in terms of the cost. Everything, literally everything is included in the cost - as much clay as you can throw, glazing and firing for as many pots as you want, and all the tools you need are there. You can also come to open studio as much as you want during any of the other class times. If I lived closer, I'd be there every day. :) read more

This is a great place for fun, creativity, and working on your technique. It's very laidback and the staff here is knowledgeable, accommodating and just great to learn from. I've had super cool conversations in the classes. So far I've taken the hand building class with Atsuhi, love his work and his style of teaching, and I've just started taking a wheel class. read more

My partner and I are in the Sunday wheel class with John. We're three weeks in and really enjoying it. It's early but I anticipate signing up for future classes. Teachers and students are nice and generous with their knowledge. Relaxed environment (except when the kids' class is tearing around but that's okay). It's really a great place and I am so grateful and happy to have found it! read more

District Clay is a place for any age level and skill level can experience the joy of creating your own stoneware pots. The classes are very relaxed and flexible, yet challenging as well. Awesome people, community feel, and clay clay clay! Can't go wrong!! read more

Had my first class yesterday. Very nice studio, helpful people. Highly recommend it. And the Open Studio availability is so wonderful :)

District Clay is amazing, especially with its beautiful light-filled studio! Love, love, love this place! I am a beginner, and the community at District Clay (including the studio owner, the instructors, and the fellow students) is very friendly and supportive (no snobbiness here!). Classes are reasonably priced, and the open studio time for practicing is very generous. The studio is in a cool renovated warehouse in a quiet residential neighborhood, and street parking is easy to find out front. If you are interested in pottery classes in DC, I would strongly encourage you to consider District Clay! read more

District Clay is amazing!! Everyone there, seriously...everyone is great. The most supportive teachers and the most generous artists-in-residence. They have all made me fall in love with pottery. The studio is brand new and is brightly lit and wonderful to throw in. read more

There is good and bad with District Clay. The good: This place is very high caliber when it comes to pottery. The instructors are really knowledgeable and not only great at pottery but also great at teaching it. There are some very advanced students and if you want to get some quality top notch experience in pottery you can get it here. Very flexible open studio policy. Both cone 6 and cone 10 glazing are available. They also have a Raku kiln which they take places for special events. There are a lot of interesting special workshops with guest potters. You get your own personal shelf instead of using a class shelf-so convenient for storing pieces you are working on for as long as you want or need to! You can choose from four different types of clay or use recycled clay. The bad: They are just as disorganized at running a business as they are good at pottery. The classes are all levels, rolling admission and they seem to have a hard time keeping track of student enrollments. All level, rolling admission means the teachers are just there and can give you personal help if you want but there is no real structure to the classes. The teacher there the most is Jon, sometimes he is nice but sometimes he is a jerk for no apparent reason. The people who work there seem frustrated and stressed out. There are a lot of glaze problems. A while back a raw ingredient got mislabeled and a bunch of the glazes were messed up for weeks. People were really upset and lost a lot of pots. Now the glazes are being made too runny, so the colors are off. Sometimes the people who load and unload kilns end up breaking your pots. It doesn't happen a lot but it does happen-there is a LOT of kiln traffic at this studio so they handle a lot of pieces. Cass the owner is almost never around during classes, the reviews mentioning him are a few years old so I guess things have changed. read more

Very excited to be a part of this studio from the beginning. The class is great - appropriate for people of all levels from beginners to more intermediate potters. I've been doing pottery for about seven years and appreciate Cass's thoughtful explanation of all things pottery. I highly recommend this studio, I really couldn't be happier than when I'm there. read more

Love this place! Love the people, love the space, love the supportive and collaborative atmosphere. Cass has created an awesome studio and believes in fostering creativity rather than stifling it. And Toby the studio dog is the best. read more

I wish I could give more stars!! I'm just finishing up my first ten week session with Jon and can't wait to sign up for another! Such a knowledgeable and welcoming group of instructors and students. read more