Such a fun experience taking a class! The instructor Ray was AMAZING in their demonstration and helping throughout the class. Truly an expert at the craft. Even the front desk is super nice and knowledgeable when checking in. Easy registration online, location is quiet with enough parking spots, and LOVE that there are pieces to purchase form local artist. The class itself is a nice small size. You can try to make as many pieces in the 2 hours, but only pick 1 final piece to fire. I learned so many new skills and was covered in clay at the end of the class. I'm eager to take more classes and recommend this place to friends. read more

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Fired Up Studios is a place to build pottery, take classes and become a member. They have two forms of membership. Firing membership allows you to fire pottery and rent wheels by day. A full membership allows unlimited use of wheels and firing. They have a huge assortment of glazes and tools. It's open 24/7 and feels very safe. It's a great place to join and explore your pottery adventure! read more

my friend and I took a class and it was a lot of fun. the staff were awesome and very helpful. This is a fun activity for couples, friends or family. read more

Hidden gem of a community pottery studio! If you used to like pottery or want WORK on learning a new skill, I'd highly recommend it. The studio has different levels based on how you'd like to get started from Clay Day, Classes, Membership, or just browse the gallery. I've heard from a resident artist they don't charge members for the gallery space (haven't confirmed), so you'll find beautiful pottery by amazing artists cheaper than most studios!! Having taken pottery in school I was excited to throw again (a decade later) when I spotted their Clay Dates on Groupon. My husband and I had a great instructor that guides us through the process. Its not as easy as they make it look, or as I remember. It can be frustrating, but you go in for the enjoyment of a new experience its great. Unfortunately, because the clay date is just one class you don't get to trim your pots, and just pick a glaze out of basic colors. However, taking the Clay Date prompted me to take a Introductory class, which I just finished (6 weeks). It started off rough learning the basics of centering, but once you get into the grove of it, its extremely satisfying getting it "right". Ernest was a great and patient teacher, and I'm thrilled with the pieces I've been able to work on in class. read more

Just did the "clay date" with Nick instructing. This was a really fun afternoon activity. The studio is perfect and Nick is a great instructor. Highly recommend! read more

The girls and I (9 of us) had a super fun time learning the art of pottery. Our Clay Date instructor, Mike, was great! Very funny and knowledgable. During the first half of the class, he showed us step-by-step instructions on how to create our own masterpieces. We were able to bring in refreshments and snack, although we were too busy and dirty to eat anything. By the end of our 2 hour class, we were wishing we had more time as it was so fun trying and retrying (and some of us, retrying a 3rd and 4th time) to make something that resembled a bowl. :) Lots of laughs! Will do it again! read more

Fired Up Studios - Clay Date with the girls. - Art Schools Near Me - Golden Valley, Minnesota

Fired Up Studio got my attention because of a Groupon, or was it a Living Social? They're all so interchangeable. Regardless, one way or another my boy and I were sitting in front of wheels in the spacious studio near the University of Minnesota while Ralph, a cute transplant from New York City, showed us how to make pots out of mud. Kinda. The studio is tucked away in some kind of warehouse that houses the strangest collection of little companies. On the way in, or the way out, buy some cheap roses from Ecuador ($10 for a dozen roses - or two if you don't mind them small). The studio itself is large and full of shelves showing off the various artists who sell their wares. It's clean (as clay studios can be when your primary ingredient is mud), and well lit. But the actual throwing... It's frustrating! Ralph makes it look easy but it's so not. If this is your first time touching clay, forget making a Greek vase. Think more like misshapen ashtray, or a mug done by Salvador Dali. You're not going to be making classical art; strive for modern art. But none that is the fault of the studio, just me. I'd like to be better. The "clay date" class is two hours, but it will probably run long. The first hour we spent getting step by step instructions on how to make the pot I was never able to make. My boy, however, didn't really listen and then quickly threw a gorgeous bowl that he didn't like for some obscure reason. Apparently, he did this in high school. Over achievers. Upon completion of the 2 hours (or 2.5 hours), choose the best "art" outcome from the lot (or in my case the only option still standing after 4 tries). Then the studio will fire and glaze (choose from white, yellow, green, red, or blue) your clay creation, and you pick up in a week. Voila! It's a unique experience and a great date if you want to do something a little different! Thanks to Fired Up Studios! read more

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I took a sgraffito class from Beth - she is an incredibly talented potter and stellar instructor. The class number was kept small and Beth guided us through many different surface techniques that will really help me take my pottery pieces to the next level. Beth is friendly, skilled and an excellent teacher. Fantastic class!! read more

I first heard of Fired Up Studios from Groupon and decided to sign up for a Friday night class with a friend. The studio recently moved to Golden Valley (1000 Boone Ave N, Suite 380 Golden Valley, MN 55427). They sent out an email reminder and their website has their new address, but note when you type it into Google maps, it still directs you to the old location. The class was really fun and informative! None of us had worked with clay since high school, so I was happy that we were all in the same boat. The instructor demonstrated how to work the wheel and how to create a basic pot out of clay. We then started working with clay, and she gave us helpful pointers and one-on-one demos throughout the remainder of the class. We created 3 pots each, then decided which one we wanted to have fired. There are 5 glazes to choose from. The pots will be ready to be picked up in 2-3 weeks, so I can't wait to see how mine turned out! It was a really wonderful experience!! I'm considering signing up for one of their 6 week classes now. :) read more

Fired Up Studios - The pottery wheels - Art Schools Near Me - Golden Valley, Minnesota

Had a blast taking the Beginner Pottery class with Ralph! Highly recommend to anyone interested in practicing pottery!

My first experience with the studio was amazing. Our instructor Ralph is incredible. He is so talented and very patient throughout the sessions. I'm hoping they add more classes for my husband and I to take together. It gets filled up so quickly. Everyone should try it and the experience will not disappoint. read more

We booked some spots for the "Date Night" class in search of a unique double date experience with some friends and we definitely got what we were looking for! Our group consisted of two absolute beginners while the other two had some good experience with pottery so we were hesitant that it may be a little simple for them but we were wrong! Our instructor, Mike, gave a great intro and easy to understand directions (and some good chuckles) so us newbies could hop right in while the extensive free play time gave our clay veterans a chance to shake off the dust and jump back into it. We may have started making some unique "sculptures", as Mike called them, but by the end of the night the hardest thing was figuring out which piece to fire and which ones we had to scrap. We're excited to see our final product and definitely wanna go back, maybe even for their multi week classes! read more

We did a two hour clay date on a Groupon a couple Fridays ago. We shared the classroom with two other couples and our instructor Ralph. They say on the website to BYOB for during the class, but no one really does that. Ralph was great! He was friendly, calm and encouraging. He handled our classmates well - basically half the class was actually interested in exploring throwing on the wheel and half the class was aggressively disinterested (intentionally putting zero effort in) or super defensive about not being good at it (which is silly because it takes a billion hours to really get a good feel for the wheel). You will spend the first hour watching the instructor go through the process of throwing a bowl or a cup shape. It was hard to stay awake given how hot it was in the room. Then you will get to try to throw your own pieces (you get 3 chances, of which you get to keep your one favorite). The instructor will come around and give pointers. You can choose from 5 glaze colors: white, blue, yellow, green, red - they will glaze it for you since you have to let the piece dry out a bit first. Then, 2 - 3 weeks later they'll give you a call to pick it up. This was a good experience, and I'm glad to have done it - I just wish that the other participants were a bit more interested in the activity, but I guess that's what I get for a one time activity. read more

My coworker was interested in taking a pottery class, so I pulled out my phone wizard and located Fired Up Studios down the street. Francis taught our group of six, and he did a wonderful job guiding us in the throwing process, explaining in detail what to do, in terms we could understand. You could feel his kindness, determination, and passion in his art, simply by watching him. The shop has many beautiful pieces for purchase, and while what I made is not nearly as stunning, it is motivating to visit and try this again soon. I left clear-minded, and excited to view my piece in a couple weeks. Worth the time, great experience and fun people! read more

We brought my 13-yr-old daughter and four friends to Fired Up Studios for her birthday. What an amazing experience!! Judy was a fantasitc teacher! She did a wonderful job at showing us the steps to throw and form a bowl/pot. After walking us through the steps, we were able to go through the process two times and keep the best of the two pieces. Judy spent enough time with each person that everyone had the help they needed and we are all very excited to receive our work in a few weeks. Now, my mother and I are going to sign up for a beginner's class as a hobby to spend some time together. Our family will return for sure! read more

If you want to pay to have yourself and your art disrespected, then go here. The last three different times I have brought pottery in to be bisque fired, at least one piece from each load has come out of the kiln chipped. I have also had two pieces of my pottery go missing- somehow they just disappeared completely- and I almost lost a third piece, but then I found one of my bisqued pieces had already been glazed by some other studio member and was sitting on a shelf waiting to be glaze fired. It is not just the members that are rude though- when I tried to talk to the manager about my issues, I was shown no empathy, or even basic respect- she insinuated that I'm a liar & that every incident was my fault- that my pottery must have been chipped before being put in the kiln & that my lost pottery must have been on the "last chance shelf." They were NOT. Furthermore, I have never once talked to this manager- a woman with about shoulder length gray hair & glasses- without her being condescending & short with me. I'm done with them & would suggest you dont trust them with your art either. read more

The Clay Date experience made for a great birthday gift for my friend. The experience itself was incredibly informative, the instructor was patient and funny, and we both ended up with pieces we can be proud of. This was a truly unique experience and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different to do. read more

Had a wonderful couple of hours with Ralph, my daughter in law and four other students. All but one of us were first timers. We had a wonderful time...made something we are definitely willing to take home, and were pleased with the time our instructor spent helping us. It IS hard, but I expected it to be. I can't speak for the others in our class, but my DIL and I both want to take more classes. read more

Judy the instructor was not helpful. Very poor attitude, was not help and made people feel bad for not doing it correctly even though it was people's first time. Waste of time and money. read more

We did the two hour class with a Groupon. What a great way to experience something new. Ralph was wonderful and helpful. It is for people who don't have any experience throwing...you have to actually listen to learn how to do this. It will give you a just a taste of what it takes to make something that resembles anything!!! The mere fact that they finish the product off (which sounds like work) for the price we paid was great! Like anything we do with a group, it really depends on the other people there, we had a great group. The BYOB is a bit tough b/c your hands are filthy with clay so I'm not sure how that would be...but we weren't interested in that anyway. Thank you Fired Up Studio! read more

Great place to shop for local pottery nick knacks, and some useful items and gifts. Classes there however may be a little more challenging to learn than one may expect. Classes proved to have pseudo instructors spend class time working on their own work regularly while half the students struggled. I expected more one on one instruction without having to feel like I was interrupting them by asking for help on various steps, but both classes teachers worked on personal items, so I felt annoyed for having to seemingly interrupt them from their own work for much needed help and questions. I find the 180. price too high for not enough assistance. VERY minimal time was spent teaching any other techniques other than using a wheel, so felt rushed at the end. i.e non-professional teaching, and important details skipped. End products didn't turn out as good as I had hoped as I wasn't told much on my design options, or how do do anything but practice trying to be perfect. Maybe they should offer classes that focus more on glazing, and decorating aspects as that is a large part of an end product result to a beginner, and less time trying to perfect the wheel. read more