I had a great experience at Penguin doing one of their beginner clinics. The pottery studio is spacious. The large group format is very relaxed with a good mix of group instruction and alone time to work on your masterpieces. Starting off we were given aprons and told how to use and clean the wheel. There's unlimited clay in blocks with an instructor going around giving some individual guidance. They have a lot of tools available and it was nice having as much clay so I wasn't worried about making mistakes. At the end you can fire one piece to keep. They do some basic trimming for you and then glaze with a color of your choice. Overall a super fun experience. read more

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Love this place. I missed my first class because i confused the days, came in the following day which i thought was the day of my class. The instructors are very accommodating and I was able to make up my missed class during open studio time. Ryanne was so nice, she showed me the ropes and was available to answer any questions I had. I love coming to open studio to practice on days I don't have class! read more

Highly recommend for anyone from newbie to advanced - they have something to offer for anyone. Finding a pottery class during Covid isn't easy, but after calling MANY places and looking at websites, Penguin Foot was the only one with full transparency and opened their books when they said they would. Their classes last four weeks and are two hours long so it's not a huge commitment. We ended up signing for two classes back to back with Hiroki and loved them! So much that we brought a friend the second time around. Hiroki gets straight to the point so you're on the wheel from the start (which I loved). For some reason I thought it'd be more of a hands-off experience to start, but nope! Grab your buckets, apron, sponge, and tools - time to throw! At the end of each class, you get to take 10 pieces home (if none get lost or broken). For any additional pieces, it's $2/lb. The best part is that during the four weeks, you can schedule an appt for open throwing. We never had much of an issue finding some open studio time for when we wanted it. Just remember, don't book if you can't make it! They handle the Covid protocols really well too. My only complaint is finding your pieces at the end isn't always easy and a few of ours got lost after paying extra. My suggestion is TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR WORK. Trust me, it's easy to forget - especially since you have an opportunity to make so many cool pieces once you get the hang of it. read more

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Had a great experience taking a wheel class with Hiroki in January. I have no prior experience in wheel throwing or working with clay and this class was a great way to get down the basics. I also want to shoutout the staff for assisting me in finding a bowl that was M.I.A. when I tried to retrieve it multiple times. If you can't find something 1 month after the class ended, I would highly recommend reaching out to any of the penguin foot staff, they are very friendly and helpful! read more

If you're looking to scratch that creative itch, Penguin Foot Pottery is the perfect date night or solo activity. The instructors here are incredibly patient and knowledgeable, even though they make everything seem so easy! The 3 hour workshop we attended went over all the basics of pottery making, included unlimited wheel throwing, and allowed you to pick your favorite creation to be glazed and taken home. I don't have much artistic skills in my bones, but I'd say my final creation didn't come out too bad! read more

Penguin Foot Pottery - Art Classes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Super fun, we did wheel throwing 1 and it was great for couples ! I would recommend to anyone, even solo

We went to the One of a Kind art fair last December and while perusing through, this entire booth of beautiful wares caught our attention. We ended up picking out 2 mugs, and while talking with David of dtkceramics, one of the studios that he recommended taking classes at was Penguinfoot. Further in the show, we picked up a small bowl from Monsoon Pottery, and the significant other of the potter also talked about Penguinfoot o_o. We couldn't sign up for monthly classes at the time due to our schedules, but we went to the summer pottery sale, and the energy was positive and welcoming. It was exciting to see all of the beautiful ceramics made by students and teachers, and I wanted to make my own someday :) Now we're on our 3rd month of classes so far and signed up for a 4th xD. Our instructors have been Esme and Laura, both great teachers, very talented and helpful. Our TA's, Tasha and Hiroki, have also helped us be less newbie haha. One of the best things about signing up for classes is the unlimited studio time. Everyone we've met have been really friendly, and I love being able to see the array of creativity. Also, it's just a ton of fun being involved in creating something from a lump of clay into anything you imagine :) read more

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Today was my third time coming to Penguin Foot Pottery for the workshop class, but my first time working with James Decker as the instructor. I just want to say, he was my favorite instructor, by far. He did a great job explaining the best methods, gave me and everyone in the class great one-on-one advice, gave great demonstrations. I was able to make 5 solid pieces because of his teaching. Overall- I would come back to take his classes and will be recommending his class to all my friends! read more

Penguin Foot Pottery - Pottery - Art Classes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

love this place! I have been taking classes here since January 2023 and everyone is just wonderful. The teachers (only took classes with Sophia, Ryanne and Esme so far) are patient and will answer every question there is (even though you already asked the same one 19 times ). I highly recommend taking advantage of the open studio time and check out the glazing workshop. It does take some time to get the hang of Pottery so be patient and don't judge this place after just one pottery class. If you just wanna try pottery for one evening, they also offer a Workshop class that's two hours (perfect for Friday night date night!) read more

Penguin Foot Pottery - Art Classes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Such a great event! I attended one of the BYOB workshops with a few friends and enjoyed every moment. Upon signing up, I thought the three hour class may drag, but the time flew by. It's the perfect length to give beginners enough time to have multiple attempts at creating a few "masterpieces" (beauty is in the eye of the beholder, ha). I'm definitely looking forward to coming back to glaze my items and to hopefully take another wheel throwing class to enhance the new skills. Special shout out to the person who gave me her bowl when mine was far from perfect! I've been looking for a new hands-on hobby and this might be it. Highly recommend checking Penguin Foot Pottery out! read more

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I've been taking classes at Penguin Foot for months now and I absolutely love the place! You can tell the instructors like teaching here - each one of them will be happy to help you with whatever you need but also, when they have time, talk about their process, encourage you to explore yours. Even in the couple of months I've seen the place grow - new section of wheels, more classes - and it's cool because they are taking in student needs and designing for them. Taken beginner through now level 3 classes, taken family for a drop in class, signed up for date night with my husband...big fan! read more

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I took the intro to wheel pottery class here and enjoyed it. The studio takes COVID precautions and the instructors are knowledgeable. And compared to some other classes, this one was really affordable. I will say it moved a lot faster than I expected for a beginner course. If you're a true beginner and you don't come in during the week and practice on your own in open studio, you won't make much progress. There were people in my class who were taking the intro level for the second or third time. Ultimately I enjoyed the experience, just wish it would've been taught at a more beginner-friendly pace. read more

Fun! I attended a BYOB session with two of my girlfriends on a Saturday. There is free evening parking on the side of the building. You sit in two long rows along the wheels. It would be great for group outing. Book in advance! I had a hard time getting enough spots and ended up calling to try and get additional insight to when the next opening would be. The largest take away I had..... it's hard to actually create the sculptures! at-least for me and one of my friends anyway. It is def a place where practice makes perfect. Dont get frustrated if you aren't amazing from the start. I am a very artistic and creative person, and I struggled. Yet it was a really fun evening. Once your pieces are dry, you come back and glaze them. Once the glaze is dry you can come pick them up. So you will be back more than once :) read more

My friends and I were so excited to come here but the workers completely ruined our experience. First off, we had a hard time finding the location on Apple Maps. We called to get direction and they told us everyone was lost and couldn't find the location so they'd wait. However when we showed up they told us we were making everyone else wait. From then on the workers continued to degrade us even though we were trying our best. At one point I had a bowl built that I felt was good (for my expectations) and the instructor came over and smushed it and said it wasn't good enough. Of course I didn't think it was anything professional but I was proud enough of it for being a beginner. At the end the guy who had placed my bowl below the draining hole told me my bowl was in the wrong place and that I had to mop the floor. I was happy to mop and help clean up but even when I was doing that he continued to tell me that it was my fault, even though he had placed the bowl himself. Overall it was just a frustrating experience when we had just gone there to have fun. read more

Love the instructors and the facilities. Everyone is so friendly and there are so many glazes! Couple things to note and some suggestions: A.) It's tough to get evening studio time so you really have to stay on it. Classes also sell out fast once they're listed online within hours - so again, stay on it and you'll get a class. B.) I wish the classes were longer. I'd rather pay more money and do an 8-12 week class. 4 weeks just goes by too fast. Felt like I just started to get to know my instructor and the other folks in class before it was all over. C.) Some of the class times weren't ideal for my schedule (I'm not knocking them for this though, because this may just be me). 5-7pm classes, or even 6-8pm so you could come straight after work during the week would be awesome. Also morning weekend times - like a 10-12pm on Saturday or Sunday would be amazing. All in all, it's fun and you'll enjoy it! read more

Extremely condescending. Upon arrival they asked if we had masks. It is 2023, no one carries masks anymore. We didn't have any and they were very rude about it and the entire experience was tainted as I felt like they were rude the rest of the evening. If you would like to pretend like you are still in prime Covid 2020 then this is the place to be. If you are a sane, normal person, I would pick somewhere else. read more

Loved my ceramic into class- it was fun- creative and inspiring- staff were friendly and professional and helped you when you were floundering. Loved the vibe /studio- will be going back for more! read more

This class is a lot of fun! Took my boyfriend and his parents when they were in town. We all had a blast. I love that a majority of the class is hands on and working with the clay. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun date or something different to do on the weekend. Classes do fill up quite fast so definitely something to plan ahead :) read more

Penguin Foot Pottery - Art Classes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Attended the workshop to get an idea what pottery is about. The whole concept is great, and this in theory would have been an interesting event, but unfortunately it was not. The people who work there are nice and they will come help you if you ask them, but we never managed to make it work from the very beginning, so we kept trying for a couple of hours until leaving early (it was a three hour event). Other people around us had similar difficulties, and a few others clearly had a lot of experience, so I'm guessing the teachers just didn't tell us all the secrets. The whole thing was very promising but ended up being a dud. read more

Decide to give my first yelp review to Penguin Pottery Class. THIS PLACE IS AWESOME! Chris, the instructor is super nice and talented, wish one day I can be as good as him! They are located very close to the blue line and there are open studio for people who want to come back to practice and play with the clay during their free time. I really enjoyed the class and IF YOU ARE NOT SURE WHICH POTTERY CLASS TO GO, GO TO THIS ONE!!!! read more

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Had a lot of fun with a large group. Wear old clothes. 3 hour workshop. A few coffee shops nearby.

These things I knew: throwing clay into something visually appealing is not effortless. You will get messy. You need to bend into the wheel. These things I did NOT know: PF is hard to find on a rainy dark Saturday night. The staff is helpful, laidback and talented. Its a fun activity. Try this as soon as you can! Even if you aren't good at it, come and immerse yourself either with pals or solo. So so fun!! read more

The lead instructor was knowledgeable, but not nice and very arrogant. He did not offer any advice. I even had to ask him to tell me what I was doing wrong and he said that he charges $50-60 for feedback and then walked away. He also didn't tell us that we could make more than 1 pot for the session. I wouldn't go back because of him. read more

This place was so great! I had a hard time finding an art studio that would actually let kids MAKE their own clay project and not just paint it! We came for drop in hours on Saturday. You can pay by the hour for time on a wheel or pay a flat rate for a hand made project. Since we brought two 7 year olds we went for handmade. They gave us 2 large lumps of clay to work with for $22. The girls made easily several projects each so the price felt really fair! The owner, who was a CPS teacher, and the studio manager were both awesome with the girls. They helped them lean how to make clay animals and checked in on us throughout our time there. I never felt like having the girls there was an issue considering that their customer base seems to be primarily adults. It takes approximately 10 days for them to fire and cool a project, so the girls got to learn an important lesson in not all things involving instant gratification! We definitely plan on coming back! Several hours of creativity for $22 was a great value and the space was a lot of fun! read more

Waste of money. Went for a byob class during the week. The 3 hours were spent wasting clay and throwing it all over the place. The worst part was the teacher! He refused to show use how to make anything. He gladly would make something for himself but the whole class was lost. This could be described as a 3 hour byob do it your self. Save the money or find a place where the "teachers" actually care. read more

I just started a 4-week beginning pottery class and I am totally in love! I had no idea how rewarding it would be to create something that I can actually use from a blob of clay. The space is really open and bright and you can tell that a lot of planning went into laying out the different areas. Everything just flows really well. Chris, the owner, is super knowledgeable and talented and has a very easy way about his teaching. I'm half way through the course, but I know that I will be continuing. If you've ever had any interest in pottery, I highly recommend checking out Penguin Foot. read more

LOVE Penguin Foot Pottery! My best friend and I took the introductory class in the spring. Our instructor Chris was great at teaching us how to get started and as the classes progressed so did our lessons. Chris is great at answering questions and always offers one on one help. The atmosphere is fun and creative. We always meet super creative people and have a blast. We decided to go back tonight (Saturday) for the happy hour (byob) pottery. Since we had been before we didn't need much instruction but Chris took the time to give several lessons to the entire group. We got to keep two of our pieces and are going next weekend to glaze them once they have been fired! I can't wait to go back and bring more friends! read more

What a fun Saturday night activity. Attended the happy hour event and it was the perfect length of time to do a beginners class. There was the right amount of instruction, and ongoing supervision that allowed me to trial and error to get something that was somewhat symmetric. Highly recommend as a date night! I'm now considering taking a month of classes given the fun experience. Classes book up way in advance so would recommend trying to book at least a month or two in advance. read more

Thank you Chris. Chris is friendly and nice guy. Though we are late by 45 mins, he allowed us to try the pottery. Enjoyed the first experience, will plan to come again. read more

We hosted a networking evening at Penguin Foot Pottery and it was a BLAST! I haven't done anything pottery-related since I was in elementary school but managed to make a couple of cute little containers that I can't wait to see once they've been fired. I loved the laid back environment and that there was no pressure to make something quickly and be done. I must have destroyed 10 pots before I made one I wanted to keep. It was an AMAZING evening and Elizabeth C. was absolutely right, Chris has great taste in music! Thanks Chris and Paige! read more

I went to Penguin Foot for my girlfriend's birthday party and we had a great time! It was so fun to find something out of the ordinary to do to celebrate with her friends, and I think everyone had a good time (albeit with some bouts of frustration) on the pottery wheel. The instructor, Chris, was incredibly patient with our crew's very limited pottery skills, and was super nice about everything, even helping us find a delicious local pizza place to order dinner from. I would recommend Penguin Foot to anyone looking for a unique social and/or artistic experience, beginner or expert. read more

Drop in classes were great and affordable! Staff was friendly and helpful, ample supplies for wheel throwing as well. Will definitely be back! read more

I have never posted a Yelp review but needed to make one here. This place is wonderful! The people are fantastic, it's immensely supportive, and so so fun. Everyone was so friendly and there was absolutely no judgement about how horrible my creations were... even though there absolutely could be. I highly recommend coming here, I'm already asking friends to come with and signing up for a 2nd class! Thank you!!! read more

Before coming to this place I was really skeptical. Went for a happy hour class. The experience was really great. The instructor was very helpful, the equipments were user friendly even for first timers. Everything was perfect about this place, great music, great experience and lots of fun.. Didn't realize how 3 hrs flew by.. Definitely planning for a beginners class. A great way to spend an evening, away from work life pressure. Highly recommended, must try!! read more

Penguin Foot Pottery - Not the best, but not too bad for a first timer!! - Art Classes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Took a group of 10 to PPP. We didnt know if they would enjoy it but it was part of a surprise weekend, where we planned the agenda. Chris did a great job of getting us all up to speed with our clay projects. Everyone had a Ton of fun and created some really great masterpieces. We are all anxious to to get our glazed finished products back. Thanks chris! read more

Parking is free and close to El train and the building is an artsy, loft setting. The 4 week intro pottery throwing class is great (so far) and I am having lots of fun. As enrolled students we are invited to come use a wheel any time one is open, and we can practice to our heart's delight (and our entire body if covered in clay). So much fun, a great deal and great environment for being creative. read more

If you want to improve at pottery, but don't want to go all-in on setting up your own studio, Penguin Foot is amazing! The open studio hours are generous, the class prices are fair, glazing options are plentiful, and everything is clean and well organized. The clay recycling is ongoing, so you can throw on the wheel and fail as much as you need, and the staff are all experienced potters who know their stuff and are super patient and helpful. read more

this place sucks. couldn't make it to our last class because of a winter storm and they ended up throwing away our clay that was ready to be fired. then when we arrived for our makeup time for our last class some employee told me "this is chicago" and should've made it through a snowstorm... read more

Really enjoyed my class here and I can't wait to take another one when I get the time. Chris was a great instructor and was always really nice when it came to helping me out with certain techniques or anything I had questions about. The people there are chill and the vibe is very easy going, so it was something I looked forward to going to each week. I brought my own supplies each week because it was what I was used to, but they do provide them, which is not something every studio can say. read more

This is a great place to begin learning about pottery. All of the staff artists are talented and extremely generous with their time. They are also generous with clay which is crucial to a beginner like myself because it takes lots of failure (clay) to become skillful. What is really great is that they offer lots of open studio time for those that are enrolled in classes. Practice makes perfect - and their flexible clay policy and open studio time prove that they are committed to helping their students progress. read more