I have been taking hand building classes at the studio and discovered a passion I didn't even know I had. The flexible open studio schedule allows me plenty of time to explore independently. Everyone there is really friendly and encouraging. The classes aren't cheap but the cost seems on par with other studios in the Bay Area, For me, it's well worth the price. read more

I recently took the 6-week Intermediate class with Miki on Wednesday evenings and had a really great experience! In this class, we made: - a set of stacked bowls - salad/ramen bowls - lidded forms - tall vases formed by stacking two sections - hand built teapots I've taken classes at a few studios and there were a few things that were different about this studio compared to other studios where I've taken classes: - Clay was included and our class shared bags of Bmix and recycled clay. - Open studio hours were $50 extra and hours are dependent on the class you're taking. Ours was weekdays before 6 PM and weekends between 1:30-7 PM. - There's plenty of shelving at this studio but you need to add stickers to green ware with your name and class code. - After the class ends, they store finished pieces in boxes on a shelf to make room for the next class. I loved that they had test tiles for every combo of glazes! I also love the Google Drive they have for students to share pictures of their favorite glaze combos. My personal favorite glaze combos were: - Hyacinth under Koke Blush - Hyacinth under Castile Blue - Hyacinth under Burnt Caramel - Cappuccino under Lunar Grey - Cappuccino under Hyacinth - Cappuccino under Coral Spice - Cappuccino under Koke Blush - Cappuccino under Castile Blue - Lunar Gray under Kelp Forest read more

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We had a wonderful experience starting our journey here! The space is incredibly clean and well-kept, with a spacious layout that makes every session feel relaxing. It's such a calming place to practice. read more

Love the LA lady who taught my 1-time wheel throwing class, she was very step-by-step and good at de-mystifying the process. The studio space is good for group activities, the wheels were clean and not overly twitchy (going super fast or slow randomly when changing speed). They email you when they're done firing/glazing your pieces. Love the green glaze, our pieces came out really well! read more

South Bay Ceramics - One "cup" and one bowl - Art Classes Near Me - Mountain View, California

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This is a quiet, spacious studio in the heart of Mountain View. I was so excited to find a studio close to me, but beware that their one-time workshops sell out fast! We signed up for a holiday beginner friendly workshop -- Prachi was our instructor and she was very kind and helpful. I think she ended up helping me center my clay at least twice haha! Since it was a beginner class but only a few hours long, it was hard to cover so much material. Prachi tried her best but I can see why the 6-week long classes are better for refining the basics. If you're looking just for a fun class though, the one time workshops are great! Thanks South Bay Ceramics! read more

South Bay Ceramics - Art Classes Near Me - Mountain View, California

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This was my second time trying a pottery wheel class but my first at this specific studio. I took the beginner wheel class. Upon entering, no one greeted us and we couldn't tell who worked there- we didn't know where to go or what to do. After waiting a few awkward minutes someone finally asked if we were there for the class. We were able to place our belongings on the couch during the duration of the class (which did not feel secure at all). We were then told to get a sponge and fill a bucket of water from the sink. We also had to set up our own station. Basically, they did not prepare anything for you. The class was from 630-830pm and consisted of about 12 people and began promptly. Our instructor then spent the first 30 minutes of class demonstrating on her own wheel how to make a piece from start to finish. We all just watched her do it. She only went through the instructions one time. Then we were off on our own to throw. It would've been better if she had everyone do it at the same time as her so we can follow along. 12 people in one class is too many people for only one instructor and it didn't feel personable at all. It was very difficult to remember the steps and the instructor didn't really try to assist or help us unless you asked. I feel like I was doing things wrong the majority of the time and she didn't try to intervene or help us to make successful pieces. It felt like they just wanted this class to be only about familiarizing yourself with clay with no expectation of taking home a legitimate piece. And that's not to say that I expected to take anything home that was remotely good or well made. But I spent $100 on this class and should be able to take something home. You're allowed to take home 2 pieces, but I struggled to make even that. The instructor should be trying to help everyone be able to take home something that isn't garbage. Not everyone is trying to use this as a starting point of taking a 6 week class. Most people take this class as a one time activity. Once it approached 8pm we were told we had to begin cleaning up. So we were only able to throw for one hour! Not only that, but we were expected to clean and wash ALL of our material. We were literally mopping the floors and scrubbing with sponges. I did not know how to efficiently and effectively clean up - so it took me 45 minutes to clean my station. There are only two sinks and each person took a good 5-10 minutes at the sink. So you had to wait in line while carrying all of this equipment and it's heavy and really messy. It was extremely laborsome. And it was very unexpected to have to do this. It was not mentioned anywhere that we would be spending the last 30 minutes of class cleaning. To say this is a 2 hour class is extremely misleading. The cleanup should not be included in the class time. We only had 1 hour of actual throwing which is not enough time to practice. It felt very rushed and stressful. I was extremely disappointed in the class and did not feel like it was worth the money or the time. About 3 weeks later, I got an email the pieces were finished and ready for pickup. I have to say they look a lot better after being glazed, but they did shrink in size a bit after being fired. read more

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Start with taking a class and soon you'll be having a great creative outlet. The staff and members are very welcoming and wonderful to see on a daily basis!! read more

My experience with South Bay Ceramics was taking their one-time beginner's wheel throwing class on a Friday night in the middle of February 2023. I reserved this back in November 2022, as classes quickly fill up a few months in advance. The last times that I'd taken a ceramics class was back in high school and then a sculpting class at art school, both around 20 years ago. I knew I'd be rusty because of this and also I didn't know what to expect with a potter's wheel, as I'd never used one before. The instructor for the evening session was Ashley and there were about 8 other students besides me - everyone else in the class came with someone they knew and I was the only one who came solo, but I didn't mind this at all. Ashley was very helpful and pleasant as she explained what would be gone over during the session and she made sure to give a fair amount of time to each student to help them with wheel-throwing. Personally, I felt the pieces that I made were more like those for "practice" or "trial-runs" and I know that if I was given more time (even just another hour), then for sure, I could've came up with a little more decent looking pieces. The 2 hours went by quick and because I'd spent way too much time on my first piece, I rushed through making my second piece. In fact, because I wasn't experienced with when to stop with my first piece, it ended up going over a certain point where I should've stopped working with it and ultimately it was not at all what/how I wanted it to look. It had looked good at one point and I should've stopped there, but hey, you live & learn. After Ashley instructed us to start cleaning up as it was nearing the end of the session, we all cleaned our areas and then brought over our pieces to a table to choose which glazes we'd like. There was a choice from about 6 or so glazes that the staff will fire and glaze for you. We were told not to contact them to inquire when to pick up our finished pieces and that we'd be contacted when they're ready. This was originally going to take about 3-4 weeks after the class, but it ended up being 6 weeks. I knew in advance when I had to go pick up the pieces that it may be a bit tricky to find out who the instructors/employees were that I needed to speak to, versus the students, as I'd only known Ashley from my one time there (and understandably this isn't someplace where employees wear uniforms or name tags/ID). I arrived sometime after I got off work in the 4pm hour on Friday, Mar. 31st and there were about 20 people there, so I randomly asked a young lady who the instructors are and she pointed out Michael and Fe. Michael was busy speaking to a student at the time, so I spotted Fe who was walking around and I raised my hand and waived at her. However, at that exact time I looked at her and did this, she hurriedly walked away. I'll safely assume it was just a bad coincidence, but I admit that I didn't get good vibes when this happened and it was a bit frustrating to try to get someone's attention politely and it doesn't work. Since this was going nowhere and I didn't have much time to be just waiting around, I was about to say out loud, "Can I please get some help, here?", but thankfully, Michael said to me, "I'll be right with you.", and soon afterwards, he helped me out for a few minutes with finding my finished pieces and answered a question I had, which I appreciated. The finished pieces came out better than I had expected them to look and I'll definitely use them. Overall, I enjoyed my experience taking the beginner's class and I'd recommend it, if you're interested in learning how to do wheel-throwing. I'd advise watching some YouTube vids of basics of wheel-throwing or reading up on tips, before taking the class, as it'll help. Also, unless you're absolutely sure, I highly advise taking the one-time class, first, before you decide on taking the 6 weeks class, so you know what you're getting into and see if you'll commit to this or not. read more

I hate to leave a negative review but I did not have a great experience at South Bay Ceramics. This is my second time taking a wheel throwing class but my first time at this studio. This review is only for the one time wheel throwing class. Like another reviewer said, when we arrived early as instructed, no one greeted us or told us where to go. Once the class started, we were given rushed instructions and then had the rest of the time to throw our pots until it was time to clean up. The instructor seemed to pay attention to only a few select people in the class. The only times I ever got help was when I asked her for it, and after a few times asking I felt like I was being a bother. I felt very stressed and frustrated throughout the workshop and left feeling disappointed with my pieces and in the experience. When we went to go pick up our finished pieces, the person working there said they had mixed up one of my boyfriend's pieces and asked if he could identify which one was his out of 3. He was able to identify it but they had glazed it a different color from what he had chosen and carved someone else's name on the bottom. They gave us a cup made by an instructor as an apology, but I feel like this mistake could have easily been avoided given that they had both our email and phone number and they could have easily checked to confirm which piece was his and what glaze he wanted. One of my bowls had a crack on the bottom and I only found that out when I got home (but I take responsibility for that since I made the bottom too thin). My other bowl had a bunch of dents in the rim that I definitely did not make, since I took a before and after picture. I gave a star because the studio was spacious and clean. I gave another star because the glazes for the one time wheel throwing class were pretty, even though there were only 4 to choose from. I heard that the six week classes here are great, but I would only recommend the one time class if you enjoy figuring things out yourself or if you happen to be talented at throwing. read more

Signed up for the 6 week class with Steph H and omg she is so so sweet, patient and funny. She made the class fun and helped each one of the 12 students do better on our pottery pieces. This was only the 1st class and can't wait to see how the pieces turn out throughout the 5 other classes left read more

Really fantastic ceramic studio in Mountain View. We need more places like this to be creative! South Bay Ceramics fills the bill with lots of classes, workshops and open studio sessions. I've taken a few classes and the teachers and others are so welcoming and make it fun and not so intimidating for a novice like me. This is not a paint a pot place. Its a real ceramic studio where you can throw on a wheel, hand build, get your work fired and glazed. Depending on the time of day, parking may be hard to find, but there is street parking close by. read more

All I have to say is, "DAN is the man!" We showed up late to our 2 hour beginner class, and he helped sort us out and caught us up to speed! The class was amazing; (Stephanie), who was our instructor, was extremely friendly and super helpful! read more

Took a 6 week wheel throwing intro class here and loved it! You get to follow the journey of your piece from wedging your clay, throwing, trimming, and glazing, which you wouldn't get to do in a one time class. Instructors and other members are so nice and helpful, the studio always feels super inviting, relaxing and inspiring. Make sure to sign up for studio access if you sign up for a class here, it's definitely definitely worth it! read more

If you are having a private event this is not the place to have it since it is not "private". I booked a birthday party for 9 people and although I had a wheel station for 9 people the whole place was open to the public. People were coming in and out of the studio, and our table of food and personal belongings didn't feel secure since the food table was assigned in front of the studio where strangers were coming in and out of the front door. As a matter of fact, a strange woman came by and started eating our food and had to be shooed away. There were no other employees other than the instructor that was assigned to us and she was being constantly pestered by people from the general public about picking up their pottery or needing help one way or another. The instructor was decent but if I had a corporate event here I would have felt completely embarrassed for picking this venue. It was advertised to be a "private" event, and it is not. read more