Have you tried a pottery class at FYACS yet? The Ceramics Studio at Follow Your Art Community Studios was built as an addition to the Big Yellow House and opened in Summer 2022 thanks to interest and support from our community. Up to six students can work at a time, with four potter wheels and a hand-building table. Thanks to the tireless work of Jess Mitchell and the rest of our pottery team, the studio has become an integral part of FYACS.
In just three years, our tiny-but-mighty pottery studio has welcomed more than 400 new and experienced potters of all ages to learn and create something new. We have hosted multi-week sessions, workshops, and fun nights for individuals and families to try hand-building and wheel throwing. Our skilled instructors have helped grow a supportive and talented community of potters.
“I always wanted to do pottery there were never any places close by. Follow Your Art is perfect for me.” – Adult Student
Hundreds of pounds of clay later, we are outgrowing our space, and our pottery artists are outgrowing us! There are more people who want to take ceramics classes, particularly on the pottery wheel, than our existing studio space can accommodate. Additionally, while the Ceramics Studio at FYACS has been great for beginners, in our current space we can’t offer enough for people with more advanced ceramics skills (like open studio time, specialty glazes, places to store their work/materials, etc.)
With that in mind, we’re excited to share our progress toward what you’ve been asking for: more classes, more wheel time, a wider variety of materials, and more options to grow and practice! Welcome to The Pottery at FYACS!
Read on to learn about our exciting plans to triple the size of our pottery program, and how you can get involved.
A Vision for Expanded Pottery Programming
The physical space available in the present Ceramics Studio is not large enough to get everyone into a class that wants to. The good news is that FYACS has a lovely large downstairs space in the Big Yellow House with the potential to house an expanded pottery program.
Renovations currently in progress will expand The Pottery at FYACS to include 12 pottery wheels, space for hand-building, and shelves for individual students to store their work. With the added space, FYACS will be able to expand ceramics programming to include intermediate and advanced instruction and open studio time, and more specialty options.
“We’re so excited to respond to the community’s hunger for more ceramics with our planned expansion of The Pottery at FYACS. For anyone who has wanted to try wheel-throwing but has been faced with a waitlist, or anyone ready for more advanced classes close to home, we are almost there!” shared Ceramics Studio Manager Jess Mitchell.
The Work in Progress
If you’ve been following our news over the past year, you may have seen our progress toward our vision for an expanded pottery studio in Follow Your Art’s as yet unfinished lower level.
Renovations started in 2024, thanks to a generous capital grant from the Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation and construction work by Matt Roman and his team. A new floor was poured, new windows were installed, plumbing and structural work was undertaken, and rough walls are up for the tech room and classrooms. The renovation is advancing with heat and electric updates, and next on the list for Spring 2025 will be completing the classroom space, tech rooms, and a bathroom.
We’re getting closer to it looking (and functioning!) like a pottery classroom space, and we’re aiming for it to be up and running later this year, as funding becomes available. The FYACS Board of Directors voted in January 2025 to designate funds towards the pottery studio expansion and we continue to seek grants and additional public support.
Help us outfit The Pottery at FYACS!
Have you loved being a part of the pottery studio and want to see it go to the next level? You can help make this dream a reality by making a donation toward the completion of the expanded ceramics studio, The Pottery at FYACS. Your support will get us up and running even faster by supporting equipment purchases (we need eight more pottery wheels to fill the space) and remaining construction (shelving for student work in progress).
Donors at the following amounts will be recognized online and on the donor wall planned for the entry to The Pottery at FYACS:
- Mug $250
- Teapots: $500
- Vase: $750
- Platter: $1000
- Wheel: $2000
- Kiln: $5000
Every $50 donated earns you a vote in our pottery wheel naming contest!
Pottery Wheel Naming Contest
Want to help us celebrate? Everyone is invited to help name the pottery wheels! We can’t wait to see your creative ideas!
Names of the 12 pottery wheels will be selected by our donors! Donors of at least $50 will be contacted with voting details in late spring.
