Studio Hours
Student
Open Studio Hours
If you enroll in our weekly class, you can come in during these hours for independent practice!
Tuesday + Wednesday: 2pm - 8pm
Saturday + Sunday: 12pm - 6pm
*Holidays may vary. Hours subject to change
Member
Open Studio Hours
TBD! We will be launching membership information soon so sign-up for your newsletter to be the first to know when we're accepting memberships!
Work
Pick-Up Hours
Once you receive an email that your ceramic pieces are ready for pick-up, stop by our studio during these hours to bring them home!
Saturday + Sunday: 2pm - 5:30pm
Get ready to get messy! =)
Though we provide aprons, clay can get everywhere! Wear comfortable clothes you don't mind getting clay splattered on. Short nails are highly recommended! Leave valuable jewelry at home and bring a hair tie if needed.
What to Wear
Arrival Tips
Please arrive at least 5-10 minutes early to settle in. Street parking is available around West Portal Ave. Late arrivals can be a bit disruptive to the demonstration so be sure to get to the studio a bit early!
All clay, tools, glazes, and firings are included in your class fee. Just bring your creativity, low expectations and self-compassion because you will fail and that's totally okay because we will fail and learn again and again together! =)
Materials Provided
Studio Rules
& Etiquette
ENTRY
Welcome! You will sign-in and out using our sign-up sheet by the entrance every time you come into the studio and check the studio calendar for reserved spots for classes and important announcements. Please be aware of Student Open Studio Hours!
Kasama Clay Studio is an intentional community space. As part of this community studio, we are all responsible for keeping our space safe and clean. Studio etiquette and cleanliness is not only a way we respect one another, but it is a foundational core of Ceramics. Safety starts with awareness, accountability and taking care of our SHARED space and resources TOGETHER. This is our meaning of community. Acting with mindfulness for the collective's well-being is the core of Kasama.
SAFE SPACE
We want everyone in our studio to feel safe, seen, and welcomed to have opportunities to thrive in clay and on a personal level. Please be considerate of others and be mindful of your personal perspectives, your privileges and especially your entitlement. THIS IS HOW WE (UN)LEARN AND GROW! We will not tolerate any disrespectful, discriminatory behavior, and/or micro-aggressions of dominance. We reserve the right to preserve the positive culture we have nurtured and continue to sustain. Our instructors and staff share our knowledge and wisdom of our craft from many years of trials, errors and sacrifices. We are not clay maids nor waiters— we are educators and artists who are passionate enough to share this resource to uplift the community that deserves respect and dignity. Kasama goes beyond transactionary acts. Our studio’s culture is built upon strong principles of acknowledgement and reciprocity— this is what makes our clay community very special!
CLAY IS A RESOURCE
At Kasama, we treat clay as a majestic resource from the earth full of energy, possibility and so much healing! Hugs a bag of clay Someone bagged up this magical material for your ease of use and leisure. Please be mindful of this gift and try to use and recycle every bit of that magic! Clay holds resilience and history-- it has been here before you and will be here after you. We respect and do not take its preciousness for granted!
For safety of our beloved kilns and student/member work, clays bought elsewhere are absolutely not allowed.
CLEANING YOUR AREA
Please leave work stations better than you found them. Always use a clean sponge/towel to wipe down all surfaces and areas you worked on. Wipe down the wedging table, wheel, and splash pans thoroughly after use. Use your provided damp microfiber towel to do a finishing wipe down of your area to remove sponge marks. Don’t forget to mop any splatters on the floor!
No sharp tools to be used on the wedging table or any other table surface. Please do not cut clay directly on tables with needle tools or any other sharp cutting tools as it will damage them. Use wareboards between surface and clay to cut!
SURFACE CARE
TRIMMING
Dry trimming is not allowed for it creates an insurmountable amount of clay dust. Please sweep clay trimmings off the floor while they are still damp if you must and throw them straight in the garbage.. If they become bone dry, lightly spray the trimmings with the sprayers and then sweep. Another method is to lay newspaper on the floor prior to trimming and then use the newspaper to lift up the trimmings when done.
Trimming Buckets - Unwanted greenware (unfired clay) must be broken down and thrown in the greenware bucket, which we will recycle to make new reusable clay! Please do not put any fired pieces (bisqued or glazed) and swept trimming from the floor in the trimming buckets– those belong in the garbage as we cannot recycle them!
No dry sanding whatsoever! Please do all wet sanding over a basin of water.
Ceramics is a forever way of life for most of us here in the studio. We try very hard to minimize dust inhalation as much as we can in all ways that we can to maintain the health of our lungs so we can keep going for years and years. We really appreciate all the support and care with this!
SANDING & DUST
SAVE WATER
Please do not let the water run in the sink. Remove clay off your tools and hands using a damp sponge and the reclaim water in the sink bin. Then, quickly rinse with clean water from the faucet.
Outside glazes are prohibited to protect our kilns! We have plenty of awesome glazes to choose from that we have curated to fit our clay bodies and a wide range of aesthetics. =)
Do not alter any of the glazes! If there is a problem with consistency, please tell one of the staff and we will fix it for you! Please rinse or toss excess glaze in the provided rinsing buckets. Absolutely no tossing glazes down the sink!
GLAZING
NO PRODUCTION POTTERY
Our small studio cannot accommodate production pottery. We want to make sure that all students and members get a fair chance of getting pieces in our firings. Our principles emphasize education to elevate techniques and hone artistic voices.
Please clean community tools thoroughly and put them back where they belong. For personal tools, please make sure they are labeled with your name on it. Be careful not to leave your precious personal items at the studio-- check those apron pockets! We are not responsible for any lost or stolen items— we don’t want you to lose them either!
TOOLS & ITEMS
PHONE USAGE
Having conversations over the phone can be very distracting to those around you! Please take phone calls outside the studio. Absolutely no phone calls while class is in session as it disrupts the instructor and other students.
Please be aware that Kasama is an educational center first and foremost. As much as we like having visitors, we need to maintain a studio environment where our members and students can focus and be free of distractions at all times. There are lots of cafes, parks and restaurants around where you can freely socialize with your pals.
If they are curious about how our studio functions, they can get a visitor pass only during Open Studio Hours for a fee of $100 for a day with a 24-hour notice and approval-- this does not permit any making nor use of studio equipment. If they plan on enrolling for a class, this fee can go towards their enrollment.
GUESTS & VISITORS
PETS
As much as we love having pets around, we can only allow guide and assisting pets. We want to respect those who have allergic reactions or do not feel comfortable around animals. For yours and their safety, please keep them at home where they can’t inhale and transport clay dust with their fur. They'll thank you for it!
FOOD
Do not store any food on your shelves. No eating in the classrooms and glaze room please! Feel free to eat in our nook area or designated table. Please sort trash in the designated bins.
Only staff members are allowed to enter the kiln area and storage room. Our kilns do not like to be disturbed. =)
KILN & STORAGE ROOM
WE ARE HERE TO HELP
If you have never used one of the equipment before, please do not use it before asking one of the staff members to show you how for your safety!
MAKE UP CLASSES
If space allows, we occasionally allow students to come to another class to watch the instructor demonstration. We limit our class sizes and therefore cannot guarantee make-ups. We are happy to give students other informational resources that cover the topics and techniques you missed in class or give a refresher (if time and instructor permitting) during your next class.
Come for the clay, stay for the friends! We hope that you have a fulfilling and meaningful time at Kasama. =)