New & Noteworthy Classes
Whether or not you’re new to Groundworks, we’ve got something new for you!
Every session we’ll be highlighting our new programs and calling out some fan favorites that are making a comeback to the schedule.
Check out our new and exciting offerings below!
Session 5 Registration
All classes will be available for registration Monday, July 27 at 8:00am.
You can view specific class information and descriptions by following the class link in the drop down menus. You can also view the entire Session 5 Catalog here.
Please review our standard refund policy before registering.
We offer scholarships!
You can apply and receive up to two scholarships annually for 50% off the cost of a class. Pay What You Can classes do not qualify (but you can save even more by signing up for one).
Please fill out a scholarship application.
New Clay Classes
Japanese-Style Porcelain
This class focuses on a Japanese method of throwing porcelain off-the-hump. Each gesture is designed to maximize efficiency to create beautiful tableware. The sequence of movements becomes almost meditative as you work through the clay. It’s a great class to unlearn bad habits and develop deeper intuition and confidence in your throwing.
8-Week Level II Specialty Wheel
Thursdays 7:00-9:30pm
Dates: August 27 - October 15
Instructor: Aaron Winston
Location: Main (3750 Canfield Street)
Cost: $355
Ages: 16+
Throw Down-Style Wheel
8-Week Level II Wheel
Inspired by the show The Great Pottery Throw Down, this class is designed for intermediate students who want to break out of their comfort zones, be challenged, and have a ton of fun doing it.
Each week will bring 2 prompts:
The Technical Challenge: A fast-paced surprise designed to test your skills. Think speed-throwing a teapot, throwing blindfolded, or racing to create five identical bowls.
The Main Make: A focused project where you can let your creativity shine. You’ll tackle complex, multi-piece creations like nesting bowl sets, thematic tile collections, full dinnerware sets, or tea sets.
Is this class for you? If you have the basics down and are looking for a unique, high-energy challenge, absolutely. This class thrives on community and shared experience - it's at its best when everyone jumps into the challenges together.
Wednesdays 7:00-9:30pm
Dates: August 26 - October 14
Instructor: Colleen Grande
Location: Hill (1010 Aurora Avenue)
Cost: $300
Ages: 16+
Older Teen Wheel
8-Week Youth Wheel for older teens (16-19)
Our adult classes are available to anyone 16+ but we understand that may feel a little intimidating to jump into, so we are now offering this intermediary class for teens aging out of the youth classes who may not feel quite ready to join the adults. This class is great for older teenagers / young adults that are new to the wheel as well as those that are further developing their throwing skills.
Classes will include both hand-building and wheel-throwing, trimming of thrown pots, slip decorating, and glazing of bisqued pieces. These classes are a great chance for students to learn a variety of techniques, ask questions, and play with clay!
Students of this class will have access to open studio on Fridays from 4:00-6:00pm starting week 2 to practice their skills.
Thursdays 6:30-8:45pm
Dates: August 27 - October 15
Instructor: Grace Flaherty
Location: Hill (1010 Aurora Avenue)
Cost: $275
Ages: 16-19
Abstract Sculpture
8-week All level Hand-building
Elevate your hand-building practice with an exploration in abstract forms—functional or decorative. Slabs, extrusions, coils, and pinching will get you started, then surface treatments are wide open to all the possibilities.
Come to class with your inspirations, sketches, and a rough plan. Then, be ready to challenge the clay to become something more beautiful than you ever thought possible!
Thursdays 6:30-9:00pm
Dates: August 27 - October 15
Instructor: Aio Sowa
Location: Main (3750 Canfield St)
Cost: $275
Ages: 16+
Stencil Design
4-week All level Hand-building
Explore pattern and color! Use stencils to enliven your slab-built creations. In this class we'll start by having students make their own stencils, and then learn how to use these stencils with slabs for functional or decorative pieces like vases or serving dishes. All levels welcome!
Wednesdays 9:30am-12:00pm
Dates: August 26 - September 16
Instructor: Emily Riggs
Location: Hill (1010 Aurora Ave)
Cost: $140
Ages: 16+
Raku Critters
4-week All level Hand-building
Your chance to dream up and sculpt whimsical creatures of all kinds—from funky gargoyles and giant snails to curious woodland spirits. Using hand-building techniques, we'll bring our critters to life with expressive features, believable anatomy, and a sense of movement and personality. We'll decorate them with raku firing, creating one-of-a-kind surfaces that make each character truly shine. Come ready to get a little muddy and let your imagination run wild!
Tuesdays 7:00-9:30pm
Dates: September 22 - October 13
Instructor: Teagan King
Location: Main (3750 Canfield Street)
Cost: $150
Ages: 16+
Clay Tablet Wall Decor
4-week All level Hand-building
Clay tablets have served as some of humanity’s earliest tools for storytelling, documentation and communication. They are an effective way to explore the rich history of clay as a surface for creating a sort of visual language.
Through mark-making, symbols and layering, participants would be able to develop a personal visual vocabulary that communicates ideas, narratives, and feelings without relying solely on written words. This class will cover making ceramic slabs and tiles that can hang on a wall and focus on creating a intuitive visual language through surface design and material exploration.
Sundays 9:30am-12:00pm
Dates: September 27 - October 18
Instructor: Anne Marie Boardman
Location: Hill (1010 Aurora Avenue)
Cost: $140
Ages: 16+
New Print Classes
Print Independent Study
4-Week Level III Printmaking
Designed for advanced, self-motivated printmaking students looking for studio access and minimal guidance. This class is intended to provide our experienced print students open lab time without registering for a specific class, and will not have an active teaching component. Students should understand that their work will be largely, if not entirely, self-guided.
Independent study students will have a designated time slot on Friday afternoons that is not open to other students. Week 1 will serve as an orientation session, where students should be able to demonstrate readiness to use the studio independently. After the first week, Independent Study students may attend any open lab during the week -- but keep in mind that regular open lab is first-come, first-served.
Students in Level III: Independent Study should meet the following requirements:
Demonstrate ability to appropriately retrieve, apply, and clean up ink
Demonstrate ability to use screens or electrolytic etching baths if using
Demonstrate ability to safely and appropriately operate the press and/or screen printing equipment
Demonstrate ability to safely use carving tools and/or drypoint tools
Demonstrate ability to clean up and discard of waste appropriately.
This class comes with 3 hours of "class time" every Friday, plus an additional 3 hours of open lab, for a total of 6 hours each week.
Fridays 12:30-3:30pm
Dates: August 28 - September 18
Instructor: Akane Kleinkopf
Location: Main (3750 Canfield Street)
Cost: $250
Ages: 16+
Linocut
8-Week Level II Relief printmaking
Expand beyond the basics of linocut in this new intermediate level relief print class! Printmaking allows the artist to create many copies of the same image, making it the perfect medium for spreading the word -- make a piece to commemorate an event, express a powerful statement, or simply share amongst friends. This class will focus on carving and printing linoleum, designing a multi-color piece, exploring reduction printing, tearing paper, and editioning. This class is 8 weeks, and comes with open lab.
Wednesdays 6:00-8:30pm
Dates: August 26 - October 14
Instructor: Renate Mairie
Location: Main (3750 Canfield St)
Cost: $290
Ages: 16+
Metalworking Classes
Level II Welding Sculptures
In this Level II welding sculptures class, students will explore the construction of geometric forms by combining various fabrication processes to assemble a complex steel sculpture. The course guides students through the entire creative cycle, from initial design, layout, and joint-preparation techniques to final detailing. Participants will expand their cutting skills using a bandsaw, plasma cutter, and cutoff wheel, while studying how materials intersect in different structural configurations. By building upon foundational welding skills, students will learn to fit and weld multiple pieces together, finishing their multi-faceted forms with handheld grinders and sanding equipment to create smooth, clean surfaces. These versatile techniques can be used to fabricate steel sculptures and complex objects of any scale for both indoor and outdoor display.
This is a level II class and and welding experience is needed.
Thursdays 9:30am-12:30pm
Dates: August 27 - October 15
Instructor: James Makely
Location: Main (3750 Canfield St)
Cost: $725
Ages: 16+
Multi-Studio Crossover Classes
Bisqued Molds & Glass Bowls (Clay/Glass)
In this new crossover class, we’re going to learn how to go from ceramic molds to fused glass bowls. The first 4 weeks will be spent in the clay studio. We’ll cover the basics of throwing both slump and hump molds on the wheel. Once our molds are bisqued, we’ll test their shapes using them to hand-build bowls.
The last 4 weeks will be in the glass studio. We’ll cover the basics of fusing and grinding before starting our final project - creating a fused piece to drape and slump into our molds.
Since the class will move quickly between the two studios, wheel experience is required. Beginner glass students welcome!
Wednesdays 9:00-11:30am
Dates: August 26 - October 14
Instructor: Codey Davis
Location: Main (3750 Canfield St)
Cost: $450
Ages: 16+
Curious about what else we offer?
See the whole course catalog for each studio by clicking on the icon below.
