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Turn evenings into making time: over eight Mondays this class teaches coil, pinch, and slab techniques to produce functional planters you’ll glaze and fire. Perfect for plant lovers and beginners, the course includes tools, glazes, firing, and 25 pounds of clay.
Turn evenings into making time: over eight Mondays this class teaches coil, pinch, and slab techniques to produce functional planters you’ll glaze and fire. Perfect for plant lovers and beginners, the course includes tools, glazes, firing, and 25 pounds of clay.
Book with Black Hound Clay Studio West
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by Black Hound Clay Studio West · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Black Hound Clay Studio West: 715 South 50th Street sits in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a practical art room that invites visitors to shape clay into planters. In the eight-week evening course 'Handbuilding for the Garden' (Mondays, March 30–May 18, 6–9 pm) instructor Miranda Blas guides a small group through coil, pinch, and slab techniques to produce wall planters, free-standing pots, hanging planters, and sculptural stands. The class is open to anyone sixteen and up; no experience is required, and the studio is wheelchair accessible. You’ll work at communal benches under bright task lighting, trade ideas with a ten-person cohort, and learn to use basic hand tools, glazes, and kilns. Tuition includes all instruction, tools, glazes, firing, and 25 pounds of clay; one open studio session is included to refine pieces between classes. Expect hands-on demos from Miranda, timed practice periods, and guided glazing sessions that help you translate a garden concept into a functional object. Extra clay is available for purchase through the studio website. What makes this course stand out in Philadelphia’s creative map is its focus: practical, plant-ready ceramics that function outdoors and indoors. The work centers on tactile construction—coils stacked into organic walls, slabs trimmed into geometric planters, and pinched pieces that hold a single favorite fern. The kiln transforms fragile wet shapes into lasting ceramic vessels, a small-scale alchemy that feels especially rewarding for visitors who want a handmade souvenir to carry home or a gift that grows. Set in West Philadelphia, the studio offers a calm escape from the city’s bustle and a chance to plug into the local maker community. The space doubles as an introduction to ceramic processes that visitors can continue exploring at other Philly studios or community pottery nights. Practical notes: the course runs for three hours per session over eight weeks, with a firm age minimum of 16 and a ten-student cap to keep instruction focused. Why book it? For travelers who love gardens, plants, and craft, this class turns inspiration into a tangible object—planters crafted to fit your windowsill or stoop. Whether you want to learn basic technique, make gifts, or simply spend evenings shaping clay, Miranda Blas and Black Hound Clay Studio West provide a friendly, well-equipped setting to build skills and leave with glazed, fired pieces you’ll use for seasons to come. Show up wearing clothes you don't mind getting clay on, and bring a small towel and a sketch or photo of the planter you imagine. The studio provides tools and glazes but checking glazing schedules ahead reduces wait time. If you plan to travel with finished pieces, ask about secure packing tips; fired ceramics are sturdy but can chip if jostled in transit and insurance.
No experience is necessary; the class is designed for all levels and covers basic handbuilding techniques.
Tuition includes instruction, tools, glazes, firing, and 25 pounds of clay, plus one free open studio session.
Participants must be at least 16 years old to enroll.
Yes — Black Hound Clay Studio West is wheelchair accessible at the listed meeting point: 715 South 50th Street.
Yes — additional clay can be purchased through the studio’s website as noted in the course description.
Firing and glazing schedules add time; the studio handles firing but check kiln dates with instructors to know when to pick up finished work.
Black Hound Clay Studio West is a ceramics studio offering a broad schedule of pottery classes, workshops, open studio sessions, summer art camps, and members-only events. The studio presents structured multi-week series such as Wheelthrowing 101 and Wheelthrowing 102, short-format workshops like Make Your Own Holiday Mug and One Day Wheel Workshop, and skill-focused courses including Handbuilt Tableware for Beginners and Intermediate Handbuilding options. Classes emphasize hands-on instruction in wheelthrowing, slab and coil handbuilding, surface decoration, glazing, and functional tableware. Several class listings note small, supportive settings and instructor-led guidance; named instructors appear in class descriptions, including Frankie Iadarola, Corinna Cowles, and Caroline Hayes-Charuk. The studio also runs open studio sessions for students, member-focused demos and refreshers (kiln, glaze, reclaim, slip, extruder), and bookable private workshops. Seasonal programming includes Mid-Summer Open Studio Sessions and Black Hound West Summer Art Camp sessions scheduled for August 2025. Multiple offerings show waitlist status for popular time slots, indicating high demand. Membership-only entries provide additional hands-on opportunities and technical demos. Black Hound Clay Studio West’s program mix supports beginners through intermediate students, offering repeatable class sequences and specialty workshops for makers seeking practical skills, creative play, and finished functional work. The studio lists explicit class names, waitlist entries, and member events to help prospective students find a right-fit experience.
Book with Black Hound Clay Studio West