Making Work (Members)
WET WORK
All work must be made at Clay Life Arts Studio & TheClayLife.com with the clay bodies sold at TheClayLife.com. Members with home-based memberships must also purchase clays sold at the studio. Students are not permitted to bring clay from any other sources. We reserve the right to not fire work made with unrecognized clays or by anyone not currently enrolled in a class or a membership. Students are responsible for any damage caused by outside clays. Carefully sign all of your work or it may not be fired. If your work sign is not in the log, it may not be fired.
Production work beyond your allocated space is not allowed. You will be charged extra if your work occupies a large volume of kiln space or go over your allocated space. Please see staff for more information on what we view as “production.”
GLAZING
All glazes at CLAsS & TCL are mid-range glazes (cone 5-6) and are located in the glazeroom. Please check with your instructor if you have questions about which glazes to use.
GLAZE ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM
Periodically during each quarter, bisque work will be “marked” and disposed of if it sits unclaimed for too long. See the notice posted in the glaze room for schedules.
If glaze is too close to or on the bottom of a pot, it will be placed on the MEDIC! Shelf for further attention. Clean up the bottom and put it back on the glaze ware cart to be fired. You may bring outside glazes or underglazes to use with instructor approval. Participants are responsible for damages incurred by using incorrect temperature glazes.
FIRING
Make sure that your work is stamped/labeled with your mark. Cracked or broken pieces will not be fired. Multiple firings (refires) are not allowed without permission. Refiring costs are .05 cents per cubic inch. The exception to this is for sculptural work. Occasionally in the beginning stages sculptural work will have layers of underglaze colors applied and refires of that are not charged.
Place your work on the correct shelf to make sure it is properly fired in a timely manner. Separate shelves and areas are clearly marked for bisque-firing and glaze-firing. Work will be unloaded from kilns onto clearly marked shelves for bisqued ware and glazed ware. Please take your work home in a timely manner. Bisque and Glaze firings are scheduled and will happen more frequently if the carts are full. Kilns are loaded to maximize capacity. We process classwork as efficiently as possible. We do our best to stick to the posted schedules, but we cannot guarantee specific timelines.
FIRED GLAZED WORK
Fired glazed work accumulates until the posted studio clean up date. The cut-off date is posted on the walls of the glaze room. Take all your work home with you. Items left on shelves and ware racks will be discarded.
MARKING DEADLINES
All work on the bisque carts will be marked on the bottom or side with colorful chalk or pencil as it is unloaded from the kiln or on a quarterly basis. Marking your work with chalk or pencil helps our crew ensure work is moving through the firing process efficiently. And it makes it easier to find when there is less to sort through. Collect your work and store it in your cubby by the end of the designated day. All remaining work with designated chalk or pencil marks will be discarded because of the limited amount of space.
STUDIO ATTIRE
Participants need to wear shoes in the building and clothing that is highly washable. Closed-toe shoes are recommended. Persons in shoes or clothes that are inappropriate for operating studio equipment or that may pose a hazard to others, will be asked to change.
OPEN STUDIO HOURS
Participants currently enrolled in introductory classes at CLAsS may use the facility/equipment outside of class by registering and paying for open studio practice hours using this link: https://www.theclaylife.com/practice-time A limited amount of students will be allowed during this time.
Children, friends of students, and pets are not allowed in the classrooms during open studio hours. Open studio hours do not extend past the end of the class session.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE TIME
During your scheduled practice hours, you will need to work independently. Please ask your questions in class, or post them in the websites Contact Us! webpage. Staff are available for emergency questions or concerns, but please be respectful of their time outside of classes. Staff are working to keep the studio flow in order and are not necessarily available for advice.
CLEANUP PROCEDURES
It is very important to keep the classrooms and glaze areas clean. Dust created by incorrect cleaning procedures of clay and glaze left on the floors and tables can cause health problems with prolonged exposure. Please make sure you clean up your trimmings and spills before they become dust.
General Cleanup Guidelines:
Clay should NEVER be discarded in the sink. Pour off/ separate water and heavy slip/clay in the labeled reclaim buckets. If you are unsure, please ask an instructor or studio monitor. Thoroughly clean all equipment and the surrounding area after each use. Scrape, sponge, & clean all the tables after using them. Do not leave work on tables. Ask your instructor if you need help moving your work. Return glazes to their proper places and clean the glaze counter after you are done. Glaze should only be disposed of in properly labeled buckets. Return tools to their proper places. Finish by mopping the area you were using, whether it is in the glaze lab, handbuilding area, or at the potter’s wheel.
Mop your work area no matter what! Even if it looks clean, give your wheel area, handbuilding area, or glaze area a mop..
OTHER INFORMATION
BUILDING INFORMATION
The Clay Life bans guns on the premises.
No smoking inside or on the premises.
Do not store valuables at TCL.
Bathrooms are at the back of the building.
Report any problems/concerns immediately.
Call 911 in an emergency and alert staff.
FEEDBACK SURVEYS AND COMMENTS
Class feedback forms are distributed at the end of each session. We rely on these for guidance in designing our classes, studio space, and selecting faculty. So, please share any suggestions or concerns you may have. If you have an immediate problem or concern, please stop by the front desk or send an anonymous message via the link on our website contact page.
STORAGE
Each member except the “work at home membership” is given a personal cubby to store tools and clay for their membership. Intro-Students have space on their class shelving cart, and are encouraged to use our labeling system to keep track of work. Please share the space with fellow classmates and consolidate work together whenever possible.
CANCELED CLASSES
CLAsS & TCL will remain open during inclement weather; we take our cues from local colleges and universities for canceling or rescheduling classes during particularly hazardous conditions. For the complete refund policy, find more about our policies here.
KEY Information
- Be friendly and welcoming to the community of people who create and work at CLAsS & TCL.
- Check the “MEDIC! Shelf” weekly. It is your responsibility to take care of any issues and return your work to the appropriate cart.
- Know your dates for making, finishing, glazing work, and “marking dates.” Always plan ahead.
- Record all of your work in a notebook and sign each piece clearly with your name or stamp. Always check your signature to make sure you are taking home only your own work.
- All work must be made by CLAsS & TCL current participants enrolled in a class. Use only clay purchased at CLAsS & TCL. All other work must go through the firing service.
- Sanding of greenware or bisque ware may only happen using the wet-sanding methods. Do not sand or scrape glaze. Use water for all cleaning purposes.
- Keep track of your tools so they do not end up in the reclaim buckets.
- Check the public “lost and found” for missing tools
- Take all of your work and tools home with you or keep in your cubby. We are not responsible for lost items.
- Intro Students – Please complete the online evaluation at the end of your class.
- Students must follow health and COVID-19 safety guidelines as agreed to at registration.