Frequently Asked Questions

Clay Space is a 3868 sq. foot, fully equipped community ceramic studio and teaching facility dedicated to nurturing NYC ceramic artists and makers. Learn more about membership, adult classes, and our children’s after school program. and summer camp.

Clay Space is located in Greenpoint, 275 Calyer Street, Brooklyn, NY  11222.  Find us here.

Clay Space is open by appointment only for visitors. We currently do not have walk in lessons. Our business hours are 10am-9:30pm Monday through Saturday and 10am-9pm on Sundays. If you are looking to tour the space for membership, we welcome you to apply for membership and we will get back to you. If you are looking to do a lesson please fill out this private lesson request form (we ask for 24 hours notice on any request).

If you are picking up a piece from a private lesson, TryNight, or event, please follow the directions on the email you received from “Sawyer” (our booking platform) about picking up your work during business hours. Be on the lookout, you will receive an email when work is ready, about 4-6 weeks after your event.

• For a comprehensive list of amenities & benefits for members & students, please see here.

• Membership (24/7 membership, including semi-private and private workspaces)

• Semester-long adult classes for wheel throwing, handbuilding, and combo techniques

• Semester-long kids’ afterschool programs

• Kids’ summer camps

• One-off lessons and events for adults, teens, and kids (5 years old+)

• Yes, all our membership levels require a strong foundation in clay. We expect members to have taken multiple classes and/or have commensurate experiences as the basis for membership.

• For those who haven’t begun their clay journey or have only some basic knowledge, we suggest you start with one of our beginner or intermediate classes. You will gain more knowledge and experience from our instructors through that support system with the opportunity for an unlimited amount of time to practice your skill building. We encourage you to inquire about membership once you have at least one year of solid experience.  

Membership is on a rolling basis. We can’t say how long the wait is, and encourage you to apply so you will be in the queue for when a spot becomes available. We do give priority to our students who show interest and readiness for membership.

Please see our semester classes here!

For those with more skills & experience, we offer advanced classes as well as an independent study option (please see the aforementioned link for more info)

You can find our workshops, past and present, here.

Provided class clay: Standard 630 (white stoneware ^6)

• Students may purchase any of the clays we stock with permission from their instructor and are responsible, like members, to recycle their own clay.

For purchase (25lb bags)

• Laguna C65 (white stoneware)

• Laguna MC 50 (fine speck)

• Laguna MC60 (bleeding speck)

• Laguna MC 16 (porcelain)

• Standard 240 (off-white stoneware)

• Standard 420 (sculpture clay)

• Standard 308 (Brooklyn red clay)

• Standard 112 (brown speckled)

• Kentucky Mudworks Brown Bear

• SiO Black Sculpture Clay (27lb bag)

• Clay Space Lucky #13 (dark recycled clay mix)

• Semi-Private and Private members have the opportunity to order their own materials with studio orders.

Clay Space offers 30+ Studio Glazes for all members and students to use, along with special seasonal glazes. The cost of glazes is included in your firing fees. Our glazes are formulated and housemade by Clay Space, and are rated for the cone 6 firings we have programmed our kilns to fire.

The majority of our glazes are food safe (those that are not are marked as “Not Food Safe”), but Clay Space assumes no responsibility for the food safety as a result of application error, color differences, quality, glaze flaws, or any other results you may produce while using the studio glazes.  All of our materials are certified non-toxic and conform to ASTM D-4236

As long as you submit a permission form with the outside materials you wish to use and it is approved by the Studio Manager.  We want to ensure they are safe to fire alongside others' work and to keep the kilns from damage. We highly recommend you test, test, test glazes before going big!

For Members: 

• $.03 per cubic inch for bisque (Cone 06)

• $.03 per glaze (Cone 6) firings

• $.02 cents for glaze firings, if not using Clay Space glazes

For Students: 

• Currently enrolled Students pay $.06 cents per cubic inch, which includes both bisque and one glaze firing. Any refires are $.03 cents per cubic inch.

For Non-members/students:

• $.08 per cubic inch for bisque (Cone 06)

• $.08 per glaze (Cone 6) firings

Yes. We approve outside firing inquiries based on the demand of your project. We ask that all outside firers have a base level of knowledge with all stages of the ceramic process.  Non-members can fire by the cubic inch or rent a kiln at Clay Space. Visit this webpage for information and to submit a request.

Clay Space’s main studio, houses 4 Electric Oxidation Kilns of varying sizes. You can find all kiln information and rental costs here.

Not yet, but currently, we host 2 open studio events a year where you can view and purchase directly from our members. Greenpoint Open Studio in May (which coincides with BCAT annual tour) and our annual Member’s Holiday Market in December. Sign up for our mailing list to learn when the next event is!  Keep up with current events on Instagram. Many of our members have an active Instagram and website they use to promote their individual brands.

Yes! If you are looking for an artist to produce a ceramic piece or production run for you, please fill out your project request here. As long as your request is reasonable we will share this info with our members and staff to follow up with you directly if they are interested.

Visit our Events Page, sign up for our mailing list to learn when the next event is!  Keep up with current events on our Instagram and Facebook page.

Clay Space has a lost and found bin at the front of the studio above the coat rack. In addition to this, we have a tool lost and found bin in the wheel throwing classroom and beside the membership sink. 

Items are donated from the bins a month into each new class semester.

Please wait until two weeks have passed to look deeper for your work. After carefully looking through all the output shelves and hospital shelf please reach out to support@clayspacebk.com if you cannot find your piece. 

Clay Space is a communal studio and cannot be responsible for lost pieces or damaged pieces when they come out of the kilns. We highly recommend that you label your work with your first and last name as well as keep a record of all your projects. We also recommend picking up your work as soon as it's ready to avoid it being shuffled around by other members of the community.

Clay Space is wheelchair accessible, though we will want to meet with you to discuss how best to accommodate your needs within each classroom setting.

Only members are allowed to bring a guest to visit or work alongside you. Students cannot bring a guest but are encouraged to plan a Clay Date or TryNight to share time with your friends and family. For a quick walk through with a visitor, email info@clayspacebk.com with your request.

Clay Space is dog friendly, but only Clay Space members are allowed to bring in their dog with approval from the studio.

We believe that teaching and training are a great way to build community and especially love when members of our community want to join our team. We have openings from time to time and seek a variety of skill sets that support the community's needs.  Visit these links if you are interested in applying for a Studio Tech/Monitor Position or Instructor Position.  Fill out the contact form for any other job inquiries. We are an evolving organization with all sorts of new opportunities