Registration &
Policies

Register online for classes, workshops, and studio access here. Payment is required at the time of registration.

To help interested students enroll in classes and studio access for free or at a reduced rate, every quarter Pottery Northwest offers two tuition assistance scholarships: financial need-based scholarships and the BIPOC Community Fund. Find out more and apply here.

For all classes, your first bag of clay is included in the cost of the class, along with glazes, firing and access to open studio hours.
For studio access, your membership includes access to our studio during open studio hours and all glazes and firings. Studio access does not include clay.

Studio access members and students enrolled in intermediate/advanced classes are assigned a 24” x 48” shelf as storage space for their clay, tools, and work in progress. Students in beginner-level classes will be assigned a 1/2 shelf, measuring 24" x 24".

Students may transfer up to 7 days before the first day of class if there is room in the session to which they desire to transfer.

Pottery Northwest does not offer makeup classes or partial refunds to students who cannot attend one or more of their class dates. If students will be absent for more than one class, they should reconsider their enrollment and join us when they can attend all of the class dates. Each class is instrumental to the student’s learning and missing even just one will put them behind. Please note, the instructor's ability to catch students up on any missed material will be very limited.

For all classes, the first day of class is mandatory. Students who do not attend their first day will be dropped from the class without a refund of the class fee. Missing the first day of class poses a particular challenge to both the student and the instructor. The student will miss the foundational basics and the studio orientation. Catching students up on missed curricula also creates additional work for the instructors.

After registering for a class or studio access, students will receive an email confirmation with a list of any required supplies. Clay must be purchased from Pottery Northwest. Basic pottery toolkits and other supplies are available for purchase from us as well.

All Pottery Northwest classes and studio access listed in the Adult Classes section of our website are intended for adults 18 years and older only.

Pottery Northwest is committed to the safety and health of our neighbors, community, and staff. As we continue to monitor the dynamic situation of COVID-19, we are moving forward with cautious optimism and adjusting as necessary. Our goal is to be transparent with our expectations and to provide safe and continued access to clay, creativity, and community.

Masks
Masks are now optional in the studio. We support all of our community members in choosing practices that best support their health and safety. We offer free masks and hand sanitizer at the studio.

Remember to continue to monitor your health for COVID-19 symptoms. If you are not feeling well, or have been in contact with someone who is sick, do not come into the studio. If you’ve been exposed to or contracted COVID and have been in the studio, please notify Pottery Northwest immediately.

Pottery Northwest will make adjustments as the data and government guidelines change. We follow the CDC, Washington State, and King County guidelines in making decisions about studio access. Questions or concerns can be directed to our Operations Director at Jasmine@potterynorthwest.org.

We are a community and to keep one another healthy and safe, we each need to do our part! Thanks for your understanding and patience.

Students must notify Pottery Northwest of the intent to withdraw 7 days or more prior to the start of a class, workshop, clay night, or studio access in order to qualify for a refund. Refunds will be issued back to your original form of payment less a 5% processing fee.

No refunds are given within 7 days of the start of the quarter or workshop date, or after the quarter has started. For example, if your class starts on July 5th, then you must request a withdrawal and refund from your spot in the class by June 28th at midnight to receive a refund. There will be no refunds or pro-rating options for late registration or missed classes.

All withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing to info@potterynorthwest.org.

Pottery Northwest is not responsible for providing make-up days/classes or issuing reimbursements for classes changed or studio access days missed due to illness, emergency or weather closings, substitute teachers, or other events beyond our control. We will try to accommodate extenuating or unforeseen circumstances. Please let us know if this applies to your situation. In these cases, refunds or credits may be given at the discretion of Pottery Northwest staff.

Pottery Northwest reserves the right to cancel any program due to insufficient enrollment. If a class or studio access is canceled, you will be notified of the cancellation before the start of class or session and will be offered the opportunity to transfer to another course if space allows, or issued a full refund.

Please note, Pottery Northwest does not refund any clay or materials you purchased at our studio.

Please be aware your photo may be taken while you participate in activities at Pottery Northwest. Unless informed otherwise, your participation in an activity serves as your permission that Pottery Northwest may make complimentary use of photographs and video taken of you in the studio and your artwork for promotional purposes of Pottery Northwest in print and online publications. If you take pictures and post on social media accounts we encourage you to use our hashtags and tag our social media accounts. @potterynorthwest #potterynorthwest #clayliveshere

Pottery Northwest wants to keep everyone in our community safe and cared for. Unexpected closures at the studio due to circumstances outside of our control, such as inclement weather conditions or power outage are an unfortunate reality.

Pottery NW uses the following general guidelines to determine when to close the studio:

Smoke: If Air Quality is 151 or above on the Air Quality Index.

Snow: Pottery NW follows the snow closure/delay of Seattle Public Schools. If SPS has implemented inclement weather action and has delayed/closed the public schools and/or programs, Pottery NW will follow suit unless otherwise stated on our website at potterynorthwest.org.

Heat: If the city of Seattle issues an Excessive Heat Warning and/or Heat Advisory, the studio will close. Pottery NW will closely monitor temperatures when Heat Watches/Outlooks are issued. Note that if a forecast calls for 95 degrees or above a closure is likely.

If you are concerned about a potential studio closing and/or your class is canceled, please start by checking our website’s homepage, our social media and your email. If a closure seems likely, we will send notice as early as we have an indication that it might be necessary. We will attempt to provide at least 2 hours advance notice if the studio will be closed. If there is no notice, please reach out to info@potterynorthwest.org, your instructor, and/or call us at 206-209-1094.

Pottery Northwest strives to create a welcoming and supportive community for each individual who walks through our doors. Our studio is a robust community, all with varying ceramic abilities. Our community guidelines were developed to create a safe and creative studio space that is inclusive and open to all. When at the Pottery Northwest studio, you agree and are bound by these community guidelines. Read our full list of community guidelines here.

Pottery Northwest cannot guarantee the success or results of work produced in the classroom or from a firing. Pottery Northwest is not liable for unsuccessful work, work that is broken, missing, or disposed of after posted dates. We do our best to mitigate mishaps, but Pottery Northwest is a community pottery studio serving hundreds of students of varying ceramic abilities. Sometimes accidents happen, kilns malfunction, work gets damaged or broken, and/or someone else might accidentally take your work. Thank you for your understanding.

Working with clay can be a potentially hazardous activity. Clay and glaze contain silica, which is a health hazard if inhaled. Our studio team regularly wipes down studio surfaces and we use a wet vac to clean the studio floors each week, but we also rely on our community to help us keep the space clean.

To minimize everyone’s exposure, clean your area thoroughly using a wet sponge and please mop the floor around where you were working. Do not sweep the floors or dry sand your work, and minimize creating clay dust.

It is the responsibility of every student to exercise caution at all times within the Pottery. Basic first aid kits are available for minor injuries in the bathroom. Please fill out an incident report for anything serious.

Our classes are offered for those interested in gaining or improving knowledge and skills. In keeping with this educational focus, student use of studio facilities for production work is not acceptable. Students making an excessive amount of work as determined by the Studio Managers may be asked to either pay for their firing(s) or reduce their volume of work.