Studio Policies

The following guidelines are intended to communicate in clear terms the various issues and expectations between the Academy and the students who enroll here to study. Please read them carefully and feel free to voice any opinion or concern.  Violations of any policy give the academy the right to expel without refund.

Disclaimer: The Academy provides no guarantees and students are responsible for their own learning and improvement of the ceramic processes. Instruction is given appropriately to the level of student abilities. Students cannot expect or demand individual instruction in group classes. Private lessons are available to students who seek individual instruction.

Academy Covid-19 Guidelines

The academy intends to take precautions to help mitigate any potential risk in the studio environment. To this end we have downsized the class size from a maximum of eight students to a maximum of six. Students are required to perform a partial clean-up only at the end of the class period, thus furthering our efforts of physical distancing. Students will always be required to abide by the studio policies as it relates to managing the mess during class, but at class end, each student is expected to wash their hands, gather any personal belongings, and exit the studio promptly.

Masking is optional.

Students must maintain an awareness of their surroundings while in the studio, and stay at safe distances from each other, and the instructors.

Pottery Videos

The Academy’s Policy on Social Media Videos

Wheel-thrown pottery has become a media sensation since the advent of…social media, of course.  Videos online and TV competitions can be fun and informative to watch, and even encouraged by us as they can help to reinforce what you’re learning here in class, and what you may achieve with more and more practice.

That said, while watching videos are encouraged here, if you see a process or technique that you’d like to try in class, we ask that you communicate by sharing the idea and link with the instructor(s). The instructor will then be able to assess the appropriateness, or level of difficulty, and advise accordingly.

If the instructor determines that what is being shared is of a skill level well above what the student can comfortably produce on their own, requiring significant hands-on special help, then the students options are as follows:

1. Schedule a one-on-one tutorial at the student rate. $375

2. Thursday night “special focus” student rate. $250.

3. Hold off and continue to practice the fundamentals until you are able to acquire adequate control of the wheel-thrown process. (The instruction will help in this assessment).

In the event a student ignores the instructor’s assessment, especially if it is determined that the desired process is beyond their skill level, becomes dismissive, or disrespectful, we will assume the right to terminate your enrollment without refund. If the instructor does not recommend what was shown or a demonstration on the technique(s) involved is/are not possible at the time, the student must not proceed ​without a formal lesson. If a student ignores the instructor’s assessment, or doesn’t trust the instructor, becomes dismissive, or is disrespectful, we will ​assume the right to terminate your enrollment without refund.

Tuition

Tuitions are partially refundable, less a $50 administration fee if you decide to cancel within 24 hours of sending in your registration. A full refund can only be issued if a class is cancelled by the Academy, in which case you will be notified within 48 hours of the first session.

Tuitions are non-refundable for requests to unenroll 24 hours after submitting your registration.

Our courses are 10 weeks long. Each class session meets once a week during the day/time for which you are enrolled. Tuitions are not broken down into individual classes, or prorated for missed classes.

Attendance

All courses are structured week to week, placing utmost importance on each and every class.

10 Week Students: If you attend the first 9 consecutive sessions and at least 3 of your included open studios, you will receive a $150 firing credit which will be applied to your end-of-term invoice.

10 Week Students: There are two critical lessons during the term; week 5 (trimming) and week 9 (glazing). Absence during one or both of these two sessions may incur an extra charge ($35-75) per occurrence. One of the two instructors will provide instruction to you individually so you can successfully complete the course.

Academy hours

The morning classes are from 10:30am-12:30pm, and the evening are from 7:00-9:00pm. Students must stop working a minimum of 15 minutes before each class session ends, finished or not, so that the academy staff can begin the clean-up process. Students must vacate the studio by the end of class.

Make-ups

Be advised, it is not the Academy’s obligation to offer special options to facilitate make-ups of any kind. In the event that you would like to attend another class day/time other than the class you are regularly scheduled to attend, expect to receive a $75 charge for this convenience. Accommodations like this can only be made if space is available in another class.

Lessons Missed

We are not responsible for providing make-up classes or issuing refunds for classes missed as a result of your illness, injury, emergencies, weather conditions or any situation beyond our control.

Our classes are lesson-based and structured week to week for beginners here at the academy. In the event that a student misses a critical class lesson (for 10 week students this is week 5 and/or week 9), and the lesson must be given on an individual basis, an additional “catch-up” fee is enforced to aid in getting the student back on track. This fee ranges from $35-75 and is fair, as it serves as a necessary convenience, and will be added to the end-of-term invoice. This only applies to new students, not to students who have re-enrolled from a prior term.

Open studio is essentially a free extra class period on Thursday nights. It is fully supervised by an instructor so you will always have access to help just like you would in any of your regularly scheduled class sessions. The only difference is that new lessons or demonstrations are not given during this time so you can practice what you remember from class – along with hands-on help.

Open studio occurs on Thursday nights from 7-9 PM during the term and is available to any enrolled student. As noted above, these sessions are fully supervised by an instructor in the classroom. This extra studio time serves as a valuable opportunity to practice what students have learned in class. It is also very useful for continuing with works in progress. Please be advised that no new lessons or demonstrations will be given by the instructor nor should they be expected.   

Students can opt to attend additional open studio sessions beyond what are included in their tuition for a set fee of $65 per 2-hour period or any portion thereof.

Communal Responsibility

The Academy prides itself as truly a studio for the 21st Century, meaning more awareness to health issues, conservation, respect for communal resources, and accountability.  We ask that everyone do their fair share in managing the resources provided them, and act responsibly in all phases of their studio activity. Students are not privileged to recycle clay that’s beyond a workable or malleable condition.

Labeling 

There is a system in place for labeling your pieces that you won’t find in any other studio. This system helps to prevent loss, breakage, and provides helpful notes during the glazing process. The label is also necessary for record keeping and billing. Labels must accompany your work and be appropriately visible as per instructions, wherever it’s stored in the studio. Any work stored without a label will not be fired and may be recycled.

Branding Your Work

All work intended to be kept, once trimmed, must be stamped sufficiently and marked clearly on the piece itself by the student, for identification post firing. Any “green” or bone-dry work left unsigned, unstamped, or insufficiently stamped will not be fired. Students must notify staff of any change of signature or mark used to identify their pieces so that staff can keep track of their pieces throughout the firing cycle.

Personal Storage

All enrolled students are given a single cubby to store personal items like clay, personal tools, purse, backpack, etc. We ask that students maintain this cubby by keeping it organized and clean, especially of dried clay particles. On the last day of trimming, the cubby should be emptied and cleaned, and any leftover clay be brought home, it's yours to keep, or donated back to the academy for recycling. If you leave your clay at the studio beyond your last trimming day, it will automatically be recycled. Students who re-enroll can keep their clay and any personal items in place during the interim between sessions.

Borrowing Studio Stamps

The studio has custom-made stamps that can be borrowed by any enrolled student. However, it must be promptly returned at the end of the term in good condition. If the stamp is lost or broken, a $60 replacement fee will be charged.

Firing Kilns

In an effort to conserve, all kilns will be loaded and fired only when enough work has accumulated to justify the firing. Every effort is made to process all work as quickly and as often as possible. All work must be glazed and ready for the final firing by the end of your last class session. The final firings will commence within a reasonable time thereafter.

Open House Pick-up

As the final firings progress, the Academy will reach out by email to inform students of an “Open House” date for picking up the finished pieces. This Open House is usually on a weekend morning when all of the finished work is spread out on the studio tables. Students who cannot attend this event can make other arrangements to retrieve their work within a two week period thereafter. Any pottery that has not been claimed within 30 days will be donated or discarded. An invoice will be attached to this email with instructions for settling any balance due the Academy for clay and firing expenses.

Smoking & Alcohol

There is absolutely no smoking or alcohol allowed anywhere on the premises. 

Cell Phone Use in the Studio

As a courtesy to all of us using the studio or engaged in a class, your ringer should be turned off. Unless it is urgent and necessary, we ask that you refrain from engaging in any cell phone conversations beyond one minute in length. If you must talk, please excuse yourself and seek a private location inside or outside of the premises.

Publishing Rights

The Academy reserves the right to publish photographs of students and student work for purposes of promoting the activities of the Academy whether it’s on the website or on publicly distributed print or digital media. The student grants the Academy an unlimited use copyright to use images of such students' works in any such promotional material.

Expulsion  

The Academy and its agents (faculty, and staff) reserve the right to immediately terminate studio access, remaining classes, and dispose of any remaining work and materials of any student at any time without refund for reasons which include but are not limited to the following:

Any disrespect to the Academy, its staff or its peers, shows aggression towards students or faculty, ignores lessons provided by the instructor and/or proves to be disruptive, threatens the studio, its faculty or their peers in any way, consistently resists instruction, steals from the Academy, faculty or their peers or displays malevolence of any kind. If a student’s enrollment has been terminated, they will be informed via email or in-person. No refunds of any kind will be provided.

Google Analytics

Like most websites, we use Google Analytics to analyze and track users' use of our website, determine the popularity of certain content and better understand online activity. By accessing our web site, you consent to the collection and use of your visitation information by Google Analytics. We do not transfer any personal information to any third-parties. However, if you do not want any information to be collected and used by tracking technologies, you can visit Google Analytics for more information or the obtain a Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

The Right to Amend

The Studio Policies, Prices, and all other Academy documentation, is subject to change without notice.