We are a student-run organization at Stanford University which offers beginning and intermediate level quarterly classes to the Stanford Community as well as studio membership.

We have 10 electric wheels, one kick wheel, handbuilding tables, a slab roller, an extruder, and an electric kiln. We fire to cone 10. Currently our studio uses only Stoneware, B-mix, Soldate 60, and Smooth Sculpture. For more information about our clays, see our links. We sell bags at a discounted rate to studio members.

The Stanford Ceramics Studio is located in the Elliott Program Center, facing Lake Lagunita:

Classes
We offer Beginning and Intermediate classes in hand building and wheel throwing. For more information on classes click the link on the left hand panel.

Open studio hours
If you are interested in visiting the studio and playing with clay, come to Open Studio Hours! Open hours are hosted by our studio members who are able to show you where the recycled clay is and oversee activity. Open Hours are posted on our calendar, linked on the left hand panel.
Please note that visitors may not keep anything they make during open hours. The kiln is reserved for student or member work.

Classes start on week two of each quarter and are held weekly 6:15-9:15pm at the Stanford Ceramics Studio (Elliot Program Center). A non-refundable $75 class fee is due on the first day of class and covers the instructors and all associated lab fees (clay, glaze, tools, and firing costs). Class students are given 24-hour access to the studio to practice and work on projects outside of class time. Sign up here!

Summer Arts Intensive
Students have the opportunity to recieve credit for learning ceramics on campus this summer! Classes will be hosted in the Stanford Ceramics Club studio space. To learn more about Stanford's Summer Arts Intensive click here. To learn more about "The Expressive Vessel: An Immersive Introduction to Clay" visit this link.

Beginning Ceramics
Students learn basic hand-building and wheel techniques using stoneware clay, including how to center, throw cups, mugs, and bowls. All levels of experience welcome.

Intermediate Ceramics
Students continue hand-building and wheel techniques using a variety of clay. Class topics are decided per class by instructors. Throwing projects in the past have included cups, mugs, bowls, plates, bottles, goblets, tea pots and lidded vessels. Students are expected to be capable of centering clay and throwing basic forms.

Monday - Susan and Anjali
Tuesday - Deardra and Cat
Wednesday - Mark and Maria
Thursday - Ryan and Marian
Substitute Instructors - Daniel and Doris

Anjali Datta
I'm an Electrical Engineering Ph.D. student. I started ceramics 1.5 years ago through the club and fell in love with it!

Deardra Fuzzell
Deardra Fuzzell is the Cartographic Technology Specialist for Stanford University Libaries. She holds a B.A. in Studio Art with a focus on Sculpture and Ceramics from The College of Wooster, in Northeast Ohio. Deardra has been making ceramic work for 12 years and has been teaching techniques in clay for 7 years. She lives in Palo Alto.

Mark Piercy
I've been working with ceramics for about 12 years and always enjoy teaching others what I have learned. I make functional and sculptural ceramics. I've held several positions at Stanford in research software development and IT administration.

Maria Posa
Maria began studying ceramics during her freshman year of high school and hasn't stopped since. She enjoys throwing sets of dishes on the wheel, raku firing and working with porcelain. Her favorite experience with ceramics was learning from a wonderful Chilean couple in their home studio in Santiago.

Susan Witebsky
Susan Witebsky fell in love with creating pottery when she took her first class over 20 years ago. She is skilled in both wheel and hand-building techniques and specializes in utilitarian pieces. She works on the staff of the Environmental Protection Department at Stanford's SLAC National Accelerator Lab. She has been teaching ceramics classes at Stanford since 2010.

Studio membership offers passionate and involved potters and ceramic artists an opportunity to involve themselves in ceramic at stanford. Studio members have a dedicated shelf space and 24-hour access studio access.

What is expected of our members each quarter?
2-3 hours of volunteering at the studio
Responsiveness to club emails
Quarterly membership fee, paid on time
Active use of the studio!

Membership is ideal for people who are enthusiastic about being a part of a ceramic community, and have a passion for making things out of clay. If you have never been in a ceramic studio before, or haven't been in on in a while, we recommend taking one of our classes first to learn more about studio and get comfortable in the workspace. Most of our members have taken at least one class at our ceramic studio during which they were usually highly involved in the class. Since we understand that "Stanford student" and "lots of leisure time" don't go together, we don't expect our members to live, eat and breathe ceramics (especially since eating and breathing clay is not healthy). However, we do hope our members think of ceramics as something to make time for.

New members are accepted at the beginning of every academic quarter. New members must attend a 1-hr safety training before being given access to the studio. All members are responsible for quarterly membership tasks. Let us know you're interested in becoming a member by filling out this form!

Kate Grode - Co-President
Ryan McCarty - Co-President
Nobie Redmon - Finanical Officer
Sage Cammers-Goodwin - Website Manager
Lydia Kim - Inventory Manager
Clayton Otey - Inventory Manager
Nick Poland - Kiln Manager
Celia Shiau - Kiln Manager
Judith - Kiln Manager
Ani Meyer - Cleanup Manager
Lauren Booth - Cleanup Manager

Club Members: Looking for an e-mail address? Find your work group manager's e-mail in the work group Google doc.

Who can be a studio member or class student?
You must have a currently active SUID to use the studio.

Where do we get clay?
You must buy your clay from the studio. We buy it in bulk and sell it for cheap!

When can I sign up to be a member?
Please check out our membership tab to learn more about becoming a member.

What chemicals are in the glaze? What are the safety concerns at the studio?
The biggest concern is controlling clay dust, which contains silica. There are trace amounts of heavy metals in most of the colored glazes, which are usually trapped once the piece is fired. Please email concerns to ceramics-managers@list.stanford.edu and a manager will respond promptly.

Have more questions?
Please email ceramics-managers@list.stanford.edu and a manager will get back to you shortly.