About Us | CURRENTLY CLOSED DUE TO COVID
UVA’s Clay Place is Umpqua Valley’s only educational clay studio.
The Clay Place offers clay classes for all ages and abilities in a high-quality professional studio environment. The bright studio has everyone one needs to make clay art including kick and electric wheels, a slab roller, a pugmill, glazes, and electric kilns and raku kilns.
The Clay Place offers 3-dimensional art for youth and young adults, evening classes in ceramics from beginners through advanced students, open studio space and facilities for ceramic artists needing a place to work, share ideas, and expand their skills.
Professional clay artist Ted Isto leads instruction and is available to students for personalized instruction and support. Clay artist Samatha Reitenbaugh is available to help students throughout open studio times.
Hours for Enrolled Students
Monday: 10 AM – 2 PM Open Studio
Wednesday: 2 PM – 8 PM Open studio – Class taught by Ted
Thursday: 10 AM – 2 PM Open Studio
Friday: 3 PM – 8 PM Open studio – Class taught by Samantha
Some Saturdays: Raku firing with Ted
Term Weekly Themes
Each term offers weekly instructional themes allowing students to build upon and develop their skills at their own pace with high-quality instruction and support.
Week 1: Class begins on Wednesday. History of ceramics and ceramic materials. Hand built pots and primitive ceramics. Coils, pinch pots, soft slab bowls and the physics and chemistry of clay.
Week 2: Soft slab mugs, joining leather-hard slabs, hump molds, tiles, surface and texture
Week 3: Kick and electric wheel throwing; cylinders and underglazes
Week 4: Kick and electric wheel throwing; bowls; glaze theory and application
Week 5: Kick and electric wheel throwing; plates and glazes on pots
Week 6: More glazing, stains, oxide painting and larger pots
Week 7: Extruder, molds, coil and throw techniques and more surface decoration
Week 8: Glazes, spraying and pouring; kilns, furniture, loading and firing. Tricks and tools; molds and extruder pots, fast things
Week 9: End of term Potluck
How to Register
The Clay Place operates five terms a year in an Open Studio model with students selecting a Full-Pack or 10-Pack registration each term.
Full-Pack
Recommended for beginner students. Full Pack includes two classes a week and Open Studio access during open hours.
$175 (UVA Members)
$185 (non-UVA Members)
10-Pack
Not recommended for beginner students. The 10-Pack includes ten visits to the Clay Place each Term.
$90 (UVA Members)
$100 (non-UVA Members)
Payment and Refund Policy: Full payment at time of registration is required. Full refunds will be made in the event that the UVA has to cancel the event (workshop, class, Clay Place term, special program). Please be aware, should you need to cancel or change your registration 75% of your registration fee will be refunded up until two weeks prior to the start of the event. Cancellations made within two weeks of an event will be given a refund of 50% of the registration of the event. We are unable to refund registration fees on the day of or any days following the start of the event.