Emma WhiteIn Ottawa, there are plenty of things you can take up as a hobby and become better at. One of these is pottery, a beautiful and therapeutic art form that lets you mould clay into almost anything you can think of.
However, while pottery is extremely forgiving to beginners, it will still take you a couple of weeks to master this art. Don’t worry because here are some amazing pottery classes in Ottawa that can help you learn quickly!
Hintonburg Pottery
Website: https://www.hintonburgpottery.ca/
Address: 1242 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 3A4, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-725-6909
Operating hours: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM (WED-SUN)
Hintonburg Pottery, located on Wellington Street, is more than a studio, as it aims to be a creative haven for pottery enthusiasts. With its warm and sunlit space, beginners and seasoned potters alike are bound to have a great time here.
Here, you can explore wheel classes or dive into hand-building workshops that are taught by a team of skilled teachers. These classes are open to anyone from ages 12 and up, regardless of their skill level.
For events like team building activities and birthday parties, they have private bookings and special workshops available. Furthermore, they also host special workshops for yearly events and holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
| Pro tip: All creations made with clay need to be treated first in a kiln to make them strong and durable. As the process may take a couple of days to finish, you won’t be able to take your creation with you after a session. To update students when their creations are ready to be taken home, Hintonburg Pottery has made a website that shows whether your work is ready for pickup. Make sure to pick up yours ASAP, as any unclaimed items will be donated away after a month! |
LOAM Clay Studio
Website: https://loamclaystudio.ca/
Address: 131 Loretta Ave N, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2J7, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-722-2529
Operating hours:
9:00 AM – 9:00 PM (TUES-THURS)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (FRI-SUN)
12:00 PM – 9:00 PM (MON)
Another amazing place you can try is LOAM Clay Studio, located in Ottawa’s vibrant Hintonburg area. Founded by Sarah Fulford, this studio offers expert guidance and a supportive environment for potters of all levels.
Their classes cover a lot of pottery topics, including wheel throwing, hand-building, and surface decoration. On average, most of their classes will take you at least six weeks to finish.
If you can’t make that kind of commitment, they also have beginner workshops available that only take a day to complete. Here, you’ll learn the most basic techniques to know about pottery, like pinch pots and slab building.
| Pro tip: Looking for a new date idea? Then sign up for LOAM Clay Studio’s Date Night on the Wheel workshop! This workshop lets you and your partner try your hand at the pottery wheel together for an hour. Once you’re done, one of their staff members will trim your creation and have it ready for pickup after 2–4 weeks. You can book this workshop on this website. |
Stuck In The Mud Pottery Studio
Website: https://www.stuckinthemud.ca/
Address: 1218 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3Y1, Canada
Stuck in the Mud Pottery Studio, located on Bank Street, is a pottery studio with an interesting story to tell. They were founded by Mandy due to her desire to prove that Ottawa isn’t a boring city, encouraging Ottawans to take up more hobbies.
Mandy is a highly skilled potter herself and is a graduate of Haliburton School of Art and Design’s ceramics course. Today, she offers a wide variety of workshops and pottery courses suitable for those who are aged 18 and up.
While many of her classes may take a couple of weeks to finish, she also offers crash course workshops if you want to learn the basics of pottery quickly. These workshops are highly popular, so be sure to sign up as soon as you can!
| Pro tip: If you want to help someone try their hand at pottery, you can give them one of Stuck in the Mud Pottery Studio’s gift cards! These cards can be used towards any of this studio’s classes or workshops and can be easily purchased through this website. |
Art Haven Ceramic Cafe
Website: https://www.arthaven.ca/
Address: 200 Kennevale Dr #102, Ottawa, ON K2J 6B6, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-823-6822
Operating hours:
11:00 AM – 7:00 PM (SUN-THURS)
11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (FRI and SAT)
For those who want a relaxing yet invigorating pottery class, come visit Art Haven Ceramic Cafe! Located on Kennevale Drive, this delightful space invites you to explore pottery while sipping on refreshing drinks.
Their expert instructors are knowledgeable in a wide range of essential pottery techniques for both beginners and experienced potters. Here, you can enrol in many pottery classes, like wheel throwing, glazing, and kiln firing.
Once you successfully make a finished product, you can also paint it to give it a more unique and distinguished look. Just make sure to pick it up after a week so you can proudly display your creation at home or give it to someone you love.
| Pro tip: Art Haven Ceramic Cafe offers mobile studio services if you want them to host a special workshop for your private events and parties. You only need to call their phone number to get a quick quote. |
The Mud Oven
Website: https://mudoven.com/
Address: 1150 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3X6, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-730-0814
Operating hours:
11:00 AM – 7:00 PM (MON)
11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (TUES-THURS)
11:00 AM – 10:00 PM (FRI)
10:00 AM – 10:00 PM (SAT)
10:00 AM – 8:00 PM (SUN)
The Mud Oven is a charming pottery studio that invites their visitors to unleash their creativity on a variety of ceramic forms. Whether you’re a seasoned potter or a novice, this studio will provide a warm and welcoming space for artistic exploration.
Their experienced potters can teach you a wide range of pottery skills, like clay shaping, glazing, and kiln firing. Their lessons also include paint-your-own sessions, where you’ll have the chance to give your creation a bit of colour and personality.
Once you’re done putting the finishing touches on your masterpiece, they’ll need at least a week to glaze it and fire it in the kiln. As all materials they provide are non-toxic and food-safe, you can definitely use your creation as kitchenware!
| Pro tip: Please take note that The Mud Oven’s weekend classes tend to get fully booked quickly. Make sure to book yours at least a month in advance if you can’t reserve a weekday class instead. |
ACE Arte Studio
Website: https://www.aceartestudio.com/
Address: 2095 St Joseph Blvd Unit 1, Orléans, ON K1C 1C5, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-590-1010
Operating hours: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM (TUES-SUN)
Distance from the Ottawa CBD: 15 minutes
ACE Arte Studio, located in the lovely town of Orléans, is a vibrant studio that was founded to be a place where passionate artists can freely express their creativity. Here, you’ll be able to attend a diverse range of classes to hone your art skills.
Visitors are free to try and learn various art forms, from drawing to pottery. Their pottery workshop teaches all the fundamentals and is entirely done without a pottery wheel to help students master their hand-building technique.
All of their classes take place in an open and bright room to inspire creativity and artistic expression among their students. Furthermore, all materials they provide are included in the workshop fee, so feel free to create anything you can imagine!
| Pro tip: Sign up for ACE Arte Studio’s loyalty program to earn points that you can use to get discounts on their classes and products. You can learn more about it by visiting this website. |
4Cats Arts Studio
Website: https://4catstheglebe.com/
Address: 846 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3W1, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-422-6030
Operating hours:
1:00 PM – 8:00 PM (MON, THURS, and FRI)
10:30 AM – 5:00 PM (SAT and SUN)
Another amazing pottery studio worth visiting is 4Cats Arts Studio, located in The Glebe. This studio was founded in 2005 and was based on Picasso’s favourite hangout spot, the famous Els Quatre Gats Cafe in Barcelona.
You can begin your artistic journey here, as they offer plenty of classes to develop your art skills. In particular, their pottery classes are centred around the use of a potter’s wheel as well as the art of throwing and shaping clay.
For kids, they also offer a special pottery class that will teach them how to mould and design clay using their bare hands. Things can get messy, though, so make sure your kids wear something that you’re totally okay with getting soiled!
| Pro tip: If you can’t commit to attending multiple pottery classes, you can enrol instead in one of 4Cats Arts Studio’s self-paced workshops! Here, you’re free to work at your own pace, and you will receive your lessons through videos on a tablet. Give them a call to learn more about this workshop. |
Almonte Potters Guild
Website: https://almontepottersguild.com/
Address: 95 Bridge St, Almonte, ON K0A 1A0, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-256-5556
Distance from the Ottawa CBD: 30 minutes
The Almonte Potters Guild, located in the nearby town of Almonte, is a studio established with a vision to nurture creativity. As a non-profit organization, it aims to deliver quality education at prices almost everyone can afford.
All the pottery classes they offer are conducted by a dedicated team of experienced instructors. Here, you’ll learn the fundamentals like wheel throwing, hand-building, glazing, and firing.
Classes are scheduled at various times of the week to accommodate different lifestyles. That’s why, whether you’re a weekday warrior or a weekend enthusiast, there will always be a slot here waiting for you!
| Pro tip: Aside from teaching aspiring potters how to create masterpieces, the Almonte Potters Guild also accepts custom orders. These are made by their senior potters, so you’re guaranteed to receive something special each time you order. If you’re interested, you may either call their phone number or send a message to their email: [email protected]. |
Gloucester Pottery School
Website: https://www.gloucesterpotteryschool.com/
Address: 245 Centrum Blvd, Orléans, ON K1E 0A1, Canada
Contact details: +1 613-424-2888
Operating hours: 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM (MON-FRI)
Distance from the Ottawa CBD: 20 minutes
Gloucester Pottery School is a non-profit community organization located in the nearby town of Orléans. Founded in 1991 by Rosemary Swan, this pottery school is one of the largest of its kind that you’ll find in Ontario.
They boast an impressive amount of facilities and equipment, including 3 classrooms, 22 electric pottery wheels, and 4 electric kilns. These facilities have made it possible to provide various classes, like wheel throwing and handbuilding.
And if you’re wondering whether you need to be experienced to be able to sign up for their classes, don’t worry. That’s because this pottery school offers programs for everyone, regardless of their age or skill level.
| Pro tip: You can visit the Dust Evans Gallery if you’re interested in seeing the works of Gloucester Pottery School’s best talents. You’ll find the gallery in the lower lobby of the Shenkman Arts Centre. |
