Come join Eau Claire's first
open pottery studio!
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If you're an existing potter, know your way around a studio and can work independently, we wanna hang out.
Students who have finished our level-2 course should have enough knowledge and confidence to do well in an open studio setting.
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Open studio memberships start with a 15-minute orientation meeting & tour.
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We're currently on a wait list for memberships. Visit this page to get the conversation started!
Who it's for
If you know your way around a studio and can work independently, this is for you. Students who have finished our level-2 course should have enough knowledge and confidence to do well in an open studio setting.
If you took a pottery class once in high school or college, we recommend taking one of our 6-week courses for a refresher before moving on to open studio.
Cost &
How it Works
Open studio at Half Moon Clay costs $100 a month and includes:
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5 wheel sessions per month
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Unlimited "non-wheel" sessions per month (think glazing, handle attaching, hand-built components, decorating, etc.)
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Deep discounts on kiln firing services
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Free admission to quarterly workshops
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Commission-free exhibit space to sell your work (including our free starter guide to how to sell your work for the first time)
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Access to our craft fair booth supply library
When you schedule your orientation tour, a Half Moon crew member will help determine your start date & make your first month's payment. You will also get access to our wheel reservation system and firing schedule.
Your card will be charged on the 15th of each month.
Policies and Procedures
When you schedule your orientation tour, we will review our studio policies and cleaning procedures. You'll also be assigned your storage areas.
Open studio members are expected to:
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be respectful of the space: keep the equipment, tools and other studio areas tidy
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be respectful of other potters: don't move anyone else's work
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be respectful of the vibe: we're all just trying to have a good time & contribute kind, collaborative, creative energy. Don't harsh the buzz.
Oh look, it's the policy police with more rules:
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You get 5 wheel sessions per month - break it up however works in your world, but it is your responsibility to use up your sessions. Potters who don't use all their sessions in one month, may roll over up to two sessions.
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Once the month has concluded, we will not give retroactive refunds for un-used sessions.
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Your membership is for you! Open studio members may not bring guests to use the wheels or equipment. This is a huge safety concern. If you are caught allowing non-studio members to use the equipment without permission, your membership will be revoked.
Storage & Space
As an open studio member, you will be assigned:
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A storage cubby (designed for toolboxes and other personal items)
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A production shelf - designed for in-progress work, clay, etc.
Both these spaces should be clearly labeled with your name AND your maker's mark - when your work is completed, we will put it on your shelf.
The number one limited resource in any pottery studio is space - if you're running out of space on your production shelf, we recommend finishing up work before beginning new pieces. If you have a special project, or need coming up that requires more storage space, please let a team member know and we'll do our best to accommodate.
Cleaning Up
It isn't just "the" studio - you're a member here now. It's your studio. That means, we expect members to take ownership of the space by our studio tidy and as dust-free as possible.
This means cleaning every surface and tool that you used while here. Your space should be cleaner when you leave than when you got here.
This includes:
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Wheel - cleaning the wheel head, removing and wiping all clay from splash pan, table space on wheel, and any bats or storage wood. If you've spilled water on the floor, use either a cleaning sponge or the squeegee mop to clean it up.
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Trimming - sweep all trimmings from the floor and put in the trash can. DO NOT place any floor trimmings in the reclaim bucket.
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Tools - wipe any clay from tools before putting back where they belong.
Clay & Supplies
Clay
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Half Moon Clay carries the following clay bodies at our studio for purchase:
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B-Clay (Continental Clay ^6)
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Speckled Buff (MN Clay ^6 )
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Mid-Fire White (Continental Clay, ^6)
Supply chain issues are very real in the ceramics world right now - we try our best to keep these fully stocked, but can occasionally run low in between shipments. To control our supply, we don't allow purchases of more than 50lbs at a time of our existing inventory - there's no way you could fit all that work on your shelf! For special & larger orders, contact us & we can make it happen.
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Any clay bodies outside the above list must be pre-approved before coming into the studio. We will not fire unidentified clay.
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We pug and recycle B-Clay at our studio. Recycled clay is available for use and purchase.
You are welcome to maintain your own reclaim stock, but we ask that you keep your reclaim buckets relegated to your cubby or assigned shelf areas.
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Yep, we'll be your order buddy
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If you'd like a clay body not listed here, we can add your order to our shipment to help save you on shipping costs. We make orders the 15th of each month. Contact us to get started with that process.
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Glaze
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We have a selection of Minnesota Clay glazes at the studio available for use. If you'd like to use the studio glazes, an additional fee of $10 / month will apply.
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You are always welcome to bring in your own glaze! Glaze must be rated to cone 6. Be prepared to "prove" that your glaze can be fired to temp - we will require a firing log for each glaze firing. See our kiln firing page for more details.
Supplies
We carry a very limited supply stock of tools and bats in the studio. If you'd like to purchase an item from our "studio store", you can either leave cash in the box or scan the barcode to Venmo. Please let a team member know what you bought so we can track inventory.
Need something we haven't got? Just shoot us an email. We make orders with our supplier on the 15th of every month. Save yourself a trip to the cities! We're happy to add your order to our shipment.
Kiln Firing
Test tiles are always free for members, and are fit into firings whenever there's room.
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KMT 1027 (7 cu FT)
Bisque Firing (cone 04)
$9 shelf (1/4 kiln)
$14 1/2 kiln
$30 3/4 kiln
$35 full kiln
Glaze Firing (cone 6)
$16 shelf
$30 1/2 kiln
$40 3/4 kiln
$50 full kiln
Luster Firing (whole kiln only)
$50
KMT 1227 ( 9.9 cu FT)
Bisque Firing (cone 04)
$15 shelf (1/4 kiln)
$30 1/2 kiln
$30 3/4 kiln
$40 full kiln
Glaze Firing (cone 6)
$22 shelf
$30 1/2 kiln
$44 3/4 kiln
$90 full kiln
Luster Firing (whole kiln only)
$50