1/24/25 - Beginning Wheel Throwing Pottery Class with Reese Nguyen
Unleash your creativity and get your hands dirty as you dive into the mesmerizing world of wheel thrown pottery! Join artist Reese Nguyen on Friday, Jan. 24th from 5:30 to 8:30 for an unforgettable experience.
Learn the art of centering clay on a wheel, master the technique of forming a perfect cylinder, and discover the secrets to crafting beautiful small bowls or dishes. Don't miss this opportunity to explore your artistic side! This class helps the beginner learn about the process and techniques of wheel throwing; and provides potters of various levels more opportunity to master their skill.
Reese is a local artist, recently graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She has a passion for making art and creating in different mediums as a form of self care. She will start a clay making internship with StarWorks in the summer and is currently interning with the Arts Council of Moore County.
Important Information About This Class
The following information is geared toward the absolute beginner and hope that the following information helps you to approach class with realistic expectations and a hopeful beginners mindset.
First, if you've never ever touched clay before, we highly recommend that you join us for one of our hand building classes prior to wheel throwing as it's very helpful to have a feel for the clay and the manners in which we manipulate it.
No one easily creates big beautiful bowls when they sit down at the wheel for the first time. It's a process, and it takes time to master it. The skills that you learn in each class will build on one another, and we encourage you to embrace this progress as a measure of your success.
Dress comfortably and casually as pottery throwing tends to be a messy endeavor. Bring an apron if you'd like to wear one.
Trim your fingernails before class. While short nails aren't required, we find that it's a bit easier to throw pottery with them.
Each wheel throwing class will last for 3 hours. This includes 2 1/2 hours of instruction and a 1/2 hour for cleanup. As potters in a community studio, we strive to leave our work spaces better than we found them.
No one easily creates big beautiful pottery bowls when they sit down at the wheel for the first time. (This one was worth mentioning twice! lol) And while we love the movie, Ghost, throwing pottery on the wheel is more challenging and less sexy than Demi and Patrick made it look.
You can expect to yield 2 - 4 miniature masterpieces from this class. These pieces tend to include tiny bowls, coasters, spoon rests, and other similarly sized forms. As your skills grow, the size of your thrown pieces will grow too.
After class, Reese will finish each piece that you create. They'll be trimmed, dried, fired in our kiln, glazed, dried, and fired in our kiln again. This entire process can take up to 4 weeks, depending on the humidity level, and the time that it takes your pottery to thoroughly dry between kiln firings. We'll update you by phone or text when your pottery is ready for pickup.
To allow the most individualized attention possible, class size is limited to 6 students, 1 per wheel.
The all inclusive price of this class includes supplies, tool usage, glaze selection, 2 kiln firings, and instruction.
But I Want More!
Two of the most common things that we hear at the end of a wheel throwing class are, "I was just getting the hang of it!" and "I don't want to stop throwing!", and we love this enthusiasm!
We have several solutions for this:
- Enroll in another session with Reese to build on your newly established skills.
- Enroll in Beth's Novice Class where she takes you through the process throwing to glaze and firing. To maximize your chances for success, we recommend that you previously attended at least two beginner classes
- Apply for a Pottery Membership at ARTworks Vass. Click here to learn more.
Other Important Information:
- Registration allows for 1 person per class. Only those who have registered may participate.
- Registrations are non-refundable and cannot be rescheduled.
- Class starts promptly, so be sure to arrive on time.
- Dress to mess or bring an apron!
- You will be notified when your project is ready to pick up. We will hold it for 90 days with monthly notifications by text or phone. If you haven't requested an extension or picked up your work within 90 days, your project will be disposed of at the gallery's discretion.
- At ARTworks Vass, you're always welcome to bring your own Nibbles and Sips to class.
- Click here to read the ARTworks Vass Disclosure and Liability Waiver for All Classes and Events
Register online here or call us at 910-245-4129 to save your space in class.
Click here to request more information on scheduling a private class for a group of 6.