Best Pottery Classes Grand Rapids Near Me

Mike Hills (g33k247): Great place to try your hand at pottery. Our party of six went for session that was set up as a birthday gift for my wife and we all had a good time. During our 1-1/2 hour session we learned the techniques for creating cups and small bowls on the pottery wheel. Everyone in the group was able to make 3 items. At the end of the session, we chose what glaze colors we wanted on our items. The staff will then fire and glaze our items and let us know when they're ready to be picked up.Pottery Lane also has 8 week classes and memberships for those looking to take their skills to the next level.

Grace Nogueras: This is a lovely place to learn to throw pots, hand build plates or whimsical little clay creatures, and make friends with people who share that same hobby/passion! You can also purchase whatever wares have been crafted for sale in the storefront portion of the studio.I've taken 2 workshops here, and they were so much fun that I decided that I really wanted to build my skills further with an 8 week class!Natasha is a supremely wonderful teacher. She's an easy going, encouraging, and very chipper instructor! Definitely consider taking a class with her if interested in learning all the ins and outs of clay!

Jacob Streelman: Easily the best customer service I have experienced - incredibly understanding, kind, and friendly staff.

Samantha Scott: Really disappointed in this place. Not worth the money. I took a class back in early 2021 just a quick introductory wheel class and it was so fun and the instructor was so helpful and knowledgeable. So then i signed up for an 8 week wheel throwing course and that was fun but I could tell was a bit disorganized. I just finished my second 8 week course that did wheel and hand building and it was BAD. The slab roller which is pretty quintessential for many hand building projects was broken THE ENTIRE COURSE. It was stuck at an incredibly thick setting and you couldn’t mess with it. They also the first two weeks didn’t have enough plastic to wrap our pieces to save to work on later so I ended up having to just scrap multiple pieces that couldn’t be covered. They don’t have the space to store your work on shelves with all the people that they let attend classes so everything gets lost. There were multiple pieces that I know that I made and saved to come back to that were just never seen again… Then they get so happy and proud to say that they had so many people sign up for their classes! Maybe they should limit that if you don’t have the capacity to actually take care of the work being produced by so many students??? And when you tell them you can find a piece or you’re missing something they get kinda annoyed?? The place has gone downhill so fast and I would not recommend this to anyone. I will say though, the one time/hour long classes are probably still good and worth it but DO NOT do an 8 week course. So mismanaged.

Zak Fay: Lots of fun even for someone with 0 experience. Hands on help and a relaxed environment.

Adam Greene: Walking in, the most I knew about actually creating pottery was from movies like Ghost and bits from shows like Community. I also have next to no artistic talent, much to my chagrin. However, within the first 10 minutes, I felt not just welcome, but comfortable, and ready to try, failure or not.Audrey was an exceptionally patient teacher, and while what came out at the end won't be willing any awards, I had far more fun than I imagined possible. It was fun, relaxing, and incredibly satisfying. An absolute blast.

Rachel Mullins: Beautiful studio, relaxed atmosphere, helpful staff.

Alexandria Baldridge: I love this place. I’ve taken 3 classes and can’t recommend it enough!! Just take the class. You won’t regret it.

Elizabeth Siegel: I had my bachelorette party here with Caroline. She was awesome! She explained everything, guided us through the process, helped us when needed but also let us have fun with it. Everyone in my party was able to finish at least two pieces and we all had such a great time! Even my sister, who does not typically get into this sort of thing, was saying how much fun she had and how she wants to find a place near her (she lives in North Carolina) to do this more! Caroline let us bring in snacks, took pictures and videos with and for us. All around, this was so much fun and EXACTLY what I wanted for my party!100% want to go back again!

Sydney Lim: My mom and I went for a wheel-throwing workshop and we had such a blast with Natasha! She gave excellent instructions and was overall a wonderful person to be around. The place is also very clean and well kept. Would definitely come again!

Kristen Kasinsky: Well organized. Audrey was exceptional instructor. Great personality and broke down down creation process in easy to follow steps.

Amy Schubeck: Amazing staff! We did a workshop and the instructors were so patient and accommodating. We enjoyed a laid back afternoon with these fun ladies. Can't wait to see our finished pots!

Sammy Johnson: Pottery Lane is chock full of team and community members that lean in to help each other out. I love being in the studio, surrounded by creative and energetic people who care about the craft. Kudos to Kelly and her team for surviving COVID after being shut down for months, and then coming back with more offerings and a studio that stays abuzz. I highly recommend coming to Pottery Lane to learn from Kelly, Caroline, Allison, Olivia, and the rest of the crew on how to create with clay. And if for no other reason, come create to reset - away from the world - by way of the hands-on, meaningful meditation of creation.

Kate Carlson: Great studio space and helpful staff! Love coming here and creating.

Kate Pillsbury: I. Love. Pottery Lane. I took a beginner wheel throwing class in January of 2020, and became obsessed. When you take classes you not only have the two-hour class sessions to work, but also ample “open studio” hours where you can go in and practice. It takes some time to get the hang of wheel throwing, but the staff is super kind and they make themselves available if you have questions (and I am a person who asks a ton of questions). When you pay for a class, you get 16 hours of class time, AMPLE “open studio” hours to practice, access to all tools needed, and a very generous amount of clay and glaze and kiln firing included. It’s up to the individual how much they “get out” of the experience, but if you practice between classes, the stuff you learn in class starts to make sense. Wheel throwing can be humbling but once you get it, it’s super rewarding.I loved Pottery Lane so much that I became a member in April 2021 and it has become a mindfulness practice for me to take my “self care time” at the studio, putting on music in my headphones and getting my hands muddy with clay. I can’t doom scroll about the world on my phone when I’ve got clay hands.Having access to a studio like Pottery Lane is amazing. I didn’t feel like I was “an artist” in 2020 when I took my first class. I just wanted a fun hobby to get me through the winter. But when I walk through the doors into that cute studio where so many amazing women (and men!) are bent over their wheels, quietly honing their craft, I realize that even if I’m still an amateur, I am most definitely an artist. It’s magical there.

Mariah Prowoznik: One of the best spots in GR to get experience with clay! I threw a lot in college but was a bit rusty after not throwing for a few years. Kelly and her staff are amazing and super helpful. It’s a great space with a lot to offer. And, you can purchase a variety of pieces that are perfect for gifts!

Craig Eby Jr: Awesome place to take a class! Very cool location and a great place to learn!

Paul and Marcia De Kleine: What a wonderful experience! I learned so much and greatly enjoyed my class time there. The staff are great teachers and you can learn so much from your classmates. The studio is a lovely creative space and I can't wait to take another class!

Carly Whetstone: Seems like people who know what they’re doing will be fine here but if you’re a beginner I would not recommend this place at all. Very little guidance even in their classes- you basically just teach yourself. I found staff to be rude (though some were nice) and when I emailed the owner about a billing question she never responded to me. I finished the beginner class over two weeks ago and haven’t heard anything about when I can get my pieces. The owner did send a very passive aggressive email telling us not to come in though.

Robert Falconer: Very enjoyable experience and class instructor did a great job!

V G: My daughter loves this class

Mai MaMeTa: Great teachers, they are inspiring for kids. My daughter took three classes with them and among that class she starts to know how to use colors and imagination with drawing. Thank you very much for staff🥀

Katherine Thelen: One of the top rate art schools I've ever attended. Superb staff and instructors. The only thing that could be better is if it was twice as large.

Christina Moore: The instructor was friendly, helpful, talented, and made it all fun for us!

Lori Browning: So fun! Had a surprise day off work, so I grabbed up the bestie and went to paint Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day. The instructor was so fun and helpful. $4 frozen drinks were a nice bonus, as well. For the first time ever painting I think it turned out pretty well! The other patrons were so fun too. If you've wanted to try it, just do it. Its a great way to spend a few hours of quality time with friends or family.

Nicole Wrubel: Although I enjoyed the painting, this was the most stingy place I have ever been too. Strictly enforced, one paper plate(which she proceeded to take the extras away from people), 2 napkins at a time and I wanted to dump my paint water because it was so full of paint and she told me I couldn’t because you only get one cup per person. Then proceeded to show me how to clean a paint brush. What?!!! It is not like it is costing them any more for me to get clean water. The girl was also very pushy asking if people wanted help and even when they said no thanks she still kept asking like it wasn’t up to her expectations. Not sure I would go back to this place but will definitely do something like this again.

J. H.: Came here with a group of ladies and we all had a blast! Amanda was fantastic! Most of us wanted to do the very colorful painting in grayscale instead and she was very accommodating and showed us how to do both. Such a great time and the mixed wine drinks were very good too! Definitely will be back!

Carley (Cosmic Carleyy): What a fantastic night! A great place to get creative and let that inner child have some fun. Much needed night out. Good prices, great instructors and amazing staff. Highly recommend!

Patricia Vanzant: Lots of fun! We had a big group for work. They supplied everything and the instructor was fun and helpful! Would go again for sure!

Alexandria Wineman: I’ve been to a few drink and paint outings, this was the worst occasion. Staff wasn’t too friendly. Terribly delayed in getting us started. Class was at 6 and we finally started painting at 640. She taught and gave tips involving a painting on her phone and the display which were 2 totally different pieces. Not a good flow and definitely wouldn’t recommend that particular location for future events.

Abigail Brown: What a great date night! If you can follow directions you can paint a beautiful picture! Our instructor, Tabby was great. We had so much fun and recommend this to everyone!

Jessica Castañeda: Had an awesome date night at Wine &Canvas! It was our first time and we had so much fun! Love that we could bring our own snacks!

Amina Redzic: I came here with a friend a few months ago, we had been looking for a paint and sip place in the area for a while and thought this place would be great. The overall experience was alright, they definitely need more employees. The girl instructing the class also was making/pouring drinks, completing snack sales, passing out supplies, and assisting others with their paintings. She was the ONLY person working, it was not an efficient way to run it. Half of the time we were sitting waiting for instructions to continue because she was having to make more drinks, etc. Most of the snacks were expired or stale. She was adamant about not giving us enough of the paint that we needed, making more work for herself having to go around the class multiple times with the same paint colors. I went for a class that had bottomless mimosas for $10 so of course I’m going to want to drink as many as I want while I’m there. She didn’t want to pour more if we already had a drink at our seat or when it was getting to the end of the session. Also, it ran an hour over what it was scheduled to be for. I got a cute painting out of it but I wouldn’t spend my money to come back here. Its worth it more to do it at your own house or with friends yourselves.

Tara Bush: Had a great experience with the instructor! Super friendly and helpful! Loved it! There were some Karen's in the group who were taking up time complaining about light sources and things not being atomically correct. Please if you want to go to one of these classes leave your perfectionist attitude out of it as it's supposed to just be a fun experience for everyone and you ruin it by being rude and expecting this to be a Mona Lisa painting. Other than that it was super fun and me and my friend really enjoyed it!

Scott Price: My first visit, can't wait to attend another event!

Rebecca Hall: Super late to writing a review since my friend and I came last September, but we absolutely loved it! So fun and the instructor made it easy for us to make the painting. I'm not very good at paintings, but she was sure helpful throughout the session. Can't wait to come back!

Felicia Oliver: I liked the class. It was a fun time.

Oti Ne: Positive:Communication,Professionalism,Quality,ValueWe arrive an hour and 30 mins late and Tabby still allowed us to paint. She was flexible catching us up in between finishing up the other ladies. My husband and I were first timers and we had a blast. Thanks tabby looking forward to painting with you again!

Cindy Moore: Had a lot of fun ! Brought my daughter with me & the instructor is very nice and helpful , will be returning again !!

Neha Hackman: It’s not a fun experience. They are very short staffed.

Rebecca Levings: We prepaid for a class with them that ended up being canceled. No problem, just have them refund our money, right? NOPE. We have attempted MULTIPLE TIMES phone calls, left messages, and to no avail. They are ignoring our messages and keeping our $70 evidently. I would never schedule a class here again, obviously they need that $70 to stay in business or they would be a proper, respectful business who owns up to their mistakes and gives your money back for classes that THEY canceled!

Lisa M: This was a lot of fun. The instructor was very clear and helpful. Great relaxing atmosphere I would definitely do this again.

Susan Wolf: Enjoyable and fun. Alot of conversation with others. 1st time painting on canvas, surprised myself! Instructor explained painting techniques well!