Best Pottery Classes In Toronto

“I am LOVING my pottery lessons at Shaw Street Pottery! Julie (the owner) is so lovely, patient, and encouraging. The studio is tucked away in her beautiful garden and makes the whole experience just that more magical.”

Lesley-Anne green

“I have taken several classes with Julie and have loved every single one of them! The calm, intimate small classes really lend themselves to a relaxing, enjoyable pottery experience, and Julie really knows her way around pottery techniques and has great tips and tricks I haven’t gotten from other studios!”

Kate Matesic

“Great space! Adam is such a generous and knowledgeable instructor”

Natalie V Stone

“Adam is one of the best instructors out there. Tried a different pottery studio, but Adam will always be in my mind. Took a couple classes with him and he teaches you pottery so well – very engaging, funny, and hands-on. Beautiful studio as well, big enough space for the classes and nice to see other people’s work.”

Justine H.

“Great place for pottery classes. Sharoni is a wonderful teacher!”

Atsuko Kobasigawa

“Small studio with a great hart”

Lee A Bruno

“Did a pottey wheel workshop with my husband, it was gifted to us for a Christmas gift. We had an absolute blast. It was a lot of fun, Noel was extremely helpful in teaching us what to do. Very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, will definitely be back and highly recommended!”

sam v

“We found Noel through one of the pottery blogs online. After seeing some reviews and the option available for our preferred date, we booked a private session for 6 of us.

Noel replies back within 12-24 hours and was flexible to make it work. He was easy to reach and connect with as needed. The three hours flew by; that’s how much all of us enjoyed the class. He was patient as he taught us the basics multiple times. He’s quite funny as well.
Thomas is also very helpful and attentive.

If you are looking to do something indoors and different for a few hours, definitely try this out. Noel is a very good instructor!”

Hanish K

“On January 13 , 2019 we chose this warm, friendly and cozy place to bring our family together and spent time for a birthday. The Artistic way has a variety of ceramics for decoration and gave us a chance to make beautiful presents for each other! Thank you very much for the opportunity to spend a nice afternoon in your place! We really enjoyed it! All the best to you, we will certainly be coming back!”

Tatsiana K

“Fun place to bring your kids. Owner is very friendly, helpful, and accommodating. She let us cut up one of her stencils to make our own stencil, and insisted on replacing a mug for free when the handle broke.

Wide array of objects to paint, paint colors, painting tools, and a book of plenty ideas for those of you who are less creative than I.

Expect to spend $25 – $50 per object.”

Jake Mandel

“The Potter’s Studio is a really great place to learn about ceramic arts. The members are knowledgeable and helpful. The studio is clean and well equipped. There are many different glazes from which to choose. They offer classes several times a year which are taught by professional instructors.

The studio also run sales in the spring and fall. There is a huge selection of wares at reasonable prices. Items are a made by the members/artists and are unique (not machine made).

The place is a gem.”

R Y

“Studio sale on now until Saturday, July 31. Hours are 10am-6pm.”

Dana Matson

“Had a really fun and relaxing time. The worker there was extremely friendly and ran us through the process of painting there, along with some helpful tips on painting the ceramics. She even let us stay a little past closing to give us some more time to work on our pieces. Going back again to finish them off with final touches.

Overall amazing experience and extremely therapeutic.”

Cresencia Tri

“Super fun place to go as a couple or with family! You essentially pay for studio time and the piece you choose to paint. There are different colors of paint and so many kinds of items to choose from: large, small, medium sized.

Make sure to paint 3 coats and let dry in between (they have hair dryers you can use). Once finished, put your creation on a tray and let the staff bake it for you! They will keep it for about 45 days, so no huge rush to pick the item up.

Really fun experience and I had the best time! Felt like I was in art class again!”

Shirley Du

“Paul is great fun, and keeps small class sizes so he can work one-on-one with everyone. He has an intuitive knack for knowing what slight adjustments need to be made, and gives concise instruction so that you can focus in on getting a feel for the clay. WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. Oh, and some of his jokes are funny too.

You will leave at the end of the class feeling like you can become the best potter in all of the lands! :)”

Jen Lagzdins

“Great shop, did the 3 pot making class and loved it. Great instructor, very fun and knowledgeable. We made 3 creations (you essentially make what you want/can) and overall I’d recommend this to anyone who wants a fun activity. Its a small shop so space is limited to 4 but a lot of fun!”

Mish A

“This is an incredible pottery studio for marginalized women in the community.They even make their own glazes. I’m astonished at the skill these women have. Pieces range from whimsical to stunning and everything in between. The government funding has dropped out and now the owner is running it on her own. Please support this amazing studio and dress your home with their beautiful pottery.”

Lauren Hammersley

“It’s an amazing place to learn how to make pottery on the wheel.
The instructors have lots of patience
in teaching you how to make pottery.
You have an opportunity to sell what you have made.
#toronto
#school
#library
#art
#canada”

Jennifer C

“It is a familiar place on Mt.Pleasant.I was on the outside looking in.”

Pamela Contini

“The best pottery studio I have taken classes at! Incredibly clean, organized and full of fun and interesting tools to work with. Karie is just lovely, she gives great lessons but also facilitates if you decide to do your own projects – so it’s truly meant for any skill level. I will definitely be back for more! :D”

Natalie Plociennik (Natalie Plociennik)

“I have a wonderful experience every time I come into this cute little shop. The staff are generally helpful and answer any silly questions I have, and create a welcoming space. Nice variety of local artists to shop from. My wife gifted me a certificate for a private class, I can’t wait to get my hands dirty!”

Cailey Annisette

“Great selection of different artists’ clay work for purchase, either in store (limited pandemic hours at the moment) or online/curbside pickup. Reasonable prices and great options for gifts.

The pottery studio is amazing, the instructors are very experienced ceramicists and the set up is much better than other studios I’ve taken classes at.”

staz m

“clayArt is the cleanest and most well organized pottery studio I have ever been to. The instructors are amazing and go over and above to support their students. The atmosphere is super friendly and welcoming, making it a great place to learn and create.”

Cara Burton

“The studio is a lovely place to learn and make for everyone from beginners to advanced potters. It is very clean, bright and well equipped with everything you could need. All of the staff are friendly and the vibe is lively and fun.”

Lana Rayman

“I have always wanted to try pottery (using a wheel) and my friends surprised me with the 3-hour intro class for my birthday. We had such a great time and the instructor Sabrina was super kind and an amazing teacher!! We all have been talking about wanting to go back and we are pretty much sold on joining a 4 week class soon! If you’re like me and have always wanted to try pottery, but never gained the courage to do it – I’m here to say DO IT! An awesome experience and fun to try with friends!”

Alexandra A

“We ordered the Clay to Go kit’s for an at-home pottery experience, since we couldn’t book an in-studio class. It was so fun, and so easy to do. COVID protocols were in place and easy to navigate. The studio was so responsive, and Janelle (studio manager) was so responsive and patient with my 1000 eager e-mails. Gabriela, the owner, was also super quick to offer info and support. The hardest part is waiting to pick up your clay after the kiln – it took about 2 weeks, which was the expected time frame, and made for a fun 2-part activity.

We’ll definitely be booking an in-studio class when it’s safe to do so! Thanks so much!”

Kate Seifried

“Amazeballs! They offer pottery classes with the best teacher, (Shane) in the city and retail that’s eclectic and not found anywhere else in Toronto. The other owner, Warren, is pretty eclectic himself. Love this place!”

Jay Garrison

“Lovely wares! Shane is an excellent teacher and the studio membership has been an excellent way to continue the pottery while living in the city.”

Julie

“This studio just simply will NOT reply to email. I’ve sent several over the past few months. They’re always met with complete silence”

Isla

“I am prefacing this review by noting that this type of class is highly instructor-dependent. Although my first experience at this studio was incredibly negative, my second experience (with a different instructor) was much better. That said, I feel obligated to share my experience and encourage whoever goes here to look into who their instructor is.

The first instructor I was with had an authoritative teaching style. They demonstrated some techniques, but was not very hands-on when it came to students’ individual needs. For instance, the instructor verbalized students’ incorrect techniques/mistakes and told us how to adjust, rather than show us.

The instructor’s tutorials also took a lot of time. What usually takes 10-15 mins at the start of class, they sometimes took 30-45 mins for.

The instructor was verbally rude. They reprimanded us for creating pieces we wanted, or not making what we were “supposed to work on” that day, which deterred us from being creative and having fun. Students felt criticized, like we were walking on eggshells, and were nervous to speak up and ask for guidance.

We were also instructed to do intense cleaning of the studio after class – much more than what’s usually expected. Usually, we’d allocate about 20 minutes of the end of class to clean up our workspace (eg. wheels, communal table, mop floor). This instructor had us do that, plus clean the chairs, windowsills, water bucket, sweep and mop the floor, and empty out the water into the janitors closet. This resulted in us staying 20-30 mins after class time, in addition to the 20 mins we had allotted (almost an hour total for cleanup). To avoid leaving so late in subsequent classes, students finished working on their pottery even earlier. One class, we only did pottery for 1.5 out of 3 hours, due to the instructor’s lengthy tutorial and cleanup. Halving our pottery time is just unacceptable.

After the course was finished, the instructor only gave us two time slots to pick up our pieces. Usually, you’re given a handful of options, since people’s schedules vary. When I couldn’t locate two of my pieces, the instructor was unhelpful and even sent me a rude email.

Of note, the studio also suggests you buy your own pottery tools (an added cost, on top of the cost of class). Most other studios offer basic tools, so this was surprising.

Lastly, I adore doing pottery and value it as a therapeutic pastime, but this experience turned it into something very negative and anxiety provoking. I have subsequently had a wonderful instructor at this studio, but due to the first experience being so traumatic, I won’t continue or recommend this studio… Especially while there are there are several other, great studios in the city. Toronto Potters may consider offering surveys to their students to promote constructive feedback and a more inclusive, supportive environment.”

Kat Veit