Get your hands dirty
Kiln & Clay
A warm community pottery studio in Minneapolis for wheel throwing, hand-building, and open-studio time. Book a class, center your first lump of clay, and leave with something you made.
All materials & firing included
The menu
Book your seat at the wheel
Every session includes clay, tools, glazes, and firing. Just bring yourself and clothes you do not mind getting muddy.
Guided, hands-on sessions to learn the wheel and shape your first pieces.
Intro to the Wheel
$65
A single two-hour taster where you wedge, center, and pull your first cup or bowl with an instructor at your elbow. The perfect low-stakes way to feel mud spin under your hands.
2 hr4-Week Beginner Series
$220+
Four weekly sessions that take you from your very first lump of clay to throwing, trimming, and glazing a small set of pieces. Small groups, the same six seats each week, real progress.
2 hrHand-Building Workshop
$75
No wheel required — build mugs, dishes, and planters by pinching, coiling, and slab work. A relaxed, tactile class that is friendly to anyone who likes working slowly with their hands.
2 hr 30 min
Our story
Kiln & Clay started in 2018 with two secondhand wheels, a battered kiln, and a stack of reclaimed clay we wedged by hand. We are a community studio first: messy aprons, shared tables, and the kind of quiet focus that comes from working with your hands. Beginners and old hands throw side by side here. We mix everyone the same earthy stoneware, fire every piece for you, and keep the music low and the clay soft.
How it works
How it works
Never touched clay before? Here is the whole arc, start to finish.
- 1
Book a class
Pick a class, open-studio session, or private event from the calendar and reserve your spot. All clay, tools, glazes, and firing are included — no kit to buy.
- 2
Get centered at the wheel
Tie on an apron and dig in. An instructor walks you through wedging, centering, and pulling your first walls, hands-on, at a pace that fits the room.
- 3
Glaze & we fire it
Trim and glaze your piece, then leave it with us. We bisque and glaze fire everything in-house — come back in two to three weeks to pick up your finished work.
Kind words
From our guests
I signed up for the beginner series on a whim and it became the best hour of my week. By week four I threw a bowl I actually use every morning.
The open studio membership is unreal value. Quiet evenings, shelf space for my work in progress, and the kiln does the scary part for me.
We booked the paint-a-mug night for my sister’s birthday and the whole table was laughing and covered in glaze. The staff made it feel easy and warm.
Find us
Visit the studio
Hours
- Mon
- Closed
- Tue
- 10 am – 9 pm
- Wed
- 10 am – 9 pm
- Thu
- 10 am – 9 pm
- Fri
- 10 am – 9 pm
- Sat
- 10 am – 9 pm
- Sun
- 10 am – 9 pm
Before you visit
Good to know
I have never touched clay — can I really do this?
Absolutely. No experience needed for any of our beginner classes. Start with Intro to the Wheel or the 4-week beginner series, where an instructor guides you through every step, hands-on, in a small group.
What should I wear?
Clothes you do not mind getting muddy — clay washes out but is happiest on old t-shirts. Short or rolled sleeves work best, and trim long nails if you can. We provide aprons, and you will want to skip rings and bracelets at the wheel.
When are my pieces ready to take home?
After you finish, your work has to dry, get bisque fired, glazed, and fired again. That whole cycle takes about two to three weeks. We will text you when your pieces are out of the kiln and ready for pickup.
What do I get with a membership?
The monthly membership covers unlimited open-studio access during all open hours, your own shelf for works in progress, all the firing you need, and member pricing on clay and classes. It is the cheapest way to throw often once you are hooked.
Book a class
Grab a seat in under a minute. Wear something you can get muddy, arrive a few minutes early, and we will get you set up at a wheel.