Sonoma Community Center

Enriching lives through education and the arts — for Sonoma Valley and beyond

Ceramics Open Studio Program

Sonoma Ceramics provides an accessible, approachable, and supportive studio environment where artists and makers of all skill levels can awaken their practice of the ceramic arts. We thrive on inspiring people of all ages to discover the tactile world of clay, on supporting the professional development of career artists, and above all, on creating community-centered programs that bring diverse people together for moments of intersectional and multi-generational learning. We’re here for our local Sonoma community, our global clay community, and for the magical moments that happen when those come together.

60 hours / wk

of access to our member’s studio, glaze barn, and kiln shed.

studio monitors

chat with, purchase materials from, and learn from one of our 12 studio monitors that help run open studio. 40 out of the 60 hours a week of our open studio is monitored.

clubs & shoptalks

free access to join our weekly or bimonthly clubs that meet during open studio hours as well as studio member only events like shop talks and more

Rolling Membership

we accept new members on a rolling basis. you must first take a class or have studio experience to join.

Email Director Meg Billingham for more info meg@sonomacommunitycenter.org

Open Studio Membership

Continue your studio exploration beyond the classroom with over 60 hrs/week of open studio time that includes midrange electric, highfire gas, raku, soda firing, and over 30 in house glazes to choose from.

Pay per month (auto pay!), and be rewarded for staying committed to our studio! Also, qualify for 50% student discount on membership when you sign up for a class!

Before enrolling in our open studio membership, you MUST take a tour with a studio team member and read through the department guidelines and policies. By enrolling in a Sonoma Ceramics membership, you agree to the department’s guidelines and policies.

The full guidelines and policies can be found here.

Full Studio
Membership

$150 / month for 1 Month $140 / month for 6 months $135 / Month for 12 months

Home Studio
Membership

$75 / Month for 1 month $65 / Month for 6 months $60 / month for 12 months

1 month memberships will only charge you for 1 month at a time.
Renewing your 1 month membership will have to be done manually.

Open Studio Hours are Monday – Saturday, 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Studio monitors are on duty from Monday – Friday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Studio Monitors are on duty Saturday from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Open Studio is closed on Sundays

Please be respectful of shared spaces.

Frequenty Asked Questions

Equipment

  • 16 electric potters wheels
  • Peter Pugger
  • 30″ Northstar slab roller
  • Spray booth 40″ x 30″ x 18″
  • Northstar extruder

Kilns

  • Geil downdraft gas kiln, 24 cu.ft.
  • Skutt electric kiln, 11.6 cu.ft. programmable, cone 10
  • Skutt electric kiln, 6.4 cu.ft. programmable
  • Skutt electric kiln
  • Raku kilns
  • Cross-Draft Gas Soda kiln 21 cu. ft.

Clay

  • 10 types of clay stocked from Claypeople and East Bay Clay
  • Midrange stoneware, red clays, and porcelain
  • High fire stoneware, red clay, porcelain, and BMIX
  • smooth and high grog options designed for a range of practices including hand building and wheel throwing

Other

  • 30+ glazes, all made in house – Cone 5 & Cone 10
  • A variety of colored slips
  • Community tools available for use in the studio
  • Member bins to store tools and apron
  • Limited storage space for supplies and work in progress (for studio members only)
  • Raw materials lab

Use this checklist to see if you qualify to enroll in an open studio membership

  • I have taken at least one class with Sonoma Ceramics or..
  • I feel comfortable working independently in a ceramics studio and a glaze room
  • I know the difference between Cone 5 and Cone 10 clay 
  • I know the proper safety precautions that come with working with clay and cleaning up after myself 
  • I know how to operate a slab roller and other standard studio equipment
  • I have had a studio tour with a ceramics
  • Yes! We offer drop in Day passes for $40 
  • Qualifications; must be highly experienced in ceramics or have already been a studio member at Sonoma Ceramics 
  • Purchase your Day Pass here – link to purchase day pass

The date of purchase.

We still require all onboarding studio members to take a tour of the studio because many things have changed and new policies, equipment are always being added

Email Studio Coordinator, Azelia Mazur to schedule a tour of our facilities – ceramics@sonomacommunitycenter.org

The link to your 50% off student discount open studio membership is located in your pre class email. These arrive usually 1-2 days before your class begins.

No; unless given explicit permission from the Director of Ceramics, all clay used at the studio must be purchased from the studio.

There is a significant amount of unseen labor and cost that goes into running a ceramics studio including clay mixing, glaze mixing, reclaiming, cleaning, kiln firing, equipment maintenance/management, and more. 

Our open studio membership offers 60 hours a week of access to our studio spaces; If you spend 3 hours a week in our studios, you’re only paying $12/hour to be there! If you spend 6 hours a week, you’re only paying $6/hour to be there!

We keep track of studio membership pricing across studios in the greater bay area and always work hard to create the most accessible pricing that we can for our studio members

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