Sonoma Ceramics Studio Member Guidelines & Agreement

Studio Membership Subscription Policies: 

1. You may not put a hold on your membership subscription at any point
   1. (i.e. stop your subscription for 1 month during your subscription)
2. Subscriptions and studio membership cannot be shared between multiple people. If a studio member would like to bring a guest for the day, they must purchase a $40 day pass.
3. Cancellations: There are no early cancellations for membership subscriptions except in extenuating circumstances. In the event of a subscription cancellation, the member will be charged a cancellation fee in the amount of 1 full month of membership – $150 for full studio membership or $75 for home studio membership via invoice. 

Sonoma Ceramics Studio Contract and Guidelines

Community Commitments: 
We choose collaboration over competition 
We show care for each other, for ourselves, and for our studio 
We prioritize the health of our community by maintaining a clean and safe studio 
We champion community knowledge and resource sharing
We acknowledge that we are active members of a community, not passive participants

Sonoma Community Center does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. We expect that our members abide by the ethics of non-discrimination stated above.

1. The member’s studio is available to those who purchase monthly memberships. Subscription model memberships must be purchased with a credit card, if you would like purchase subscription model membership with a check or cash, you must reach out to the Director of Ceramics directly
2. Prior to starting work each day, member’s must sign in on the attendance sheet.
3. Monthly members are assigned a bin for storing supplies only during the months for which they pay. 
4. A studio monitor is on duty during open studio hours M-F 10am-6pm, Sat. 10am-4pm to answer questions, provide assistance and sell clay.
5. Only clay purchased from the Community Center may be used unless special approval from the Director is obtained.
6. Works in progress may be stored on shelves in the studio. All work must be labeled through the Bag and Tag Labeling System. No bisqueware storage in the studios please.
7. Clay may be stored on the shelves labeled for clay storage. Please use the colored tags to identify your clay, also write your name on the bag.
8. The studio has a large selection of community tools available for use. After use, clean the tools and return them to the place you found them.
9. Cleanliness and Studio Safety: Thoroughly clean all equipment that you have used when you are finished. Mop the floor in the studio and glaze room in your work area.
   • Cleaning up after oneself is not optional in the studio, it is necessary. When dry, clay particles present multiple health hazards. If a studio member continues to not support a clean and safe studio, Sonoma Ceramics may cancel membership
   • Always use a wet sponge or mop to clean up your mess. Do NOT use a broom unless you are collecting large pieces of clay. Clay dust is very destructive when inhaled.
10. Respect space and boundaries; our studio is a shared space with many users, be conscious of the amount of space you and your work are taking up in the studio.
11. Once you are finished working on a piece, move it to the glaze room for firing. You do not have to wait until it is completely dry to do so. 
12. If your piece drips on a shelf in the kiln, you will be charged a $10 drip fee. If the damage is such that a shelf needs to be replaced, you will be charged the full cost of the equipment that needs replacing.
13. Studio monitors will not load work into the kilns if they do not know what clay it is, feel that it would not survive the kiln, or see an issue with glaze application. These works will be put back on the shelf with a “reject slip” explaining why it was not loaded.
14. Works left on the studio shelves for more than a month may be discarded. If you are working on a piece for an extended time, update the date on your tag or the bottom.
15. Bisqued items are marked with a date one month from the time they are unloaded from the kiln. If they have not been glazed by that date, they will be discarded. If you will not get to glaze a piece within a month, please take it home.
16. Studio members may not bring pets in the ceramics studio, glaze or gas kiln rooms.
17. This is a group studio – so please work harmoniously and respectfully with others. Please take phone calls and personal conversations outside of the studio.
18. Bisque firings are fired as needed – generally several times a week. Cone 10 reduction work is typically fired weekly; Cone 10 oxidation and Cone 04 and 5 work will be fired as needed. If you have a deadline or special firing request, please let the Studio Tech or Artist in Residence know by leaving a note with your piece. Our studio monitors/staff will do our best to accommodate deadlines, but cannot guarantee that your work will be fired in time if not given ample leadway. 
19. Never open or remove items from kilns. 
20. For more details, consult the Sonoma Ceramics Handbook, available in the studio and office.

Liability Release 

I agree, on behalf of myself or my child, not to make any claims of any kind against Sonoma Community Center or any of its employees or agents for any loss or injury that myself or my child might sustain while engaged in programming at Sonoma Community Center. 

By purchasing an open studio membership, I acknowledge that I have read the above guidelines and will abide by them.