Wobbly walls? Uneven rims? Mushrooms or volcanoes while centering? You have wheel woes, my friend. But never fear - where there’s a wheel, there’s a way!

Join us for a one-day 2.5 hour long class and learn how to problem solve some of these common mistakes in the centering and throwing process. This class is open to anyone - it’s perfect for absolute beginners who just want to learn the beginning stages of throwing on the wheel, up to advanced potters who just want a refresh on their basics. This is a super low pressure class as we’ll be focusing on technique and not actually making any pieces to keep.

This class takes place at Groundworks HILL 1010 Aurora Avenue, Boulder, CO. 

PLEASE NOTE: This one-time class runs for 2.5 hours. You will not have access to the studio outside of the scheduled class time and all work will be completed during class time. You will also not have access to our other locations.

Ages: 16+

Available for registration Friday, May 30th at 8:00am

For students that have never touched clay to those still learning the basics.

This class will cover the basic “how tos” of pottery. Students will learn the foundations of throwing, including how to confidently center, pull, and trim pots on the wheel. The class will also cover basic glazing techniques, and how to track your pieces through the studio in 4 short weeks! Ideal for people with busy summer schedules that can’t commit to a full 8 week class.

Ages: 16 and above

Class meets weekly on SUNDAYS

Note: This class will meet at the MAIN location at 3750 Canfield Street. You will only have open lab access at the same studio as your class.

Does NOT include Firing Fees. For details on our Firing Fees, please click here: https://www.groundworksartlab.org/firing-fees

All pieces will be fired to Cone 6 in a reduction kiln.

Will be available to register on Friday, May 30 at 8:00am.

MIG Welding 101: This introductory welding course is designed for individuals with little to no experience in welding, providing the essential skills and knowledge to safely and effectively work with a wire-feed welder to join steel. Through hands-on practice and expert guidance, students will learn the fundamentals of welding with a MIG welder, including proper equipment use, safety procedures, and key welding techniques. By the end of the course, participants will have the confidence to perform basic welding tasks and create simple metal projects.

What to Wear in the Metals Studio?

We wish for all students to have a safe and enjoyable learning experience. Proper safety equipment and PPE will be provided for use within the studio.

Please dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class inall-natural fiber clothing, long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heelshoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long hair should betied back. Nylon, polyester, spandex, or other synthetics are notrecommended around machines, equipment, or processes that can producehot fragments, sparks, or flames. Please avoid synthetic blends, as100% cotton is recommended. Layers are encouraged, as the studio canbegin cool then become very hot.

Welding students are recommended to wear long sleeve shirts to preventarc-flash burns (much like a sunburn). 

All students participating in activities involving sparks or hot metal are encouraged to wear leather boots or older shoes.

Please bring a re-fillable water bottle!

Class Policies & Information:

Open Lab: This class includes access to the studio during Open Lab hours. Open Lab is exclusively for students who are currently enrolled in the program. You are allowed to attend one Open Lab session per week, totaling 3 hours during the duration of your class. You may only attend the Open Lab session for the class in which you are registered. This time is intended for independent work on your class project. While studio staff will be present, they are there to ensure you are using the tools safely, not to provide instruction.

Class Make-Up: Our studios are full with adult and youth classes 7 days a week, 48 weeks a year. Typically, every class is full, which means there is simply no space for students to make up classes. If we cancel an entire class due to weather or other emergencies, we can not guarantee we will be able to schedule a make-up class. Individuals who miss a class will not be able to make it up. Please read the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about missed classes.

Studio Clean Up: Clean-up is critical! Please help our hardworking staff and volunteers by beginning clean-up 30 minutes before the end of class, helping out with common areas, and leaving class on time.

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Friday, May 30 at 8:00am. 

Tired of throwing the same old boring forms? Let’s test the limits to see what clay can do. This higher level (intermediate to advanced), 1-day class will explore bottles, closed forms, double-walled pieces and more.

The best part? There’s absolutely no pressure to get any of this right - we’ll be focusing on technique only and not actually making any pieces to keep. So get bold and take those advanced forms all the way to the limit!

This class takes place at Groundworks HILL, 1010 Aurora Avenue, Boulder, CO. 

PLEASE NOTE: This one-time class runs for 2.5 hours. You will not have access to the studio outside of the scheduled class time and all work will be completed during class time. You will also not have access to our other locations.

Ages: 16+

Available for registration Friday, May 30th at 8:00am

Hate glazing? You’re not alone. Join us for this special one-time, higher level (intermediate to advanced) class exploring an alternate surface treatment called Terra Sigillata (Sig - pronounced ‘sij’ - for short). Terra Sigillata means “sealed earth” due to it being a super refined slip that leaves your pieces with a silky, smooth finish.

Terra Sig goes on best with bone-dry pieces, so Groundworks will provide flat tiles or cylinders to practice on. We’ll fire them after the class and let you know when they’re ready for pick-up. Come get a crash course in this ancient decoration technique.

This class takes place at Groundworks MAIN, 3750 Canfield Street, Boulder, CO. 

PLEASE NOTE: This one-time class runs for 2 hours. You will not have access to the studio outside of the scheduled class time and all work will be completed during class time. You will also not have access to our other locations.

Ages: 16+ 

Available for registration Friday, May 30th at 8:00am

Are you lazing in your glazing? Sleeping on slip? Craving more carving? Let’s dig into it! In this one-time 2.5 hour class, we’ll do a deeper dive into surface decoration techniques such as sgraffito, mishima, carving through wax, and using slip as texture. 

Groundworks will provide flat tiles in a variety of different clay bodies for students to practice surface decoration on. Students can pick if they want their final pieces clear glazed or left raw, and after a few weeks, our staff will let you know when your pieces are out of the kiln and ready for pick-up.

This class takes place at Groundworks Hill 1010 Aurora Ave, Boulder, CO. 

PLEASE NOTE: This one-time class runs for 2.5 hours. You will not have access to the studio outside of the scheduled class time and all work will be completed during class time. You will also not have access to our other locations.

Your pieces will be fired in our gas kilns to Cone 6 Reduction. 

Ages: 16+

Available for registration Friday, May 30th at 8:00am

Always wanted to try the potter's wheel, but didn't know where to start? This class is a great intro to the wheel in 5 short weeks!

This class is intended to get you familiar with the basics of throwing on the potter's wheel. Students will have 3 weeks of throwing instruction, one week of trimming, and one week of glazing. This class is ideal for those who have limited experience and want to learn the basics of centering, trimming and glazing, with a short instructor demo and hands-on assistance each week.

Please note: This class does not include Open Lab hours or additional clay.

Ages 16+ to register

Class meets weekly on SUNDAYS.

All pieces will be fired to Cone 6 in a reduction kiln.

Will be available to register on Friday, May 30 at 8:00am.

Always wanted to get involved in a pottery studio, but didn't know where to start? This class is a great intro to the studio in 5 short weeks!

This class is intended to get you familiar with the basics of wheel-throwing and hand-building. Students will have 2 weeks of throwing instruction, one week of trimming, one week of hand-building, and one week of glazing. This class is ideal for those who have limited experience and want to learn the basics of the potty studio, with a short instructor demo and hands-on assistance each week.

Please note: This class does not include Open Lab hours or additional clay.

Ages 16+ to register

Class meets weekly on SUNDAYS.


This class is Pay What You Can with a suggested price of $195.

All pieces will be fired to Cone 6 in a reduction kiln.

Will be available to register on Friday, May 30 at 8:00am.