$225Workshops & Classes · Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Four-week Wheel Throwing & Hand-building
About
A four-week beginner course that starts with handbuilding, spends two weeks on the wheel and trimming, and finishes with glazing; 18 lb of clay, food-safe glazes and slips, firings and unlimited studio access are included. Tuesdays 6 to 9pm, Nov 10 through Dec 1, at Mel Rice Ceramica, 6138 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, near Muni 38/38R stops. $225 (strict no-refund policy); an all-wheel four-week course follows from Dec 8.
Good to know
Pick a date and tell us how many. We arrange it with Mel Rice Ceramica for you. Free to ask; nothing is charged today.
Read off Mel Rice Ceramica’s own page. Times and prices can change; the venue’s page wins.
What the class includes
Summarised in our words from Mel Rice Ceramica’s booking page, Oct 23, 2026. If the page says otherwise, it wins.
How it compares
- Beginner-friendly
- After work
At $225, this sits toward the low end of the 22 multi-week pottery courses we list in the Bay Area. They run from $65 to $445, and the typical price is $354.
Not ready to commit to a course? 18 studios offer one-time pottery classes from $10, a cheaper way to find out if you like it.
Other pottery classes in the Bay Area
- Clay Play: WheelWheelhouse Clay · SF West SideSUNDAYS · 11 AM · $98
- Simple Ceramics: Handbuild Your Own Travel MugStudio Sumi · SF West SideSAT, NOV 7 · $76
- Porcelain Ornaments and Gift TagsSharon Art Studio · SF West SideTHU, DEC 3 · $165 members / $190 non-members
- Hand Build and Raku FireThe Crucible · Oakland & East BayTHRU SUN, OCT 25 · $325 ($302.50 members)
New to pottery?
Most first classes are either a wheel taster, where you learn to centre clay and pull up a cylinder, or hand-building, where you shape a mug, dish or planter with pinch, coil and slab techniques.
- Wear clothes that can get muddy and keep nails short; rings and bracelets come off before the wheel.
- Expect two to three hours for a single session. Clay, tools and firing are almost always in the price; glazing sometimes costs extra.
- A one-time class is the cheap way to find out whether you want a five- or six-week course, which is where the wheel actually starts to click.
Taking it home: Not on the day. Pieces dry, are fired, glazed and fired again, so studios usually hold them for two to four weeks.
Questions people ask
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