The Crucible

Recurring shows are placed on their next date. Every listing was read off the venue's own page by a person; prices are the printed ones.

• Oct18Hand Build and Raku FireOct 18 – Oct 25This class meets on two Sundays. The first covers hand-building small pieces (up to 6 inches wide by 10 inches high). On the second you glaze them and raku-fire them, pulling the hot work into a reduction chamber for crackled, metallic surfaces. It runs Sundays, October 18 and 25, 2–6 PM, at 1260 7th Street, Oakland, near West Oakland BART. The price is $325, or $302.50 for members (ages 16+). Raku firing is hard to find for beginners outside a full ceramics course, which makes this the easy way to try it.$325 ($302.50 members)
• Oct22Heavy Metal: Industrial Artisan FairThursday, 5:00 PMKQED Live and the Crucible turn the West Oakland warehouse into a one-night market of forged, cast and glass work by local makers, including Crucible artists, with jewelers, woodworkers and two food vendors on site. It runs Thursday, October 22, 5–9 PM, at 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART; entry is free with an RSVP, while the optional make-and-take workshops that night are ticketed separately ($25–$35 plus fees, or $210 for a three-hour wheel-throwing taster). The Fused Glass Sugar Skull session that evening is also on our calendar, and the Crucible's larger GIFTY holiday fair follows on December 5–6.Free · RSVP
• Oct22Fused Glass Sugar SkullThursday, 6:00 PM$35 (skull hanger) · $40 (skull bowl)
• Oct24Wooden BoxSaturday, 10:00 AMAfter an introduction to woodworking hand tools, you build a small, functional wooden box to take home (ages 18+, no prerequisite). The next session is Saturday, October 24, 10 AM–4 PM, with more on October 25 and December 10, 12 and 16, at 1260 7th Street, Oakland, near West Oakland BART. The price is $250, or $235 for members. It is a sensible first step before the Crucible's 40-hour Woodworking I course.$250 ($235 members)
• Oct24Metal Clay SkullsOct 24 – Oct 24Students shape silver and copper skulls from metal clay, a mix of recycled fine-metal particles and an organic binder, using rolling, texturing, carving and appliqué. After firing, the skulls can be polished or patinated. The single session runs Saturday, October 24, 10 AM–5 PM, at the Crucible, 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART. The price is $275, or $263 for members (ages 16+). Metal clay skips the sawing and soldering of traditional jewelry, so it is a quick route to a solid-metal pendant just before Día de los Muertos.$275 ($263 members)
• Oct24Print Making TasterOct 24 – Oct 24This three-hour, low-commitment introduction to basic printing is aimed at making cards and small printed items (ages 16+). Sessions are Saturday, October 24 (2–5 PM), Thursdays November 19 and December 10 (6–9 PM) and Saturday, December 19 (10 AM–1 PM) at 1260 7th Street, Oakland, near West Oakland BART. The price is $210, or $200 for members. The December dates fit making your own holiday cards.$210 ($200 members)
• Oct31Blacksmithing Bottle Opener TasterOct 31 – Oct 31This three-hour introduction to the forge covers basic steel forging and hand-tool use, and you hammer out your own bottle opener (ages 16+, no prerequisite). Sessions are Saturday, October 31 (2–5 PM), Saturday, December 12 (2–5 PM) and Thursday, December 17 (6:30–9:30 PM) at 1260 7th Street, Oakland, near West Oakland BART. The price is $210, or $200 for members. The October 31 slot pairs well with the Crucible's Halloween iron pour the same evening.$210 ($200 members)
• Oct31Hot Art Halloween Iron PourSaturday, 6:00 PMThe Crucible's Halloween-night open house centres on an outdoor pour of molten iron, with glassblowing and blacksmithing demos, art installations, hands-on activities, food trucks and drinks, plus building tours at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 PM. It runs 6–9 PM on Saturday, October 31 at 1260 7th Street in West Oakland, a short walk from West Oakland BART. Tickets are $12 for ages 7 and up, and $25 buys an add-on pair of sandblasted Halloween cups. It is one of the cheapest ways in the Bay Area to see fire arts at industrial scale, so families who would never sign up for a welding class can see what happens inside the building.$12 (ages 7+)
• Nov1Ceramic Mug TasterSunday, 10:00 AMIn this three-hour hand-building class (ages 16+, no experience needed) you learn a few clay techniques and make a food-safe mug. Sessions run 10 AM–1 PM on Sunday, November 1 and Saturday, December 12 at the Crucible, 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART. The price is $210, or $200 for members. It suits someone who wants one finished piece rather than a multi-week wheel course, and the December date lands in time to finish a handmade gift.$210 ($200 members)
• Nov7Free Crucible TourSaturday, 4:00 PMA staff member walks visitors through the Crucible's 56,000-square-foot studio, explaining its history, the artists who work there and its mission as a nonprofit. This Saturday, November 7 tour runs 4–6 PM at 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART; it is free, but space is limited, so RSVP, and part of the route involves stairs. The Crucible lists more than a dozen of its paid classes on our calendar, from glass ornaments to blacksmithing, and this is the free way to see those studios first.Free · RSVP required
• Nov8Decorative Glass PumpkinsNov 8 – Nov 8This is a five-hour beginner glassblowing session. You gather molten glass from the furnace, roll in colour and shape a decorative pumpkin to take home, and no experience is needed (ages 16+). Sessions are Sunday, November 8 (1–6 PM, one spot left when we checked) and Saturday, November 21 (noon–5 PM) at the Crucible, 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART. The price is $350, or $332.50 for members. BAGI in San José also runs a two-hour blow-your-own pumpkin for $112, but the Crucible's version gives you much more time on the pipe.$350 ($332.50 members)
• Nov14Fire Eating ISaturday, 10:00 AMThis class teaches the science and safety behind basic fire tricks, including running flame along skin, transferring it and putting it out, along with performance tips. Each student makes a set of torches to keep (ages 18+). The Saturday, November 14 session (10 AM–2 PM) was sold out at the time of writing, but Saturday, December 12 had eight places. Both are at the Crucible, 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART. The price is $220, or $210 for members. Few places in the region teach fire performance to complete beginners in a supervised studio.$220 ($210 members)
• Nov16Glass OrnamentsMonday, 5:00 PMThis is an entry-level hot-shop class (ages 16+). You gather glass, add colour, blow a hollow form and attach a hot loop so the finished ornament can hang. Sessions are Monday, November 16 (5–9:45 PM), Sunday, November 22, Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13 (all 1–6 PM) at 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART. The price is $350, or $332.50 for members. December sessions at holiday glass classes around the Bay tend to fill first, so the November dates are the easier booking.$350 ($332.50 members)
• Nov19Free Crucible TourThursday, 6:00 PMThe Crucible's last public tour listed for 2026 takes visitors through its glass, metal, wood and fire studios while staff explain the building's history, its artists and its nonprofit work. It runs Thursday, November 19, 6–8 PM, at 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART; it is free with an RSVP, places are limited, and part of the route uses stairs. It lands a few weeks before the Crucible's GIFTY holiday fair (December 5–6), which is also on our calendar.Free · RSVP required
• Dec5GIFTY Holiday Craft Fair and Open HouseDec 5 – Dec 6GIFTY fills two floors of the Crucible with handmade work from more than 60 Oakland and Bay Area artists, along with faculty craft demonstrations, free hands-on activities for kids, food trucks and a bar; you can also make a holiday piece in a short session priced under $50. It runs Saturday, December 5 (10 AM–6 PM) and Sunday, December 6 (11 AM–4 PM) at 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART, and admission is free for all ages. The same weekend also has Sebastopol Center for the Arts' Art & Maker Market and Richmond Art Center's Holiday Arts Festival on our calendar, so it is a good weekend to buy gifts directly from Bay Area makers.Free for all ages
• Dec8Glass Fused OrnamentsTuesday, 6:00 PM$210 per person ($200 members)
• Dec10Ceramic OrnamentsThursday, 6:30 PM$170 per person ($160 members)
• Dec12Leather WalletDec 12 – Dec 12This one-day introduction to leather covers cutting, stitching, dyeing and stamping, and you finish a personalised bi-fold wallet with pockets (ages 16+, no experience needed). It runs Saturday, December 12, 10 AM–4 PM, at the Crucible, 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART. The price is $260, or $246 for members. The timing makes it a practical choice for making a gift rather than buying one.$260 ($246 members)
• Dec19Viking Knit BraceletSaturday, 10:00 AMYou weave coloured silver-plated copper wire into a flexible, cord-like bracelet using a historic technique that resembles knitting, which also serves as a short introduction to chainmaking (ages 16+). It runs Saturday, December 19, 10 AM–1 PM, at the Crucible, 1260 7th Street, near West Oakland BART. The price is $210, or $200 for members. You need no torch or soldering experience, so it works as a last-minute handmade gift.$210 ($200 members)

The last 3 of 3 past events we listed here — useful for a sense of what this venue actually programmes.

1. Indigo Dyeing and ShiboriOct 18, 2026
2. Spoon Carving by HandOct 17, 2026
3. Free Crucible TourOct 15, 2026