$130 ($125 members)Workshops & Classes · Saturday, December 12, 2026
Play with Clay
About
A beginner's morning at the pottery wheel: learn the basics and throw as much as you like, then the studio trims, glazes and packages two of your pieces for pickup a few weeks later. Lillian Frances teaches it from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, December 12, at Lillstreet Art Center, 4401 N Ravenswood Ave (Montrose Brown Line). It costs $130 ($125 members) with no materials fee.
Good to know
Read off Lillstreet’s own page. Times and prices can change; the venue’s page wins.
How it compares
- Weekend
At $125, this sits about the middle of the 31 single-session pottery classes we list in Chicago. They run from $25 to $300, and the typical price is $83.
That works out to about $42 an hour for a 3-hour session.
If one session leaves you wanting more, 1 studio we list runs multi-week pottery courses, from $225.
Other pottery classes in Chicago
- Intro to Wheel ThrowingLincoln Square Pottery Studio and Learning Center · North SideSAT, OCT 31 · $60 + $15 firing fee
- Made at Night: WheelthrowingMADE Chicago · Northwest SideFRIDAYS & SATURDAYS · 6 PM · $85.00
- Friday Night Wine-o-ramaViaClay · Oak Park & West SuburbsFRIDAYS · 6 PM · $95; $75 each for groups (2+)
- Date Night Pottery on the WheelColor Cocktail Factory · West Loop & Near WestFRI, OCT 23 · $80 for two / $55 for two
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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