Lancaster Clay Studios, Salunga-Landisville PA

I started at this studio over two years ago and have consistently gone back every session. This studio is a great place to learn how to be a wheel thrower or hand builder or use your experience you already have in the open studio format. The owner has decades of experience that she shares when students need. She starts you off by demonstrating how to throw on the wheel during your first class and sits 1: 1 with you if needed. She gives you complete creative freedom to create what you like and offers assistance when needed. The price for the studio includes 4 or 8 weeks of classes with unlimited weekend hours and if you choose the 8 week course you are allowed to go at any time you please throughout the entire week without needing to check in with her or request studio time. The initial payment for the course includes the first 20lb block of clay and then if you need more it’s only $25. The studio fee also includes use of all glazes that are made in house by the owner, a spray booth, any tools she has available, bats for throwing, wood planks and cinder slabs, and several other necessary tools needed for a clay studio. Each student also gets their own shelf for their work and tools. The owner is constantly there loading and unloading her two kilns so students work gets done quickly and if you need something sooner she will happily and intentionally make it happen by simply talking to her about it. When your work is done it is easily found on the designated shelves for pick up.

The studio has needed to move locations twice since the buildings used are not owned by the owner of the classes/business. The owner was able to give students weeks worth of time to prepare for the transition and kept classes open until the last possible second before the moves.

Cost of classes has gone up slightly just like everything else these days, but when you break it down, 8 weeks of class at $300 is $37.50 per class, along with glazes and firings, and you are allowed to use the studio 24/7. Not so bad!

This is an adult only class with everyone from beginner to experienced. There are lots of people there during the class times to talk to and ask for help or guidance from if you need extra assistance if the owner is not there or is busy with kilns, making glazes, or other odds and ends around the studio. The studio is a great place for someone to try something new or rediscover ceramics if they’ve tried it in the past.

If you’re interested in trying something like this this is the place to go, just be respectful, open minded, creative, and helpful and you’ll love it too.

Being an advanced potter, I didn’t need help. So when I first joined this studio 4-5 years ago, it was great. The last year or so was totally different. The studio moved locations and the changes quickly came. We had no running water for a few months and glazes became sparse. The owner said, “ I’ll be making more and testing some new ones. ” Which never happened so we were basically forced to buy our own so that we could glaze our pieces. The studio moved again (about a year later). We had running water (outside). That got better when the owner had the sink inside installed. Still no glaze sand the prices only went up without warning. The place wasn’t cheap to begin with but now we all had to pay more for less. Clay stopped being included with your payment and she also raised the price of the clay. If the owner didn’t like you, rest assured, you’d know. I always thought I was one she liked. When I stood up about when it was time for the next session payment (we had a conversation about it the week before), I was in the following week on a difficult day to drop off some stuff I bought from another company, I was told my stuff was already being prepped for packing if I wasn’t paying up. She bad mouthed our groups night to other sessions (very unprofessional) and had different rules for different people. It all depended if she “liked” you or not. New people were left to “figure” it out on their own with the help of other potters. Which isn’t our job, but hers. She would often walk away after giving them a short basic demo. About the only positive takeaway I have is that I met a bunch of great people and we are all in constant contact with each other and get together regularly. We also found ourselves a great new place to express and explore our creativity in. I could continue to go on, but I think in reading my review, you have an idea of what to expect from this place.

I worked at this studio for a little over a year. The only thing I can really recommend about it are the other students: everyone was friendly and supportive with so much creativity. Unfortunately, that isn't enough to outweigh the toxic environment created by management.
The rules are applied differently to every single person, leading to some of the most passive-aggressive and inconsistent studio standards I have ever seen. The owner bad-mouths students to other students and likes to play people against one another. The rules and procedures change week-to-week and are different for each person. Multiple people were told to get out with no warning or reason. She is openly disdainful of people's work, telling them to their faces that they lack talent or creativity.
Prices are raised without notice, and you get very little for a lot of money. At one point, there was no running water for several months, and at another the kilns were not functional for several months. She still charged the same rates despite people not being able to finish things. For the majority of my time there, there were no glazes, despite repeatedly saying she was working on making them. Most people resorted to buying their own just so they could finish their work. Multiple wheels broke down, and it took forever for her to fix them. It could take weeks to get pieces fired, and if she was irritated with you, she wouldn't fire your pieces at all. If you are a four-week student, good luck getting any of your work at the end of the session- she will likely have thrown it out by the time you try to get it. She often locks equipment and tools in her office when she is irritated with someone, which contributes to the general inefficiency of the studio. The studio was filthy, despite the best efforts of some students to clean and encourage others to clean. She often ridiculed my efforts to clean the space. Many people offered to help in a variety of ways, from cleaning to mixing glazes, but the owner wouldn't accept it, although she always said she needed help.

The only way I managed to stay so long was because I had previous experience. When beginners showed up for their first lesson, she would leave them standing around for 30-45 minutes, give them a short tour, do exactly one throwing demo, and then disappear for the rest of the class. Some people could handle this method of "teaching" but a majority were frustrated and unhappy. Other students were left to answer questions, show techniques, and reassure the beginners. While happy to do it, no one thought this was a good thing.

I met some amazing people at this place (most of whom I'm still in touch with), but the stress of not knowing what I would encounter every time I walked in really ate away at my enjoyment of clay. I would urge you to look elsewhere if you are interested in pottery.