Tucson Clay Art Center LLC
Tucson Clay Art Center LLC is a pottery classes serving Tucson, AZ.
About Tucson Clay Art Center LLC
Tucson Clay Art Center LLC is an adult pottery studio and class center serving Tucson from its location near the Campbell corridor on East Fort Lowell Road. The studio offers pottery classes in a friendly, open, creative space, along with memberships for experienced ceramicists and a retail gallery featuring unique, locally made ceramics. Its programs are designed for adults over 18, and students at all levels of experience are welcome.
Classes give participants room to develop both functional and sculptural work according to their own interests. Individual instruction covers the basics of ceramics while also helping experienced potters refine their existing skills. Instruction includes wheel throwing, hand building, glazing, and surface design. The class schedule includes hand building and wheel throwing for all levels, intermediate wheel throwing, sculpture, and open studio time for currently registered students. The studio also offers a range of class times across the week, giving students opportunities to work during daytime and evening sessions.
Owner and instructor Rebecca Pincus brings more than 20 years of experience working in clay to her teaching. She describes the earthiness of clay, the excitement of glazes, and the process of firing as continuing sources of inspiration. Her approach centers on identifying each student's goals and encouraging an individual vision. That emphasis allows beginners to learn foundational techniques while giving more experienced ceramicists space to pursue their own ideas.
Tucson Clay Art Center operates a 2,200-square-foot, fully equipped studio with a hand building area, eight wheels, three kilns, a glaze room, and a 30 by 50 slab roller. Members have access to the studio during studio hours, except when workshops are scheduled, and receive cubby space for clay and tools along with personal drying rack space. Membership includes glazes and firings, and members may submit work for consideration in the gallery. The studio notes that production work is not permitted.
The center's history also includes the work of Betsy Tanzer, who founded the Clay Art Center in 2014 after a 60-year career in clay, during which she ran numerous studios and clay organizations. Tanzer, who died in 2019, was an artist, educator, and mentor whose work appeared in exhibitions around the country. Her commitment to ceramics education remains part of the studio's story, and a large selection of her ceramics is displayed and available for purchase in the gallery. Visitors can also browse one-of-a-kind ceramics made locally by other artists.
People interested in taking a class can register for one of the studio's seven-week sessions. Class fees include glazes and firings, while clay is purchased through the studio and basic tools are required. Gift certificates are available. Those who prefer to work independently can inquire about membership and visit the facility to see the space. The studio and gallery are located on Fort Lowell just west of Campbell, and the gallery offers a place to view and purchase locally made ceramics.