Clay Art Center Begins Saturday Drop-In Class

Clay Art Center, which offers clay and pottery classes for children and adults, now offers a Saturday drop-in class for families.

Jill Rivel and daughter Orli, from White Plains, work on a project together during Clay Art Center's drop-in class.

In September, Clay Art Center combined three once-a-month programs to create a weekly Saturday drop-in class to encourage members of the community to join one of the center’s many classes. The center aims to establish a space for people to explore their creativity and express themselves through clay.

The Saturday drop-in classes are open to adults and children ages 5 and older. During the 2-hour sessions, held from 2-4pm, participants partake in a structured project, which teaches basic clay skills, including how to use the potter’s wheel. Participants can also take a tour of Clay Art Center’s spaces, including the gallery and shop, and learn about the center’s community outreach programs, such as Empty Bowls, a national organization that raises awareness about issues of hunger and food insecurity.

Program manager Caitlin Brown says the center hopes to encourage a multigenerational experience for grandparents, parents, and grandchildren through the drop-in classes and various workshops held throughout the year. “[The drop-in class] is really about spending time together,” she says, “and it’s conducive to creating a space for families to have a conversation.”

Other classes available for children ages 6-12 include Clay After School and Tween Wheel. The next session of both programs runs Nov. 3-Dec. 1 on Mondays from 4-5:30pm. During the five-week sessions, Clay After School participants, ages 6-9, learn technical clay skills and use their imaginations to sculpt projects. In Tween Wheel, children ages 10-12 learn the basics of working on the potter’s wheel and explore their creativity while making functional pottery. Class registration is available online while space is still available.