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workshop questions class questions member questions
food safety
When is your shop open?
Our space and clay shop are open for classes and members. Please email us with any questions about visiting our space otherwise!
Do you have a physical store for pottery?
We do have a studio, but it is used workshops and classes for students and members. We have pop up shops + markets, which are listed on our home page if you are interested in purchasing pottery.
WORKSHOP QUESTIONS
What should I wear?
Things you can get messy! Clay does come out in the wash most of the time, but just to be safe we suggest being comfortable and wearing what you don’t mind getting dirty. We also suggest trimming your nails before your class - long nails add an extra level of difficulty to any pottery project.
How long does it take to fire my work?
Most times it takes 4-8 weeks for workshops. Clay is a finicky thing. We do our best to fire work as often and as quickly as possible, but sometimes it takes longer than we’d hoped (or expected). We promise we’ll email you as soon as it’s ready to be picked up!
HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN ATTEND A WORKSHOP?
One workshop slot is good for one person to attend a purchase. Each person must purchase their own spot.
what if i can’t make it to a class/workshop?
Check out our cancellation policy here.
PLEASE NOTE FOR WORKSHOP GOERS
From time to time a piece will break during the firing process. In that case, we will give you a piece made by one of our artists in your chosen glaze.
CLASS QUESTIONS
Are you teaching classes right now? How do I sign up?
Yes! Our classes run in seasonal sessions (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). Sign up for our newsletter below to get an email before our next class registration opens! We put our classes up for everyone at once so everyone has a fair chance to getting into one (aka, no preregistrations). In the meantime, sign up for a workshop for a one time experience to get your hands in some clay and see if the wheel or hand building are for you!
WHAT CLASS LEVEL SHOULD I SIGN UP FOR?
We want you to end up in an appropriate class for your experience level - it’ll be a better experience for you, your classmates, and your teacher! Read through this info and choose the class that matches your experience:
BEGINNER: You’re a beginner or want to start from the beginning!
BEGINNER 102: You’ve taken a beginner class before but feel like you need more help to be confident with the basics.
Wheel: You’re familiar with centering, pulling walls, trimming, and glazing, but feel like you’re still struggling or want to go deeper
Handbuilding: You’re familiar with pinch pots, coil building, and slab building
INTERMEDIATE: You feel confident with all the basics and want to branch out and try new techniques.
Wheel: You can center 2+ pounds and are confident with pulling walls, trimming, and glazing
Handbuilding: You’re confident with pinch pots, coil building, slab building, sculpting, and over forms.
what if i need to cancel my class registration?
Check out our cancellation policy here.
Do you offer make up classes?
There are no make up classes, however there are open studio hours throughout the week! If you let us know in advance you will be missing a class, a teacher may be available to help you learn what was covered in class during open studio hours. It will not be a full lesson, but a helpful hand when you come in.
When are Open Studio hours?
Open Studio Hours are for current students and studio members to play and practice outside of class hours. The schedule varies depending on the month - check the current schedule on the home page for specifics!
MEMBER QUESTIONS
Are you taking new members?
Right now we are committing to growing our current group well, which means we cannot take any other members at the moment. If you are interested please fill out the form on the homepage and we will let you know when there is an opening available!
How do I cancel my membership?
We’re sorry to see you go! Click through here to access your account.
To cancel or change things with your membership:
Log in - this is located on the top left hand corner.
Your Account will show on the right hand side ( if you are on a desktop) and one of the options with be Subscriptions.
Click on subscriptions.
Click on the subscription you’d like to cancel - e.g. Monthly Membership.
This is where you can cancel your subscription.
what If I LOST MY PASSWORD FOR MY ACCOUNT AS A MEMBER?
Go to login and click “Forgot Password?” to reset your password.
Morehouse Studio Release
Anyone taking a class or participating in studio time acknowledges that they will be using a quickly spinning pottery wheel and/or sharp tools, and acknowledges that they are responsible for any associated risks. Morehouse Studio is released and discharged from any loss, injury, or damage resulting from a student’s participation in the class or during studio time. All students agree to hold Morehouse Studio harmless from any and all claims, causes of action, damages, judgements costs or expenses including reasonable attorney’s fees and other litigation costs which may in any way arise from the student’s participation in the classes or workshop or use of materials made at Morehouse Studio.
FOOD SAFETY & GLAZE
Here at Morehouse, we are interested in keeping ceramics a fun and safe hobby. For this reason, we are sharing some information about food safety and glazes. Pottery is a wonderful hobby and, like everything, has its risks. Health management needs to be taught as part of the whole experience. If we are all aware and proactive in the studio, we can keep it a healthy space for everyone! You are always taking a risk when using clay and ceramics.
If you are planning to sell your work, we encourage you to educate yourself on how to ensure your pieces are safe for sale.
What does “food safe” mean in regards to ceramics?
Food safety refers to the ceramic and glaze being safe for extended use as dinnerware. For the clay, this mostly means vitrification (see below), and for glazes it refers primarily to chemical properties. Food safe glazes do not allow for chemicals/metals that may be in the glaze to leach out into your food.
We test our studio glazes individually to make sure they are safe to use on functional ware. Keep in mind, however, that when you mix two glazes together, this can change the chemical composition. For this reason, it is the safest option to use only one glaze where it will come in contact with food.
If you are uncertain about your glaze and/or you are beginning to sell your work, the best option is to test it! There are many different ways to test your work but here are a few examples:
Testing:
Send a test piece to a lab:
This is the most thorough but expensive option. This may be necessary if you are using a glaze that is not provided by Morehouse. Check the manufacturer’s website for more information.
Lemon test:
Squeeze the juice of one lemon on/in your piece and leave the lemon slice on the glazed surface overnight.
The next day, rinse the piece with water. If the area where the lemon was has changed in color or sheen the glaze is not safe to use on areas where it will come in contact with food. You may still use this glaze on the outside of functional ware or on non functional surfaces.
Vitrification test:
Weigh your piece using a kitchen scale
Boil your piece for 20 minutes (or soak overnight) and weigh again
Subtract the boiled weight by the original weight to find the difference
Use the following formula to calculate the % absorption:
Difference in weight/the original weight = the absorption rate
3% absorption or less is ideal for food safe items. The predicted value will be listed on the clay manufacturer’s website
*Please note that there are many different methods of testing food safety and vitrification. The above info is only a starting point!
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Didn’t answer your question?
Email us at hello@morehouse.studio or send us a message!