THE Y POTTERY STUDIO
CREATIVITY FOR ALL
The Y opened the Corning Inc. Foundation Pottery Studio on January 17, 2011. Located inside the Y Center on North Main Street in Blacksburg, the studio provides community pottery classes and opportunities for studio memberships. Come get your hands dirty with us!
POTTERY CLASSES
Summer I classes are full! Summer II sessions will be announced in the next few weeks. Follow the VT YMCA Facebook page to be notified when new wheel throwing and handbuilding classes are available.
Pottery Studio Memberships
The YMCA offers memberships to adults who have taken pottery classes with us and, in limited circumstances, to experienced potters who can demonstrate proficiency. Monthly dues entitle members to a 2' x 2' shelf to store tools and supplies, as well as access to electric pottery wheels, handbuilding space, shared tools, glazes, and member activities. We sell a range of clay for different types of ceramics. The studio owns two large kilns for bisque and mid-fire glaze. Studio memberships offer an affordable alternative to the cost of running a home studio. Please contact us at pottery@vtymca.org for more details or to be added to the member waiting list.
Studio hours and location
The studio at the YMCA at Virginia Tech, 1000 North Main St., Blacksburg, VA, is open to members from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday; and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. Holiday hours may change. Please check the whiteboard immediately inside the studio door for weekly information or send us an email at pottery@vtymca.org.
Meet the staff
Jennifer Lawrence, lead teacher and studio coordinator
Jenny has a long history with the studio, going back to the 1990s, when she took classes with legendary area potter Jim Gorman. She not only is a skilled wheel thrower, but focuses on artistic decoration and glazing techniques that are the envy of many members. She generously shares her skills with others, and member Tonia Moxley calls her “Queen of the Underglazes.”
Tonia Moxley, studio technician and coordinator
Tonia also took YMCA pottery classes from Jim Gorman in the 1990’s and has returned to ceramics after a 20-plus-year hiatus. As our new studio technician, Tonia will run the kilns, create and maintain glazes, and coordinate tool maintenance and acquisition. You’ll often find her in the studio practicing her cylinders or sieving glazes.
Heather Johnson, studio instructor
Heather first started wheel throwing 25 years ago and today loves to make pots for her plants. She has a rich background in community arts, and looks forward to helping aspiring potters reach their artistic goals.