KC Clay Guild

Went to a RAKU Firing event in October. What a cool experience! The street was closed off, 2 food trucks, an awesome live musician and multiple kilns set up. We chose our piece, labeled it, glazed it and hung out while they fired it.Looks like the guild offers classes and studio space for artists. You can even buy pieces from a little shop in the lobby! A very interesting hidden gem! Can't wait to take a class.

We joined KC Clay Guild as adults wanting to start a new hobby, and I couldn't imagine a more welcoming place than KCCG. Staff is kind, helpful, and always available to teach you something new. The other potters are probably some of the coolest people you'll meet in the city. We bought yearly memberships at $60, and the hourly rate for studio use is $4. They're our one-stop shop for everything ceramics!

We had a fun time at our intro to pottery class at KC Clay Guild. They offer this class on Sunday nights from 5-8 PM. It requires no past experience with pottery, which was perfect for us newcomers. The price was steep - $70 per person - but we wanted to try it out and support the arts. We arrived on time and were in class with four others - the cap is eight people. Our instructor was an artist in residence at the guild and an experienced potter. He got us started with a half our demonstration, then guided us through our first "throw." After that, we spent about an hour and half attempting to make pieces. Depending on your skill, you might be able to make 3-4 objects. For the last half hour, we received a tour of the facility and selected our glazes. Our pottery should be ready for pickup about a month after the class. We had a lot of fun doing something creative and different, and really liked our instructor. If you have something specific you are looking to make, such as a bowl or vase, make sure you articulate it early in the class and they will help you shape it on the wheel. We might return for open studio time to get a few more iterations - it's addictive!

I LOVE KC Clay Guild! I attended the Raku night, but I also bought a cool twisted ceramic vase for only 5.00 that a clay artist made...plus, I got a food safe drinking cup.The thing is, ceramics is something my grandma did.Not so! At Kc clay guild they teach to use the pottery wheel, throw the clay, fire and bake the clay, glaze the clay...it's all about the clay.You can become a member which has the perks of using the equipment, attending workshops, learning and creating. I was impressed with the space and artistry. In fact, it would be a fun yelp event sometime.And...Raku night. I suspect after this that in the coming month there will be clay bowls and vases, and food safe drinking cups, plates and other items around my house. I truly love the art of clay, and will become a member and take the classes. Clay art is very popular, and I was surprised how many people are involved. The bowl I glazed looks very professional. And to say the least, it's cool. It's one of a kind, and unique. Huzzah to the KCClay Guild.

Love it here!!! I had tried to come here before but I thought it was wayyyy too expensive for classes. Finally, I saw a class open through Communiversity and decided to give their wheel throwing class a whirl! I used to really love wheel throwing in high school and haven't done it but once since.I must say, I freaking love it here. Everyone is so friendly and helpful! Josh our instructor is amazing and is incredibly talented! The class is only 4 weeks long but I can definitely see myself taking another class and paying full price for it! The class is awesome and I'm going to come out of it with a few great pieces! KC Clay Guild, you're looking at a new member. This is my new-old thing!! Love it!

This place is really a hidden gem in the KC area. We recently signed up for a pottery throwing class and are loving the experience. This is a great way to learn pottery and get your fat ass out of the house to actually do something productive so what are you waiting on?

This past July I used one of KC Clay Guild's groupons to take a 4-week wheel-throwing class. The class met once a week for 3 hrs, and was extremely enjoyable. I loved our instructor, and I ended up making 15 pieces of pottery! I was told once the class finished, that I could take as much time as I needed to glaze my finished pieces (I just couldn't start any new ones). I came back a few weeks after finishing the class to pick up my bisque-ware and glaze them. However, I could only find 5 of my 15 pieces. I glazed the 5 I could find and came back the following weeks trying to find more pieces. I ended up finding 7 of my pieces in the DONATION bin on a top shelf and in various boxes. I found out (after I started finding my missing pieces in donation boxes or on the "next stop, dumpster" shelf) that KC Clay Guild uses a numbering system to determine how long pieces have been on the shelf. They mark a number on the bottom of your pieces in pencil corresponding to the month. All my pieces had a 7 on the bottom because I made them in July, even though they were all put on the "to be fired" shelf the LAST WEEK in July. The unfair part about that was that my pieces hadn't had their first firing until at least the second week of August. By the time they were bisque-fired (the 1st of 2 firings), they were automatically considered "old pieces" so someone put them in the donation boxes. Additionally, after my 4th trip to search the shelf, I was informed that you only have a 2 week grace period once your class ends to glaze your remaining pieces. So fair warning: not all their staff is informed about their protocols, and they may try to charge you for firing your pieces.I have had to make at least 6 trips to find my missing pieces and hope my glazed pottery had been fired. I have been extremely frustrated every time that I've had to waste time, energy, and gas waiting on their extremely long and unorganized firing schedule. Just to give you an example: I glazed 4 pieces one afternoon and put them on the "to be fired shelf" right next to each other, came back 10 days later to find 2 of them finished and 2 of them still waiting to be fired (but they had been moved to an unreachable back shelf which could have been why they weren't fired with the other two). Therefore, I had to find ANOTHER time to come back 7-10 days later to pick those other two pieces up. It is now the middle of Oct, and I just picked up my 11th and 12th finished pieces. I have no idea how they lost or where they put 3 of my pieces, but I have given up trying to find them. My two friends who did the class with me are missing a combined total of at least 8 pieces. The worst part: almost all of my pieces, which looked perfect before I glazed them, have chunks taken out of the bottom from God knows what. What started out as a wonderful experience has turned into a drawn out, 3-month pain that I'm tired of dealing with. Needless to say, I will not be returning, nor will I be encouraging any of my friends to get a groupon for this poorly run establishment. It's not worth the money or effort.

I am a member of this amazing place and have been for a year now! It is not-for-profit and completely run by volunteers.If you love ceramics, they offer:Classes you can take,Clay bags (Porcelain and stoneware) that you can buy,Wheels you can throw on,Glazes you can paint with,and they will do both of the firings (cone 10) on site. There are fees for studio time, renting a shelf, buying clay, bisque firing, glaze firing, and an annual membership fee which is $25. This may sound pricey, but for a hobby or career you are into, it is worth it. Ways to get things cheaper:For new potters, I suggest taking your first class through UMKC's Communiversity. It is $40 for unlimited everything listed above! They even let you use tools, so you don't have to buy your own. This is a good way to see if this is a hobby you'd like to pursue but if you already know you like it, it is a great way to get things for a lot cheaper at first.After your Communiversity class, I suggest you pay the annual membership fee because it allows you to get everything cheaper. If you are a member and you enroll in a class it is $135 for 8 weeks of class, but this is a one-time fee that covers all your other clay guild expenses. If you don't want to enroll in a class you can dodge the studio time fee by coming in to do clay on Friday or Saturday nights, which is free after 6 pm. All other hours are $4 per studio hour. Some people take their clay home to avoid studio hour fees and bring it back when it is ready to be fired.Once you've been there for a year you can become a volunteer and the world of discounts open up for you! Almost everything is free and unlimited and you only have to volunteer once every one or two weeks! The Clay Guild also offers events that are once a month, biannually, or yearly, such as Raku firings, a night of Bowl-ing, the holiday show, etc. These are a lot of fun and are open to members and non-members. Many of the people there are artists that are artists by career, and some are just doing it as a hobby, and some are just beginners learning, so don't be intimidated, everyone's welcome! And it has been my experience that everyone is willing to help each other when asked. The atmosphere is laid back and friendly. It is a great place to meet cool people and have a creative outlet. It has definitely made my life a ton better, now that I can build things and get dirty whenever I want! :)

Been a member here for almost 2 years. I've taken several classes, all with terrific instructors. Easy to get started and continue on your own or keep advancing with classes. The volunteers who staff the desk most days are friendly and helpful. If you have any interest, I'd highly recommend giving it a try!

We have been to a couple classes/events at the Guild and everyone has always been helpful and welcoming. We look forward to using some studio time in the future.