Please Note: Open Studio Hours have been Discontinued until further notice!
Please check the Handle Factory Facebook page for changes and cancellations.
Spring Classes
Online registration for Spring Classes is open
Please note, due to ongoing Corona virus concerns, we have pushed back our spring class dates. Our plan ( and hope) is to begin our spring class series the Week of April 27th, though additional delays are likely.
Learning to Throw: Developing a Practice. Instructor Paige Wilder, Mondays 6-8pm
This 8 week class will be an introduction to wheel-thrown pottery with an emphasis on repetition, developing a practice, taking risks, and exploring the limits of the clay – to learn basic skills. Students will learn how to center clay, shape basic forms, make handles, trim, and glaze pottery. Students may or may not go home with a finished pot. $250 for 8 weeks includes materials
NEW! Setting the Table- a four week mini-series. Instructor Annette Gates, Thursdays 10am to 12:30pm.
New instructor Annette Gates will share tips and tricks for hand-building a pair of place settings for the table. Emphasis in class will be on intuitive exploration while learning skills like rolling out even slabs, understanding timing and designing unique templates for easy repetition. $150 plus materials ($20-$40) for 4 weeks of two and a half hour classes.
Introduction to Handbuilding. Instructor Dan Anderson, Tuesdays 6-8pm
This class will cover techniques for creating functional and sculptural pieces using soft and hard clay slabs. We will explore various techniques for creating surface designs and textures on clay, options for using forms, molds and templates, and methods for joining and attaching clay pieces to build more varied and unique pieces. 8 weeks, $225 plus materials.
Basics and Beyond: Building Skills on the Wheel. Instructor Molly Cantor, Wednesdays 6-8pm
For beginners and those with some clay experience who want to deepen foundational throwing skills and learn new ones. Learning and practicing centering, shaping basic forms, trimming, pulling handles, decorating and glazing. We will focus this session on creating wheel thrown place settings-cups bowls and plates. $225 plus materials for 8 weeks
Advanced Beginner/ Intermediate Wheelthrowing. Instructor Molly Cantor, Thursdays 6-8pm
This class is geared towards experienced students who are looking to hone and refine wheelthrowing skills through a series of demonstrations, projects and practices. For those who are interested, we will focus on creating place settings and centerpieces that have a distinctive voice expressed through form and surface. $225 plus materials for 8 weeks
Summer 2020 Clay, Yoga & Art
July 20 – 24, 2020
Monday – Friday, 9 am – 3 pm, ages 7 – 9.
Cost: $325 per week
The Handle Factory
Shelburne Falls Yoga and
The Art Garden collaborate to offer morning clay, midday movement, and mixed media art-making in the afternoons.
Clay, Yoga & Art
July 27 – July 31, 2020
Monday – Friday, 9 am – 3 pm, ages 9 – 12+.
Cost: $325 per week
The Handle Factory,
Shelburne Falls Yoga and
The Art Garden collaborate to offer morning clay (focus on wheel throwing), midday movement, and mixed media art-making in the afternoons.
Children are escorted to each studio.
They eat their bag lunches at The Art Garden. Snacks provided.
Clay & Art
Just like Clay, Yoga & Art, but without the Yoga.
August 2 – 7, 2020
Monday – Friday, 9 am – 2 pm
mixed ages (7 -12+ years old)
Cost: $275 per week