We did a team outing to the studio for a pottery class. The teacher explained everything well and we did the first piece all together before just going at our own pace for the next pieces. the teacher made the time to come and help out everyone in turn to make the adjustments or show how to get to a given shape. We will see the end results in 3-4 weeks!

Julia was such an amazing instructor for a first timer like me with no talent! I learned a ton and have a little more self esteem around my artistic ability! Thanks Julia!

Jason was our instructor. Friendly guy and taught me a lot! I really appreciated how he paced the class to match people’s skill sets. We covered enough that I was able to make a bowl and a pot for my plants, and lots of great technique I can use in the future. Engaging evening. Highly recommend.

We had a small, three person class at Coffee and Clay with Alex (instructor). The setting was super approachable and Alex was great in getting us settled in. As a first time novice, I appreciated how the techniques were presented in a simple and clear way.What I liked most about the class was the freedom to explore and play with the techniques that Alex had just demonstrated. We had access to as much clay as we wished so that we could try without fear of failure, but were limited to 1 pound at a time to keep things manageable.The two hours went by so quickly, I definitely wished I had more time. Most certainly would go back again for more!

Great pottery class for beginners! The instructor was very knowledgeable and provided easy to follow techniques. Highly recommend if you are looking to get creative while in SF.

Took a pottery class with Jason and had an amazing time there! It was our first time creating pottery so we really appreciated the fact that he was good at giving clear and thorough instructions and helped us whenever we needed. Definitely will come back again for more!

My teenage daughter and I had a great time at the pottery class, an activity booked via AirBnB experiences. Our instructor Lucy was nice and helpful. Time was flying - awesome!

“The experience was very relaxing and it was my first time using the electric wheel. I had enough clay to make four little sake cups. I would do it again.”

I would recommend taking a class here for sure! It was a lot of fun to learn and work with the clay. I would love to come back and try more in depth classes. Also lots of cool art for sale here.

I really enjoyed taking this class with my husband (makes for a great date day activity). The class was small enough to be personable and that way you get plenty of time with the instructor. The instructor was very helpful and clear with the directions. And the studio is just amazing - everything you need is provided to you. Make no mistake - while this was fun, pottery is not easy! Plenty of us struggled but we all laughed about it. If its your first time, you wont get perfect shapes right away. But you will walk out with a lot of respect for this creative studio and all their workers!

Took the class on pottery. The teacher explained everything really well and helped in areas we struggled with. Fastest two hours of my life. Loved it.

My boyfriend and I decided to book this class last-minute on a Friday afternoon. Alex was our teacher, and he was incredibly helpful and made the experience really easy and fun. Looking forward to seeing our little pots glazed in a few weeks!

Instructions were super clear and inspiring. Our instructor Alex knows how to get you going with ease and enthusiasm. Gives great mentor ship, we also appreciate his humor. keep teaching Alex!

Had a great time making pottery with Alex! My girlfriend and I were there for our anniversary and thought the instruction and atmosphere was spot on. Thanks for a great time!

This studio is clean and well organized with fantastic light. The owner, Steve, is kind, professional and super efficient at keeping the space producing in an orderly way. It was a joy to work here and I would certainly recommend it if you are seeking a group ceramic studio.

They cancelled on us the night before because we were the only 2 enrolled in the class. The instructors were unwilling to come in for such a small group. They offered to change the date but we could only do the original date. Not sure why class size matters, wasn’t anything in their policy about cancelling if a class is too small. Disappointed, probably won’t try to come again.

Had such an amazing time. The instructor was so thoughtful, helpful, and eager for us to learn the craft – youll be making pieces in no time. This Experience really gave me an appreciation for those that make pottery for a living, and this is something Ill definitely do again.

Very encouraging and helpful. Made the experience exciting even though my group had a lot of trouble. Over all, we had a great time and plan to return with more people.

Alex was a great teacher! We had a fun experience. Would recommend going!

Went to check it out and didnt feel welcome as a potential client.

I hosted a Client Appreciation event at SMAart Gallery called Play With Clay. Approximately 15 clients attended. After serving food and sangria from Papalote, we received a demonstration and instruction on hand building and working on the wheel. One of my creations is attached, a small bowl that slumped on the wheel. Steve gave it a beautiful glaze and fired it so nicely!

Very fun class and my pottery turned out beautifully. The instructor was informative and fun and Id love to take anther class here

Alex is very patient and knowledgeable. Awesome experience!

My husband and I enjoyed spending our 9th anniversary playing with clay. It was awesome.

They have great class

We had such a great experience in Alex’s pottery class and learned a lot!

Awesome class, patient instruction and lots of fun playing with clay!

We had a great time!

Had so much fun in my first clay class!! Jessica is cool ️

Their weekend Morning Clay and Coffee class is the perfect intro to pottery making!!

A great place to play in clay! The exhibits are a must see if you love ceramic sculpture and pottery. Do you Raku? Check with Steve about participating in one of the Raku-b-ques.

What a miserable experience.I signed up for a Verlocal intro to pottery course at the SMAart Gallery and had a good time so I signed up for an 8 week course. I told Steve, the owner, and his complete and utter indifference towards a continuing customer shouldve tipped me off. But alas I went on to take the class. It was a complete waste of time and money as we covered the EXACT SAME THING every single session because the classes are not only people whod be moving through the 8 week course but also includes total newcomers each time. I received 1 lesson in trimming and 1 lesson in glazing (each perhaps 20min). When I attempted to ask Steve for additional help he acted as if he was doing me a grand favor. Eventually I was tired of being treated as a major nuisance and only went into the studio during self guided hours, where the rest of the potters taught me 100x more than Steve ever did.In short, dont come here if you would like any sort of attention or instruction as Steve clearly hates talking/working with people. Additionally, Steve wont fire pieces at any sort of consistent time or pace so youll be waiting 7+ weeks for items to be completed. I once waited a month for my item to be bisque fired.Now, I was ready to call off this as a bad experience and not leave a review (I was moving away from SF back to glorious NYC anyway) but the final straw was Steves piss-poor attitude upon my departure. I had completed a few pieces and they were supposed to be bisque fired before I left so I could then glaze them and have them ready for my friends to pick up. Im a professional chef and I had made these for my industry friends. I politely asked Steve if he could glaze them in simple 1-color glazes for me since the bisque firing had be later than he quoted me. He said yes. 4 weeks later I check in with him and received this email:Jenny - I have not taken a full accounting of your work to assure that they match up with the list you gave me. I will need to do that on a time available basis. Unfortunately I rarely find the time to work on my own work.Sorry? Last I checked you run a studio where people pay you MONEY so that you can administer help and do things that are part of the studio fee. I do not give a rats ass if you dont have time to make your own art. I dont complain my paying clientele they take up my time and when Im home from work Im tired and dont make myself a gourmet meal despite being a chef. Such is WORK.When I pressed further for my pieces the next two weeks, including connecting him with my industry friend (a well known restauranteur in SF) he wrote this email to my friend:Sorry for the delay in finishing Jennys work. I am providing this service for her as a courtesy and without compensation. The last of the plates came out of the firing yesterday afternoon. Jenny applied too much glaze on one of the plates and the glaze ran onto the shelf and caused some damage to the shelf and the plate.Excuse me? Without compensation? I pay for studio time, clay and class. Additionally, how unprofessional is it to badmouth YOUR OWN STUDENT in front of an industry professional?The list of Steves utter lack of professionalism and embarrassing inability to conduct courteous business goes on and on, but I hope you can glean some insight from this review to stay far away. Go elsewhere and pay someone money who will actually be grateful for a new customer and a willing mind to learn about ceramics.Now Im at Togei Kyoshitsu in NYC and its fantastic.