Our Recurring Classes

Click one of the calendar links below to check out class offerings and workshops or keep scrolling to learn more about our classes!

Spring Session I

JANUARY THRU MARCH

Spring Session II

MARCH THRU MAY

Learn about our classes

People participating in a pottery class in a studio, working on clay pottery on various pottery wheels with tools, buckets, and supplies on tables, in a room with bright yellow walls and wooden features.
An elderly man with glasses and a brown hat sculpting a clay bust of a young person's head in an art studio, with a woman in the background and photographs of the sculpture on the table.

SCULPTURE

Break down boundaries and form your imagination through clay in our sculpture class. This wonderful class does not require any experience with clay. Sculpting what you see in your minds eye through this medium only requires time, attention, intention, and patience to gently work with the clay to materialize your vision.

Sculpture classes are offered once a week on Saturday mornings with world renowned and award winning ceramicist Carlos Dowling.

A person making pottery on a spinning wheel with clay. Various pottery tools and a container of water are on the yellow table next to the wheel.

Hand Building

Step back through time to reach toward the earliest form of shaping and using clay to craft abstract and utilitarian pieces. Learn about the wonderful minutiae of working over the clay by hand to form any number of items by pinching, coiling, rolling, joining, and decorating clay. Hand Building allows students to slow things down and learn about these characteristics of clay in an intimate manner.

Hand Building is an essential skill set in any potters tool kit and can be explored for a life time to create beautiful pieces of work.

Common Clay offers Hand Building through out the week in the morning and evening. Check out our calendars to learn more!

A workspace with art supplies and a decorated clay project resembling a lion with a yellow face and orange mane, placed on a colorful, splattered round base on a wooden table. Shelves with unglazed pottery are visible in the background.
A woman working on ceramic sculptures in a studio, with two completed ceramic sculptures resembling small houses or birdhouses on a wooden table in the foreground.

Wheel Throwing

Explore form, function, and fiction through a new medium and machine with wheel throwing. Turning clay on the wheel is a widely attractive, fun, and engaging experience with clay.

Common Clay offers beginner and intermediate classes with a few advanced classes throughout the year to help students explore more complex forms. The world and experience of clay is endless and we seek to truly give our students a strong understanding of the tools and techniques to explore that world.

Wheel Throwing is our most popular and consistent offering with classes at varying times and days of the week, check out our recurring class calendar to see what works for you!

Person working on a pottery wheel shaping a large clay bowl or plate with a woven lattice pattern on the bottom.
A woman smiling while holding a ceramic tray in a pottery studio with shelves of ceramics in the background.

Summer Camps

We are stoked to have a second summer of camps rolling out this year and offer two weeks of adult summer camp as well! Our camps this year will incorporate weekly projects that are engaging, fun, and provide memories and works of art that last a life time.

Workshops and Events

As our studio continues to expand we are also thrilled to offer special workshops and classes through out the year as we partner with the Blue Ridge Potters Guild and independent educators to provide more arts education to the Roanoke area. These workshops will range from special firings, specific forms, glaze education, and more. Keep an eye on our calendar and media to stay in the loop!

Woman smiling and working with clay on a pottery wheel in a studio, surrounded by shelves of pottery materials and tools.
Three people at a hand building workshop around a pottery work table with containers and papers.
A man sitting on a stool in our pottery studio, painting a pattern on a large pink ceramic vase. The worktable nearby holds paint containers, a soda can, and art supplies.
Two people working at a pottery studio workshop table. The man on the left is wearing a light green t-shirt and the woman on the right is wearing a yellow t-shirt with a tattoo on her arm. Shelves with various supplies are in the background.
A woman with glasses, wearing a green t-shirt and brown apron, is smiling and holding a small square ceramic dish in Common Clay Pottery, a pottery studio in Roanoke, Virginia.
A woman smiling and holding a woven pottery piece in Common Clay Pottery, a ceramics studio in Roanoke, Virginia, with shelves filled with pottery and art supplies in the background.
People working at pottery wheel stations in a ceramic studio. Several are shaping clay on spinning wheels, with various tools and supplies on the tables. One woman is standing while others are seated and focused on their pottery projects. The studio
A potter shaping clay on a pottery wheel with muddy hands while spinning clay on the wheel. The workspace is messy with clay splatters.
Wet plaster tools and containers on a potter's wheel, including a bucket of water and clay remnants.
A pottery wheel with a drying ceramic bowl in the center, in a pottery studio filled with various clay and art supplies.
Three people standing outside Common Clay Pottery studio in downtown Roanoke, Virginia.
A pottery studio workspace with children working on clay projects, various sculpted clay pieces, tools, and supplies scattered across the table.
Unfired ceramic piece on a wheel in a pottery studio, with supplies and paper bags on the table.
A woman with glasses, dark hair, and a green shirt sitting on a yellow pottery wheel, holding a sketchpad with drawings, smiling and appearing happy in a pottery studio with green brick walls and pottery tools.
A ceramic shallow bowl with a dark green interior and a brownish-green exterior, placed on a white surface.
Three black ceramic coffee mugs with a glossy finish, arranged with two mugs in the foreground and one in the background, on a white surface.
The interior of a blackened, used paint or coating container with dried residue on the inside walls.
A woman with glasses and long hair smiling in a pottery studio, working on a pottery wheel with a partially formed clay vessel in front of her.
Two women are working on pottery wheel making ceramic pots in a studio. One woman on the right is shaping a tall cylindrical pot, while the woman on the left is working on a smaller bowl. The studio has shelves with supplies, a wooden ladder, and an
A windmill oven with six ceramic bowls on a round, white surface. The bowls have various designs, including animals, abstract patterns, and solid colors. Two white candle holders are also present.
Two women working on pottery on a pottery wheel in a studio, with art sketches hanging on the brick wall behind them.
Two individuals working on pottery in a workshop, with one shaping clay on a pottery wheel and the other preparing materials at a table surrounded by shelves with various supplies.
People making pottery in a pottery studio. A woman is shaping a clay piece on a spinning wheel, smiling. Two other individuals are working with clay in the background, with shelves filled with pottery tools and materials behind them.
Several turquoise ceramic bowls and plates on a white tablecloth, some stacked together.
A person's hand holding a brown ceramic bowl with a yellowish swirl pattern in an industrial-style workspace.
Person operating a long metal pipe or rod on a workbench in a workshop.
A woman with long hair, earrings, and sunglasses on her head smiling and holding a large white ceramic pot with a floral design.
A woman working in a pottery studio, shaping clay sculptures while looking at her phone, with a table full of art supplies and clay pieces around her.
People participating in a pottery class in a pottery studio, working on clay pottery wheel in a spacious room with shelves of supplies and equipment.
Two women working on a clay sculpture in an art studio with shelves in the background.
People working on pottery projects in a ceramics studio, with a woman in the foreground smiling and shaping clay on a pottery wheel.
Two people working on pottery wheels, shaping clay into pots, in a studio with buckets of clay and finished pottery around them.
Empty ceramic bowl with decorative handles, placed on a zipped cloth, surrounded by drawing tools, a black pen, and a printed image of rocks with notes. Part of a cluttered table with drink containers, scissors, and other items.
People participating in a pottery class, working on clay wheels in a studio with shelves filled with pottery supplies and tools.
A partially finished ceramic sculpture of a cube-shaped object on a rotating wheel in a pottery studio.
A ceramic sculpture of a hippopotamus with openings on its back, sitting on a work surface in a pottery studio, with people working in the background.
Various ceramic dishes and bowls with different colors and patterns placed on a gray surface.
A ceramic sculpture of a toilet with a small red and white mushroom detail on the tank, sitting on a wooden work surface in a studio setting.
A partially finished brown clay vase on a pottery wheel in a ceramics studio.
A partially finished ceramic vase on a worktable in a pottery studio, with a woman working in the background.
A small cylindrical clay pot on a rotating wheel in a pottery studio, with other pottery items and a person working in the background.
Ceramic mug with a multicolored glaze, featuring shades of brown, green, and blue, on a plain white background.
Empty ceramic mug with a handle, glazed in shades of blue and brown, viewed from above against a white background.
A decorative sculpture resembling a large tree trunk with two red and white spotted mushrooms and green leaves.
Ceramic bowl with a botanical print featuring green leaves, stems, and small purple flowers.
A brown ceramic pot with white and black checkered heart patterns around its body, set against a plain white background.
A young boy and two adult men are making pottery together at a wheel. The boy is focused on shaping the clay, while the adults assist and guide him.
Four women gathered around a table with art supplies in a creative studio or workshop. They are smiling and looking at each other or at the art tools and projects on the table. The room has a green-painted wall, windows with potted plants, and shelve
Four women sitting at a table in an art studio, smiling and looking at a tablet or phone, with various ceramics and art supplies on the table and shelves in the background.
Two women and a person working together on a project in a workshop, with shelves and tools in the background.
A white ceramic vase with a black floral sketch on it, surrounded by various pottery and ceramic pieces on a work table.
Decorative ceramic plate with a red heart in the center and blue radial strokes around it.
Colorful ceramic divided dish labeled with food categories: cheese, meat, crackers, olives, veggies, fruit.
Assorted ceramic dishes, including a large green and yellow leaf-shaped bowl with three green marbles inside, a white bowl with a colorful pattern, a small brown cup, a white mug with a red handle, and a partially visible plate with the word 'Vegetab
Woman making a pottery bowl on a pottery wheel with a sign that reads 'COMMON CLAY' behind her.
Two ceramic vases held by a person's hands, with a blurred background of a window and interior space.
A woman wearing glasses, a pink cap, and a white shirt is in a ceramics studio, holding a ceramic plate and a sponge, possibly cleaning or finishing the plate. The studio has shelves with various ceramic pieces, and the work table is cluttered with c
A ceramic cup on a matching saucer, with a gradient glaze of green and brown tones, on a black background.
Three decorative ceramic coasters with floral and leaf patterns, some painted yellow and purple, on a plain white surface.
Colorful decorative statue of a frog sitting on a red and white polka-dotted mushroom, mounted on a yellow block with green leaf accents.
Hand holding a decorative ceramic vase with painted flowers and leaves, surrounded by other pottery items on a shelf.
Hand-painted ceramic dish shaped like a fish with colorful fish designs and a large eye in the center, placed on a stone surface among pottery and vases.
Colorful ceramic platter with a fish design, featuring orange, yellow, blue, and green hues, held in a person's hand, with a background of a tiled wall.
A small handmade ceramic vase with a grayish-purple glaze and decorative brown lines, held in a person’s hand.
A clay sculpture of an elderly man's face with detailed facial features, beard, and hair, set on a turntable in a workshop.
A wooden sign with black letters reading 'COMMON CLAY' leaning against the sidewalk near a brick building with large windows and metal barrels.