Blockhouse is a community pottery studio. We are all in this together! Our goal is to provide a CLEAN, HEALTHY, PRODUCTIVE and FUN environment to be creative in. To make that possible, everyone must follow the studio policies.

1.    Everyone using the studio must clean up after themselves. This includes picking up and properly disposing of clay scraps, mopping the floor where you were working, wiping clean any surfaces you were using with a sponge (wheel, work table, plaster bats, etc..), cleaning and putting all tools away. Students must stop working with enough time to clean up before the class or open studio time is scheduled to end. The goal should be to leave the studio cleaner than you found it.

2.    Absolutely no clay or glaze is to go down the sink drains.

 4.    Use as little water as possible, when throwing on the wheel or cleaning. Fresh water is not needed to clean tools or work areas.

 5.     All tools should be cleaned and replaced to their storage places.

 6.     Glaze should stay in the glaze area- Wash glaze tools in the buckets in the glaze area, keeping glaze wastewater separate from clay wastewater. Keep glaze sponges separate from clay sponges.

 7.    Clay must be purchased from the studio- no outside clays are permitted.

 8.    Only studio-made glazes are permitted. Underglazes are allowed, but are not provided by the studio and must be purchased independently.

 9.    No student or member will load, unload, open, close, remove any work from or operate the kilns. 

 10.    No one is permitted in the glaze room without permission

 11.    Do not touch or move work that is not your own. If there is no room on a shelf (class or kiln room shelves), ask an instructor or studio staff for assistance.

 12.    Absolutely no dry sanding inside. If a piece should require sanding, it must be done outside (but not in the breezeway) and a dust mask is recommended. Alternatively, people may purchase diamond sandpaper for wet sanding, with enough water to completely submerge the piece. Students should consult with their instructor before sanding.

13.    Glazing- All users must glaze responsibly. Review glazing rules & procedures which are posted in the glaze area.  Extensive glaze drips or running may incur a fine to repair or replace damaged shelves. All work must be placed on the rack the way it should be placed in the kiln should it need a cookie or stilts.

 14.    Studio towels are for drying CLEAN hands only. If you prefer using a towel for throwing you must bring your own and take it with you for washing.

 15.   Open Studio hours are available for students to practice unaided. Hours are posted on the Google Studio Sign Up sheet. The schedule is subject to change. You must reserve time during open studio hours on the Google Studio Sign Up sheet. It is first come, first serve. If you will not make it for a time you reserved you must remove your name from the sheet so someone else can sign up. Stop working with enough time to clean up before open studio hours end.

 16.    Do not use equipment you have not been trained to use. Ask instructors for demos and have a clear understanding of the equipment before using it on your own or during Open Studio hours.

 17.    Make Up Classes- There are no make up classes. If an instructor needs to cancel or there is a snow storm, we will reschedule the class, but we can not accommodate students missing class due to personal reasons or illness. 

 18.    Fully fired work must be picked up no later than 21 days after glaze firing, after which point the work will be discarded. Work that has not been glazed by the last class must be finished during open studio hours within 2 weeks of classes ending.

19.    New classes are made available first to current students who would like to continue on to the next session before being made available to new students.

 20.    Any student who is not returning for the next class session must finish their work by the last class and take all of their personal belongings with them. In other words, do not start new pieces during the last class to ensure there is time to bisque and glaze your work. Unfinished work left by students will be discarded or recycled and items such as clothes and shoes will be donated.

21. Blockhouse is a shared studio. We do our best to safely handle and fire all student and member work successfully & efficiently. 

• No work is guaranteed to be fired on any given day. We do our best to fairly load kilns. Priority will not be given to anyone selling work over someone who is not.  

• Blockhouse is not responsible for incidents of failure in the kiln or during loading. Pottery is risky- there always exists a chance of something happening that could result in work being ruined, either by a kiln malfunction, human error or weakness in the work itself. While we feel bad if something does get ruined, we will not compensate the maker in any way

• Be respectful and courteous to others- if you accidentally damage someone else’s work, leave a note.

• Everyone uses the studio and equipment at their own risk. Blockhouse is not liable for injury

22.    Member shelves contain personal work and tools and are off limits to anyone except the shelf’s owner.  Students may only store work on their designated class shelves and may only use the studio’s tools. Students who purchase their own tools may not store them at the studio.

Etiquette: The main goal of Blockhouse is to provide a sanctuary for people to be, to create and to feel safe and comfortable. Be respectful of others trying to work.

23.  It is ok to ask other students or members simple questions (such as, “where can I find x?”), but if you need more help than simple answers can provide, save it for class or schedule a private lesson.

24.  Refrain from prolonged cell phone conversations or playing music too loud in the studio while others are working. 

25. No smoking inside the studio or near entrances or open windows.

26. Personal Care & Hygiene: Be mindful of body odor—this is a shared space, and strong odors can be distracting to others. Avoid strong scents including perfumes, essential oils, cigarette smoke, or cannabis. If you’ve recently smoked, please take time to air out and freshen up before class

27.  Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. This includes intoxication, harassment of any kind, discrimination and disrespecting others.

28. Blockhouse reserves the right to deny admission to classes, especially in the case of someone not adhering to studio policies. 

OPEN STUDIO HOURS:

-Hours are posted on the Google sign up sheet and are highlighted in yellow. They are subject to change. 

-Anyone wanting to practice outside of class must reserve time on the google sign up sheet. A link should have been sent to all students by their instructors. If you did not get it, let your instructor know. 

-Students may sign up for time in the YELLOW blocks only. You may only sign up for 1 station at a time. 

-If you will not be able to make it to the studio during time you reserved you must remove your name from the sign up sheet ASAP so someone else can have that time slot. Repeated no-shows will have their open studio privileges revoked!

-Do not use any equipment on your own that you have not been taught to use first by an instructor

-Leave enough time to clean before your time is up. You must be leaving the studio at the end of your time/end of open studio hours

-DO NOT STAY BEYOND WHEN OPEN STUDIO HOURS ARE SCHEDULED TO END

KIDS CLASSES:

-Please do not drop children off more than 10 minutes prior to class starting.
-Children may eat a snack in the entry way or on the bench outside, but once they are working with clay they can not eat food. Blockhouse does not provide snacks.
-Children must be picked up when class ends- 5pm for kids, 5:30pm for teens. We are not be responsible for children after class ends.
-Children who repeatedly misbehave or act in unsafe ways will not be permitted to continue classes. No refunds will be given.
-There is no make up time for missed classes.
-Classes are not transferrable to other children once the session starts.