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I teach once a week 8-week wheel and hand working classes. Students are free to come in during the day or evenings when the studio is open (about 40 hours a week). The studio clay is free to use, students are encouraged to save what they want. Firing costs for class projects are included with the class fee.

Very few people are able to make extra time for pottery.

 

Most beginning wheel students finish fewer than six pieces. Probably an average of 5 lbs fired.

Most bowl making/advanced students finish fewer than 10 pieces, average of about 6. Probably an average of 15 lbs fired.

 

...

 

I've wondered how this compared to the classes that include 25 lbs of clay and allow the purchase of more. Or other ways people do things.

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Here is the setup at the arts center where I take classes... Classes are once a week for 10-12 weeks. They are 2.5 to 3 hours long, with open studio seven days a week, 2 hours a day. They have 6 or 7 kilns that run constantly - they fire a lot of work.

 

25 pounds of clay is included in the class fee, and you can buy more at $15 per 25 pound bag. We are allowed to glaze and fire pieces that we make at home as long as we are enrolled in a class, buy our clay from them and use their glazes. It's a great deal for me because I prefer to throw at home, so I use class time to watch instructor demos and glaze. I probably make an average of 6 pieces a week, but I would do more if I didn't have this darn full-time job eating up all my pottery time.

 

Some of the newbies might average less than one piece a week, but the people who throw at home might do 10 or more per week. I try to make as much as possible without feeling like I am taking advantage of a good deal. Everything is always fired promptly and beautifully. I'm considering getting a kiln at home, but for now the price of classes is worth the kiln access alone, plus I really like my instructor and the people who work there. (It's $200 - $230 per session.)

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I used to attend an evening class run by a local college.

 

The class wasn't at the college (which does have a busy Ceramics dept) but in a community centre in a nearby town.

 

There were about four or five different classes during the course of a normal week (roughly 2.0  - 2.5 hours duration)  but we could only really attend at our appointed times although there was some flexibility in cases of illness or shift work, but still restricted to attending one of the other programmed classes.

 

We had access to as much clay as we wanted and paid for any fired work we wanted to keep by the weight. The classes were about £105 per term and we paid £2.50 per lb for any pots we kept. I last went about three years ago, so it may well be slightly different now, but it won't be by much.

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I charge $215 for an 8 week session. I have 5 classes a week, 3 mornings and 2 nights, and students are allowed to come to as many classes each week as they want, as long as there's room. People signed up for a specific day get first choice. I'd rather have someone at the wheels practicing than have them sit empty. The more they practice, the more likely they are to stay and take more classes. The studio is open 5 days a week as long as I or one of my advanced students is there to monitor. It usually comes out to at least 15 hours a week, but up to 40 depending on my schedule. It's almost always open for at least 3 hours in the morning.

 

I charge $25 for a 25 pound bag of clay, which includes glazes and firings. That price has gradually gone up over the years as clay and glaze materials prices have gone up. I do not have the time nor interest in weighing out everyone's work when it goes into or comes out of the kiln, or in charging them for studio time outside of classes. I don't want my students to worry about the cost when they're making work and learning. They're less likely to want to practice if they know it will cost them every time. They pay for the class, pay for a bag of clay, and money is no issue until they run out of clay and need another bag. But psychologically it's easier to buy that bag than worry about cost each time they step foot in the studio or make a pot. I also think it's important to complete each pot by firing and glazing everything they can. Learning to glaze is an important skill, and only keeping the very best pots for glazing limits glazing practice. I've had many students who came of other studios where they were always having to pay for everything separately, and they felt like they were being nickel and dimed to death. My system may not be as profitable in the short term, but it makes for students who stay for a long time, and that pays off.

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The art center I started at does 6 week classes for $175 plus $25 a bag of clay. You can buy as much clay as you want to use and the cost per bag also covers firing and glazes. Students are not allowed to work in the studio by themselves only during class time. After 2 classes are taken they can ask to join the studio and if accepted can then work in the studio whenever they want with same rule for clay. If accepted they also pay a once a year membership fee and a monthly studio use fee. I don't know what the current membership or studio fees are since I work at home.

 

T

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Neil, do you find that the system is working well?

Do you have people who are working in your studio who are not taking classes?

 

In some ways I feel we have the same philosophy -- making things is the most essential part of learning. And that studio time is an overhead cost instead of an hourly fee.

My students pay for what is fired. This keeps the clay side really easy. The reclaim bucket is half full and the pug mill churns out a batch of fresh clay when needed. Or a new box is opened up because handles are easier to pull from fresh clay.

 

----

OK, what is am really trying to do is ponder other systems that might work well or have proven to be successful psychologically (more important) and financially (meh, anything can work).

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I've been in business 12 years, so it works for me. I have a few advanced folks who pay for a key and 24 hour access but not class time. Anyone who wants a key has to be advanced enough to work without direction, and must take at least one session of classes to learn the routine of the studio. For instance, I have a student right now who is taking her first session, but is a full time teacher and fairly proficient with clay, and just needs a studio to work in at night. For the key holders, I still offer advice as needed, but no formal instruction. They also help me out a lot with opening the studio when I'm out on repairs or art fairs.

 

I could charge more for my classes, and I did raise my prices $15 this year. I would like to get them up to $250 over the next few years. It's a tough call, though, because while the advanced students feel like it's worth the higher price because they know what's involved, I don't want to price it so high that it discourages new students who don't want to spend a lot of money on something they may not like. I may start throwing in a free tool kit for new students, which currently retails at $25, or some other incentive. I've also been thinking about extending the session to 12 weeks, and offering a 1/2 session for beginners. The 12 weeks would be nice because we could get 2 glazing weeks in per session, plus lock people in for longer. Currently, we glaze during the last week of each 8 week session.

 

The whole money thing is the hardest part. I want to make money, or course, but I don't want to be greedy about it. Plus I've got students who have been with me for several years and are now friends, so it gets to feeling weird to take their money all the time. I'm pretty flexible with my charges, though, like if a long time student is going to be out on vacation for a couple of weeks, I'll prorate the session for them, or I'll give someone a free bag of clay for helping me out with something. It's hard to be 100% business-like with people you like.

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Like with all things clay, the entire system need to work together. :)

 

I wonder if having a cheaper 6-week intro class and ongoing 10-12 week classes (which really pays for the studio and provides the finer parts of instruction) would be an effective balance. Ah, pandering to the public while actually learning the skill!

 

Right now I teach a hand building class, and wheel "1,2,3". A few students have finished all and seem to be eager for more advanced classes.

I also agree that having even experienced students take one class is an essential part in integrating them to the studio. I have made exceptions to this and find myself regretting it every time.

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All of my classes are mixed levels. When I was in undergrad, all of my classes were mixed levels, and I found a learned a lot of the advanced students as well as the teachers. As the the teacher now, it makes my job a lot easier since the advanced students always jump in to help if I'm busy with another student. It also gives my students more opportunities to sign up, rather than being limited to one class time offered for a certain level.

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6 Week-$300, includes clay, glaze and firings. She sells "extra" clay to take home and open studio. Open studio is VERY limited to who can take it and is $50 but must currently be enrolled in class. Classes are 3 hour but usually run 3.5-4hr. We have a waiting list that is at least two, maybe three years long.  We don't have any outside people whatsoever. If "all i need is a wheel to use and know what I am doing"  then perhaps they should go buy a wheel. We are about to expand our courses to take pressure off the waiting list.

 

 

We've had students come from "cheaper" classes to come to us. All of it has to do with her, her reputation and disposition. Others have tried to come in under her price and "steal" our current and prospective students but that didn't work out for them. We've been around for 14 and teaching for 7.

 

No, I did not burn their studio down. :lol:

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Where I am, the class is about $110 for 12 weeks. Most people drop by the 6th week. It is twice a week, 3 hours a day. Studio is open 4 days a week, all day, however other classes are going on so sometimes space is tight. One 25lb bag is included, and if you go through that you have the choice of 8 bags of recycled clay for $10, porcelain for $12, or bag of any other clay for $10. Firing, glazing, and obviously the instruction is included.

 

From my experience in this class, and the previous class I took three years ago, beginning students make about 5-10 pieces per semester, as they have projects (open bowl, closed bowl, open mug, closed mug etc...). intermediate and advanced students typically make around 2 dozen, as we focus on sets and coherent work. IE bowl set, sake set....

 

My first semester I was working full time and had other classes, but managed to make about 100 pieces in 12 weeks. I am in the studio about 10-15 hours a week. This semester, it's been about 5 weeks and so far I have managed only about 40.... :rolleyes: 

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this is such a great deal that it sounds like this class situation is supported in some other way.  is it a city, county or other government organization?

 

If you are referring to me, this is a community college. It is $36 a unit, so a three unit class runs about $108.

They have a ceramics sale every semester, and it is huge for how small the space is. They get well over a 300 people per day (usually runs 4 days, two weekends) and collect 20% of the sales by the students. On top of that, we have deals with the clay suppliers, glaze suppliers, and students buy all their own materials but of course there are always extra for borrowing. I suppose they are funded elsewhere?

 

30 students sign up per class, 6 different classes offered. That's 900 students, assuming none drop is $97,000 per semester (12 weeks) gross. That is of course, divided up as pay for the professors to work 6~ hours a day, 4 days a week (two I know have a pottery business on the side as well), supplies, and repairs on the 8 kilns we have.

 

Edit: They fire twice a week, one glaze kiln and one bisque. When enough students request a saggar, raku, pit etc... around 12 pieces must be made total to constitute a "specialty" firing. Usually there are a couple raku firings, one pit, and one saggar per semester.

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I'm not following your math. 30 students at 6 classes is 180 students per semester, which at $108 per student is $19,440.

 

$108 for a 12 week class is ridiculously cheap, and great for the students. It's awful for private businesses like myself, though, who aren't subsidized. There's a community college in my town, too, and it's hard to compete with them. Not only can they charge less, but most of the rules about signage and advertising for their sales don't seem to follow the same rules as for the local businesses. I cannot put signs out along the roads advertising my events like they can.

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I'm not following your math. 30 students at 6 classes is 180 students per semester, which at $108 per student is $19,440.

 

$108 for a 12 week class is ridiculously cheap, and great for the students. It's awful for private businesses like myself, though, who aren't subsidized. There's a community college in my town, too, and it's hard to compete with them. Not only can they charge less, but most of the rules about signage and advertising for their sales don't seem to follow the same rules as for the local businesses. I cannot put signs out along the roads advertising my events like they can.

 

 

 

Ah, yes, this new math thing is hard to get used to. It looks a lot more realistic from your calculations. I agree it is quite a deal.

 

Obviously art classes at a community college are often seen as electives, and no student majoring financing who hates getting their hands dirty would want to spend $250+ on an ceramics class. Education is important, and for those who are unsure of their major, the low prices do help bring in more students. I agree, though, it must be hard on the local studios...

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That's how I started in clay...at a CA community college, 35 years ago. ( wish I had kept it up through the years, but that's a different story.) There was no tuition at all back then, so we only paid a materials fee.  Can't remember how much.  I do remember however, that you couldn't just keep taking the class over and over.  Twice was the limit, so that would mean that those who wanted to stick with ceramics might be going elsewhere to a private studio.

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That's how I started in clay...at a CA community college, 35 years ago. ( wish I had kept it up through the years, but that's a different story.) There was no tuition at all back then, so we only paid a materials fee.  Can't remember how much.  I do remember however, that you couldn't just keep taking the class over and over.  Twice was the limit, so that would mean that those who wanted to stick with ceramics might be going elsewhere to a private studio.

 

You can only take the class once, but there are 6 courses to take, and if you exhaust those there are part-time assistant positions if you're friends with the professor, you can work in the studio for free and pay for your materials and help out by loading the kilns, cleaning, and teaching the newbies. There is one guy who has been there for over 5 years doing that!

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