Welcome to the WPL MakeIT Place Pottery Studio

Pottery requires patience. It takes about 3 weeks to take home your pottery. (If everything is timely) What’s the holdup?

Creating, finishing, drying for 7 days, two-day bisque firing, coming in to glaze or take the initial class and then another two-days to glaze fire.

Plus it’s all based on how full the kiln has to be to light it up.

As our MakeIT Place Pottery Studio is getting busier, we’ve had many questions about independent use processes. The pottery process is fascinating but it involves a few steps from beginning to end. Even after one is “certified,” if it's been a month before you come back in, the whole thing can seem overwhelming and can feel like you are starting over. Try to come in soon after certifying to feel more confident.

Pottery requires patience.

Here is the basic process in a little more detail.

1. PREPARE CLAY Cut and weigh the appropriate amount of clay for your project. Fill out a payment slip completely and submit it to the upstairs desk for payment after you are done. If you need to restart a project, do not reuse clay; return the used material for proper reclaiming and cut fresh clay to maintain consistency, quality and reduce cracks and breakage from air pockets.

2. FORMING THE PIECE — WHEEL OR HAND-BUILDING For wheel-thrown work, begin by firmly centering the clay, maintaining even moisture while pulling walls, and shaping the vessel with controlled hand pressure. For hand-building, choose the appropriate method — slab, coil, or pinch construction — and ensure joins are scored, slipped, and compressed for structural integrity.

3. TRIMMING OR CARVING AT LEATHER-HARD STAGE Once the piece becomes leather-hard, refine its form by trimming excess clay to create a clean foot and balanced silhouette. This step enhances both aesthetics and function while ensuring the piece sits evenly after firing. Carving hand-built pieces creates texture and interest.

(Steps 1-3 can take anywhere from 1 day to a week depending on how soon you can let your piece set to leather hard to finish it)

4. DRYING PERIOD (7 DAYS) Place works on boards or bats lined with newspaper to prevent sticking and allow airflow underneath. Move pieces to the correctly labeled drying shelf and attach one dated drying slip per piece. Drying gradually over a full week minimizes cracking and ensures readiness for bisque firing. (There may be a few days after your 7 days of drying before the 1st bisque fire happens)

5. BISQUE FIRING Fully dried pieces undergo their first firing, transforming fragile greenware into durable bisqueware. This step prepares the clay body to accept glaze and strengthens the piece for handling during glazing. (48 hour process)

6. GLAZING (REQUIRES ONE GLAZE CLASS FOR FIRST TIMERS) The glaze class teaches fundamental knowledge of glaze chemistry, application methods such as dipping, brushing, and pouring, and the correct procedures for placing glazed ware onto firing cart/shelves. After one class, you can make a reservation according to your schedule.

7. GLAZE FIRING The final high-temperature firing melts glaze into a smooth, glass-like surface, completing the ceramic transformation. Pieces are allowed to cool slowly inside the kiln to avoid thermal shock. (Another 48 hour process) Glaze can be applied AND fired on the same day. The only wait time is dried glaze which is usually 10-20 minutes.

8. FINISHED POTTERY PICKUP Completed works will be held at the Circulation Desk for pickup. Studio staff will notify you once your pieces are ready. Please retrieve your finished pottery promptly to keep storage areas clear and maintain workflow efficiency.

As you can see, even if all the creating, drying, bisque firing, glazing, and glaze firing lines up PERFECTLY, it is a two-three week process from start to finish.

Yes, pottery requires patience but it is so worth it.

Important points:

We TYPICALLY do any firing starting on the anticipated Saturday at noon. It takes approximately 48 hours to heat up and cool slowly. That means, generally on the following Monday afternoon, your piece is ready for the next step whatever that may be.

Where can you check for anticipated firing dates and classes? The WPL online event calendar, the printed monthly event calendar, the posters in the pottery room and the firing shelves.

All firing dates are ANTICIPATED and subject to change as there has to be enough to fire in order for the kiln to fire correctly and evenly.

Due to limited space, we can only hold pottery in any form for a limited amount of time. We make substantial effort to contact everyone before its disposal or sacrifice for demonstration and learning opportunities. Your communication is crucial! You can always call to make arrangements.

We would LOVE to take you on a tour of the Pottery Studio! (appointments appreciated) Jenisa and I are the Pottery Studio Supervisors and we will do our best to answer questions. We don’t have all the answers but we have the best resources to get them! See you soon.