Studio Membership
Our generously proportioned members’ studio on the first floor is designed for people who want to pursue their own projects with the convenience of having all the materials and equipment provided for them. Members need to be confident to work independently, without a teacher, although all studio sessions are supported by a technician and/or one of the founders. As a guide, you will have completed one of our foundation courses or equivalent.
As a member you will be able to book yourself in to the studio for a weekly three-hour session (four per month), and add further sessions as needed. We provide white stoneware clay and a good range of equipment, tools, glazes, slips and underglazes, as well as aprons and towels.
Studio membership costs £96 per month.
Studio Facilities
The members’ studio can comfortably accommodate 12 people at a time. There are nine wheels, plenty of table space, a slab roller, an extruder and a range of smaller equipment and tools, along with a selection of in-house glazes, underglazes and slips. During all studio sessions, a technician will be on hand to give guidance about using the studio and its equipment.
There is no limit on how much of our white stoneware clay you can use. We want you to feel able to experiment freely and to recycle your less successful work.
All finished pottery is fired by our technicians in our electric kilns. Each pot is fired twice, once to ‘bisque’ to prepare for glazing, and a second time when glazing is complete. We make a charge for materials only when work is fired, at £5 per kg of finished pottery for small items, which is about £1 for a small mug. For larger items that require more kiln space, an additional charge will be applied.
Members have access to communal shelving for their work in progress, and separate communal shelves for work that is ready to be fired. As a guide, we ask that members generally limit their work in progress to approximately 0.25 square metres of shelf space at any one time.
We also have small storage spaces available to rent for members who wish to keep their own materials and/or tools at Zed Alley Clayhouse.
Studio Sessions
The members’ studio is generally open for 15 sessions a week:
Tuesday to Thursday: 10am-1pm, 2-5pm and 6-9pm
Friday to Sunday: 10am-1pm and 2-5pm
As a member you will have access to an online calendar where you can book your weekly studio sessions. Through this you can also purchase additional sessions, either as one-off sessions or in discounted bundles.
Members who book two adjacent sessions in the same day can also stay to use the studio during the hour between their sessions.
The members’ studio will be closed on Mondays, Bank Holidays, the Easter weekend, and from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. There will be occasional other days when the studio is not available for members and these will be shown in the calendar at least three months in advance.
