Transfers: Under some circumstances transfers can be made to another class. For example, if you genuinely booked the wrong date by mistake we can transfer you for $0 fee. Please check your booking confirmation and tell us immediately if you need to change because there is no possibility we can transfer you if the other class is already full. If you change your mind or at a later date, transfers to a different class/course will incur a fee of $25.
Credit vouchers: If you are ill or cannot attend for other reasons, we treat each situation on a case-by-case basis but will always try to fill your spot and, if successful, we will be able to create a credit note for you to use in the future, if there is availability. There is a $25 fee payable on creation of the credit note. Credit notes are valid for 3 years. There is no guarantee we can fill your spot which means you will forfeit your payment or we can try to fit you into a future course if we have a vacancy one day before the scheduled class.
Refund Insurance: We strongly encourage you to purchase the Refund Insurance at the online check out gateway in case of illness and cancellation.
Whilst Covid seems to be less dangerous now, our studio still follows safety guidelines including air purifiers and ventilation in each room. And we ask all students to monitor carefully for symptoms and not attend if you have Covid or are a close contact of someone positive. To help in this regard please ask about our Studio Access Times (See: SATs) if you miss your weekly class due to Covid. There is also a refund insurance available for purchase at the payment gateway (only available for online bookings) which covers cancellations due to illness.
See also: Transfers and Credits
Cancellations: Please treat your booking as a commitment to attend. We operate on very limited class sizes. As a small business which values and protects the increasingly rare one-to-one learning environment we hope you understand we do not give refunds for this reason. If you have to cancel, firstly, please give us as much warning as you can and we will try to find a replacement or you can share the love and gift it to a friend for no transfer fee. If we are successful finding a replacement for you we will create a credit voucher(see Transfers and Credits above)
Refunds: Please do not ask us for a refund if you cancel – it places us in a really difficult situation because we are nice people and we want to help but you are asking us to suffer the cost of your change of circumstance. If you want refund protection we encourage you to purchase the refund insurance (10% of class fee) at the payment gateway to cover you in case you have to cancel*.
Please know if we cancel a course for any reason we will always provide a full refund within 7 days.
*terms and conditions exist. This is an external insurance managed by our booking platform We Teach Me and mostly covers you for illness.
We are an active community of ceramics enthusiasts and love thinking up new classes, activities and forums and welcome you to join our community. Please LIKE our Facebook page and FOLLOW us on Instagram and sign up to our monthly e-news here so you don’t miss out! We have a news section on our web site but our e-news is generally the best place to receive news. We will not give your information to any 3rd party.
see above: Not getting emails?
Once you are enrolled, we communicate with you via email. Your confirmation email with class details will come from We Teach Me, our booking service and our in-house emails will come from info@slowclay.com. Please make sure to add them to your contacts list.
Its a good idea to check your junk folder regularly too!
Please also subscribe to our monthly newsletter where we have interesting content and a what’s on list!
We occasionally hear from students who have not received our emails and they are usually found in Junk (yeah, it’s REALLY annoying, sorry!)
We are an education facility not a production studio. Commercial production brings a number of issues that are not possible to address in our studio. One is the amount of work that is reasonable to produce in a class; another is how our students must label their work to identify it; another is our research and intellectual property regarding our glazes belongs to us. We prefer to teach you how to make and develop your own glazes and to follow your developmental pathway within our classes. For these reasons we do not take on students who are undertaking commercial projects and we discourage students from selling their work unless they have discussed it with their teacher or with management and we feel it aligns with our educational values. Please always discuss it with us first!
We ask students to bring a clean hand towel to each class (and wash it after each class!) and a notebook and pen is a great way to keep track of instructions!
Yes.
Yes, go to our shop here and purchase online! We have three options available that correspond with our class fees. If you prefer to nominate your own value we can create a gift voucher for you via our office. Please email info@slowclay.com or call +61 3 99437844 and we will take it from there! Our gift vouchers are a great present and can be used for any of our courses or for private lessons and valid for three years. If there is a shortfall between the amount purchased and the price of the desired course to be redeemed then the voucher recipient will be asked to pay the difference. Gift vouchers are not redeemable for cash.
Yes, all classes can be paid by credit card through our online booking system.
We fire all our student’s work for them as part of their course (fee is subject to change but is currently $20/kg which covers bisque and gloss firings). If you have your own kiln we can offer training to fire kilns on a one-to-one basis, as a private class. We do not offer a commercial firing service for external students. For great commercial firing services for the public we recommend our buddies at Northcote Pottery Supplies and The Kiln Room.
We have a commitment to a developmental pathway and love to work with students to improve both their skills and appreciation of ceramics. Our Wheel classes are either Beginner or Intermediate/Advanced levels. Other classes are mixed levels with students learning together but the teacher often separates the levels within the class. The dividing line between levels is fairly relaxed and if you have some prior experience we encourage you to contact us to chat about your individual needs before you enrol.
*CoVid19: Please understand our Studio Access Times (SATs) policy is subject to change due to Covid19. If this is a deal-breaker for you please email us on info@slowclay.com to check the latest news before you enrol.
“SATs” stand for Studio Access Times and these are available to our currently enrolled students to use our studio for some quiet practice time. We generally offer three to five options per week during term time and for three hours of continuous time to use our studio and unlimited clay. Bookings are required and there is a $30 fee. (we offer some free SATs too: check Covid booking guidelines) You will receive instructions on how to book at the beginning of the term.
We are not a drop-in studio for anyone to access our space, sorry. SATs are only available if you are currently enrolled in either Wheel or Form & Surface courses. We do not offer them to Porcelain students or Weekend Intensive students, sorry.
Please note: SATs are a gift to our students and we reserve the right to change them anytime at our discretion. We might cancel at short notice or change what we offer for any reason and sometimes other events take priority.
If changes occur we always endeavour to publish them on our Facebook page and studio notice boards so please check there before attending a SAT.
Yes we do! If you have a group of friends or work colleagues who want to get together for some fun we can take up to 12 people on wheels and 10 people in our hand building room. We generally offer them on Friday evenings or Saturday afternoons. Bookings are required in advance via our office on 99437844.
We know it’s hard to round up the sheep but please accept these basic terms & conditions:
- $200 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your booking
- Final attendee numbers must be confirmed 7 days prior to the event and the balance of payment made then by credit card
- No refunds for any reason. This includes “no-shows” of individuals on the day or group cancellations by you within 7 days of the event
- For cancellations up until 7 days prior to the event, we will either transfer your deposit to a new date or create a credit voucher, valid for any classes up to three years in the future ($15 fee) (not applicable to individuals within your group)
- Should we cancel the event for any reason we will give a full refund within 7 days
- Glazing and firing costs (for two pieces per attendee) are fully included in the fee
Please see “Refunds/Transfers/Cancellations”
General:
These apply to all Slow Clay Centre classes.
- Non-refundable deposit or full payment (depending on the course) must be made at time of booking.
- Please choose your classes carefully. Due to our limited class sizes once you’ve booked and paid either the deposit or the full fee we will only refund what you have paid if the class is cancelled. If you are ill or unable to attend after paying, you may transfer your booking to a friend for no charge or, provided we can fill your place, you can hold your payment (less $25 transfer fee) for up to 12 months for a future course. Occasionally we are able to offer alternative class is we have a vacancy. If we cannot find a replacement or do not have any vacancies your payment will be forfeited.
- When paying by deposit online the balance is due three weeks before the start date and you will be sent a reminder from our booking service “We Teach me” with a link to pay the balance. If the balance is not paid three weeks before the start date, or we have not heard from you to arrange an alternative, we reserve the right to cancel your booking, keep the deposit and offer your spot to another student.
- Please note that making ceramics on the wheel can be a physically demanding activity and it is usual to feel a little stiff initially. However, if you have any pre-existing or chronic injuries to your back, shoulders, neck, wrists or elbows you are strongly advised to seek a medical opinion before enrolling as some activities might exacerbate past injuries and we take no responsibility if this occurs.
- All work made during classes is to be used for personal, non-commercial purposes. This is negotiable for advanced students or for studio exhibitions but we ask students to accept that the emphasis of classes is strictly on education rather than on production.
- Course fees are fully inclusive of all materials available in our studio including unlimited clay.
- An extra firing fee is incurred after the course finishes for weekly Wheel and Form & Surface classes. Firing fees are not charged for Porcelain, Clay Club, and Taste The Clay classes. Weekend Intensives incur an extra charge for an optional glaze class which includes a firing fee.
- Weekly Wheel and Form & Surface students pay for their firing fee when they come to collect their finished work post firing. The 2020 fee is $10/kg. Students are asked to weigh and pay for their work before they take it home.
Weekly classes:
These additional conditions apply to all Slow Clay Centre weekly Wheel and Form & Surface classes.
- Students are allocated a board or an area for storage and must contain their work to that space for wet work in progress.
- One missed lesson per term can be made up in any Studio Access Time (SATs) for free, within the term you have enrolled.
- Studio Access Times (SATs) are three hours of extra studio time available to all enrolled students during term times. We offer either a FREE one hour class extension SAT for morning students or the full three hours ($40) weekday and Saturday mornings. Unlimited clay and full use of studio facilities included.
- We reserve the right to cancel any SAT sessions without notice. We will always SMS message students who have booked… however occasionally emergencies happen beyond our control!
Regarding kids Clay Club:
These apply to all Slow Clay Centre kids Clay Club classes.
- It is your responsibility to clearly report in writing on the enrolment form, any illness or disability that may affect your child’s involvement in the Clay Club activities, including allergies and behaviour needs. Please understand our educational philosophy is progressive and designed to encourage self-determination and creative thinking. Please re-think if your child requires defined activities with prescribed outcomes or has social needs requiring one-to-one attention as our classes may not be suitable.
- Please sign your children into each class and sign again on pick up.
Our experienced teachers are available for one-on-one mentoring either via Zoom or in person. Whether you would like specialist training in advanced throwing techniques, design and development guidance, or to personalise your journey with clay, we can help you! Read this page and if keen, please make a time for a initial free session with our director, Jane Sawyer, and we will take it from there according to your needs.
Your fees cover full tuition for the term of your course and UNLIMITED clay. Yes! It is very unusual. We believe students need to practice in an atmosphere of non-preciousness so we encourage the free use of clay. The only extra cost is a firing fee which is applied on a user-pays system (by weight). We do not judge your work, believing the creative process is more important than anything, so it is our policy to fire anything that students wish to keep. But we do encourage you to reflect deeply and to have high standards for your work. We do not support commercial firing for on-selling. The firing fee in 2020 $10 per kilogram weight and payable when students collect their finished pieces. The firing fee is inclusive of bisque firing.
If you are a school or an individual looking for advice we can help! We love helping people with decisions about choosing materials, buying appropriate equipment and setting up a functional studio! It’s best if you have done a few courses with us first and/or know a bit about ceramics and then we can target your needs as required. Please email info@slowclay.com to make a time for a quick phone chat to see if this is appropriate for you and we can then schedule either a Zoom or in-person appointment. Fees: hourly rate including travel, subject to change.
If you miss a class for any reason you can make up ONE missed class per term in any Studio Access Time (“SAT”) of your choice. We also offer TWO FREE SATs if you contract Covid or have to isolate as a close contact and miss two classes. What are Studio Access Times: these are specific times each week when our studio is open to enrolled students to use our facilities. See “Studio Access Times” for more information.
Generally, anyone can do the hand building classes but for the wheel classes we suggest that you get a doctor’s opinion if you have a bad back, neck, shoulders or wrists. We do not take any responsibility for any pre-existing illnesses or health issues that may be exacerbated by being in our studio, including respiratory illnesses such as asthma. Using the potter’s wheel is quite a physically demanding activity and requires a bit of strength but most physically fit people can master the wheel with practice and perseverance! It often requires about three terms to start feeling comfortable with it so be prepared to join us for a while if you can!
Human history is recorded in ceramics through which it brings cultural capital and richness to our lives like no other material. However, it also contributes to environmental degradation through mining, firing, waste and cost of “clay miles”.
At SCC we ask our students to join our journey to become mindful of the environmental effects of our activities. If you’d like to learn more about this please go to Clay Matters Collective , an environmental group we are involved with, and read their “Potter’s Pledge”.
We have a comprehensive recycling program for all waste, we buy 100% green power, we fire our kilns at Mid temp (lower than stoneware), we buy a local clay exclusively produced for us (reduced travel costs), we have a circular economy for products, and we encourage active selection of only the best pieces to offer to the kiln. We encourage students to engage in reflection, critical discourse and analysis with their teachers in order to keep only a small selection of their best pieces to offer to the kiln!
We know ceramics takes a long time to learn, particularly the wheel which requires many, many hours of practice, just like learning a musical instrument. For this reason we provide unlimited clay and we recycle all our waste. But this does not mean we fire everything a student makes. We will always encourage you to select the best for your stage of development.
Unless otherwise stated, all classes are for adults with a minimum age of 16. We occasionally have teen classes for 12-16 year olds and our Clay Club classes are for children aged 8-12. There is a bit of overlap and we do not take these ages very seriously so please chat with us if you are unsure. We are open to teens 12-16 yo to attend our adult classes if accompanied by an adult.
We open for new enrolments each term on a specified date that is published in our monthly e-newsletter and on each of our website booking pages. Please diarise the date and jump online to book! You are also welcome to email us to get on a waiting list for a specific class.
We offer a limited number of Early Bird tickets at a discounted rate which are open one term ahead. If you have a gift voucher please call us on o3 99437844 or email us your voucher details and your phone number.
After our classes open to new bookings the dates will appear on our website as open for booking if they still have spots available. You can then follow the prompts to book using a credit card or ring us on 99437844. You will need to pay a non-refundable 50% deposit to hold a place and the balance is due three weeks before the start date.
If no options appear on the website page to book then it means we are not yet open for new enrolments. Please check the booking dates and come back when the new booking buttons appear.
Please be aware that if our current term is in progress you will not see options for bookings on our web site. Please email us or join the waitlist for each class or make a note in your diary to return in a couple of weeks. We re-open for new bookings about half way each term. This enables us to offer our existing students time to hold and book their places for the forthcoming term first before we open to the public for new bookings. The opening dates are usually about mid-November for Term 1, mid-March for Term 2, mid-May for Term 3 and mid-August for Term 4. Please accept our apologies but we hope you can join us as soon as we re-open for new bookings.
We would be happy to show you our beautiful facilities but you need to make an appointment please (preferably by email info@slowclay.com). We are not a retail business and don’t keep normal office hours and we are often busy teaching so if you turn up without an appointment you might be disappointed – or you might strike it lucky!
We are passionate about education, passionate about ceramics and passionate about community. Our classes are taught by experienced ceramics teachers who are also practising ceramic artists. Our philosophy is based on open-ended exploration grounded in a solid foundation of skill and a conceptual appreciation of art and ideas. From our little centre in Collingwood, Melbourne, we love building interest in ceramics and in what all ceramic artists are doing around the world and welcome you to join us!
Deposits are a commitment to attend and are non-refundable if you change your mind or your circumstances change for any reason. The balance is due three weeks before the start date. We run on very limited class sizes and ask that everyone is committed when they book. If you are worried you may need to cancel we strongly advise you purchase the refund insurance at the payment gateway when you enrol and ensure you read the terms and conditions carefully.