Open Studio Community Membership

Open Studio Community Membership - for experienced potters (those fully able to work - and clean - independently) with a communal bent.

Anyone interested in Open Studio Community Membership or regular Open Studio must call before booking to discuss their ability to work (and clean) independently (647 667 2259). It is also very much our preference that interested parties also visit our studio first to check out the energy of our space and see if it is a fit for them.

The Idea

We hold a special place in our hearts - and in our studio - for Open Studio Community Members. We have made considerable efforts to create a physically and energetically warm atmosphere in our studio and consider Open Studio Community Members to be our partners in our ongoing commitment to maintaining the wonderful feel of our space. 

Open Studio Community Members, like regular Open Studio participants, are able to work (and clean) completely independently but also offer positive energy to the studio community through welcoming warmth to all visitors of our collective "third Space". [The term, “3rd space” is borrowed from the European-type description of a homey social setting beyond one's home and work spaces].

Community Members truly feel at home at Chromatic Earth Pottery and adhere to studio policies naturally, rather than dogmatically, in recognition that our policies have been developed to protect the integrity and atmosphere of our studio. Members are especially (and thankfully) encouraged to help us revisit studio policies to better serve the functionality and collective feel of our community. Members naturally lead by example in terms of maintaining the order and cleanliness of our studio, always leaving the space at least as clean as how they found it. We are intentional about keeping our studio free from signage: rather, it is our hope that participants will be as present with their cleaning activities as they are with their pottery activities due to their sense of collective commitment.

In many ways our studio was designed for Open Studio Community Members: besides a dozen wheels and copious hand-building and glazing/painting tables, we have a marble wedging table, a cozy social lounge, a full kitchen and a private washroom. 

Community Members receive all the benefits of regular Open Studio participants and more:

• Unlike regular Open Studio participants, Open Studio Community members may often stay beyond Open Studio times and are encouraged to utilize our warm, comfy seating area for social connection outside of registered hours. 

• Members are also informed of any extra times the studio will be available on an ad-hoc basis ... that is, Mozhgan or Mark will send out last-minute notices to Community Members (and ONLY Community Members) when they will be at the studio outside of normal hours.

• for Community Members there is no limit to the number of times (with the possible exception of the evening timeslot on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays - see below) they may visit their "third space": they may come for multiple time slots per day and up to six days a week!

As with Open Studio participants, Community Members work alone or with other Open Studio participants without interrupting registered classes or workshops. Class students recognize the presence of Members as warmly encouraging rather than regularly vocally interactive.

Communal Space

Wheels, hand-building, wedging and glazing tables (with accompanying tools - that must be cleaned and returned to their original place) are all available for Open Studio participants. However, priority for firing, space and equipment goes first to our registered class students. The kilns and the kiln room are available only to employees – we fire everything for you! The rolling table may only be used alongside employees.

Our studio has a fridge, microwave, kettle and Keurig K-express coffee maker. Please bring your own refreshment requirements and please leave our kitchen area and sink at least as clean as how you found it. We oddly have very little in the way of plates (but we are a pottery studio so we might change suddenly at any time) so please be aware of that. Tea/coffee/snack donations for the community are appreciated as formal tea-time is reserved for registered class/workshop participants. 

Clay and Kiln

Clay/glaze/firing must be purchased as a package (this package is available only to open studio students) for $90.40 ($80 + HST) for 1/2 block (6") of clay. Only pieces that take up large spaces in our kiln (pieces more than ¼ the inner working height of our large kiln or flat pieces such as plates/tiles/etc) will incur extra firing costs. Independent potters understand that heavy glazing or glaze that touches the bottom of the kiln can damage the kiln as can clay that contains bubbles or is very thick. Open Studio participants are responsible for kiln damage as a result of their pieces.

Please observe our firing policy/procedures on the "Firing Services" section of our website at your convenience. Please take only the amount of glaze you need and modifications of unapportioned glaze are, of course, not permitted. Outside clay is not permitted and outside glaze must be pre-approved before being used. Pieces taken home before completion may not be returned to our studio.  We do not allow the recycling of clay on an individual basis.

Schedule

With the exception of holidays and the odd private booking, the Open Studio schedule will generally be:

• Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:30am-1pm, 1-3:30pm, 3:30-6pm and, with somewhat reduced availability (although as of the start of 2025, we still have not had a timeslot in which we ran out of wheels), from 6:15-8:45pm (6-8:30pm on Fridays);

• Tuesday evenings (6:15-8:45pm) with, again, reduced availability;

• Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30am–1pm and 1-3:30pm.

All times include 15 minutes of clean-up before time slots end and ALL Open Studio participants are required to leave the studio in the same - or better - state of cleanliness in which they found it so the rest of our community can have the same lovely experience they did. 

All open studio sessions are canceled during holidays and for private event bookings. We will do our very best to keep Couples Nights to Thursdays and will limit as best we can the cancellation of Open Studio on Friday evenings as a result of Couples Nights. Registrants will also receive communication whenever unforeseen circumstances occur that necessitate the closure of the studio (power outages, etc.)

Please note that the number of unclaimed slots may decrease (or increase) at any time due to bookings of private classes, workshops, etc.

Empty time-slots (times where no one has signed up) may be eliminated within 24 hours of when the time-slot is scheduled to begin: if no one has signed up, we’re taking a rest!

Booking Time Slots

Once registered for Open Studio Community Membership the new member shall receive the time-slot sign-up link. 

Please only book one of the evening (6:15-8:45) Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday timeslots in advance (any remaining timeslots during these three sessions will be up for grabs within 24 hours of their scheduled start time). Those not requiring a wheel during any timeslot in which we offer less than 10 participant bookings need not book timeslots ... simply email us to let us know you are coming (at chromaticearthpottery@gmail.com) because we will stay home if no one has signed up. 

Open Studio participants defer to instructional students for space, equipment, materials, lounge area and (especially) sink utilization. Timing requirements for classes of all of the aspects of our studio fall reliably in their regularity and become easily predictable over time. For instance, tea time for classes typically happens about one-and-a-half hours into a class (typically lasting about 30 minutes) and the hand-building and glazing/painting tables only become busy during the 4th week for registered classes. Members can therefore typically utilize the comfy space area for all but ½ an hour between the hours of 10:30am and 8:45pm during weekdays (and, even then, sometimes very few class students take advantage of tea time and those that do would welcome the company) AND wheels tend to free up greatly during the final week of registered classes. 

Next Steps

If Open Studio Community Membership feels like something you are interested in, the next step would be for you to come visit our studio to make sure it is an energetic fit for you.  Please call us at 647 667 2259 to let us know when you are coming.