Ceramics studio

Space Teams Ceramics
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Hey ya’ll,
I’d like to share some observations about the ceramics space for your consideration. I’ve been a member since March & this is my take:

First, I only work with handbuilding, not at a wheel, and we need a couple of more tables, please. Lauren set up the area for 4 people to a table which is impossible. We need to spread out our clay, tools & large work surface and not feel cramped.
As it is now, we’re not 4 to a table but we are sometimes on top of each other!

The smaller table for the wedging isn’t utilized for the space it’s taking. Another full size table could easily fit there and move wedging elsewhere.

The glazing cart isn’t big enough for more than 1 person so we have to use a regular table to glaze our bisque items. This cart would actually be great for wedging since it’s on rollers & could be moved around as needed. The wedging table would benefit from having pottery plaster poured on top of it.

Also there’s a table by the window by glazing cart that’s eating up space with what seems to be random stuff that could possibly move elsewhere.

The large windows directly behind this table allow direct morning light to come thru & then it’s too hot to glaze there. Perhaps some roll down shades to cover windows until the sun passes?

As we continue to grow, I’m hoping these observations will be considered sooner rather than later and action taken to help us along the way.

I’m enjoying my membership and the time it allows me to “get in the flow” creating all kinds of goodies!

Thank you for your time.

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Thank you for the notes! I’m glad you’ve been able to make great use of the space for the last few months and have some constructive and honest feedback on how you are using it and how it could be improved.

When building out the space, we knew there would be some room for adjustments or improvements after we got a chance to see how everything was running.

There are some things here that I might be able to help with, but would look towards @julirenner for her take on this.
Particularly like procurement and helping to install shades?

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I figured I would jump in and add my $.02 having been a member for the last two months and having spent the last 2 years in a few different studios. Asmbly is a great facility. It’s nice having a new, clean (as clean as a pottery studio can ever truly be) space. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting most, if not all of the kiln operators and they are all friendly, helpful, and easy to talk with.

All the volunteers have been great and encouraged me to volunteer too-- and I just completed my volunteer orientation and will be shadowing a CSI soon.

I think a big part of what makes a pottery studio great is the community. I’ve never been involved in a hobby/art/craft where pretty uniformly people love to share insights, ask about each other’s work, share tools, materials, and knowledge, etc. I think I am seeing more and more of that spirit in the studio as I’ve spent time there over the last two months-- and I find that encouraging.

Below are my thoughts on the space and changes/improvements I think could be made. I apologize it isn’t more concise.

Work Tables

  1. I definitely agree that 4 people to a work table is impossible. I think 2 per a table would be closer to what I’ve seen for that amount of real estate at other studios. I think potentially if we could get one more table that is the same size, you could create two islands by butting the table together and then 4 people could work per an island.

  2. We currently have one worktable that does not have a canvas top. I’d be happy to spend some volunteer time canvassing the top if provided with canvas and the appropriate tools.

Wedging Table
There may be other considerations for having a dedicated wedging table, but in my experience other studios have a dedicate wedging table for two reasons: the worktables are not solid enough to wedge on without rocking the table a bit (not ideal when sharing table space with someone else who may be carving or doing detailed work) or to provide a dedicated spaces for wedging dark and light clay (usually a wedging table divided in half with signage indicating which side is which).

I think the worktables at Asmbly are solid enough that they can be wedged on without disturbing a tablemate and I often wedge on the worktable I am working at. As it stands, our wedging table has no demarcation for light vs. dark clays.

All that to say, I’m not sure we necessarily need a dedicated wedging table, if it came down to a space issue with adding another worktable.

Glazing Area
I agree with Maxine that the glazing cart is too small for two people. I often find myself (and have observed other members) glazing at worktables as they are more accommodating. When I’m glazing, I’m usually glazing multiple pieces at a time often with different glazes for each piece. This requires space for the pieces, the glaze containers, separate brushes, rinsing bowls, etc.

I think we could more efficiently use the space by making a few changes.

  1. I would consider getting the glazes off of the table. Maybe a shelving unit or something on the wall where glazes could be stored.
  2. This is already in discussion, but some sort of pegboard or magnetic wall covering to store test tiles. This will help declutter table space.
  3. Using this freed up table space to create more real estate for glazing.
  4. Future proofing-- I know we have a dip bucket for clear glaze. I have heard some discussion of potentially adding other dip glazes in the future. If that’ s a real possibility, I think we should consider where future buckets are going to go and how they will be accessed, etc.
  5. Whatever solution we come up with for the sun, I would just hope that it allows for light to enter the space during less bright hours. I often find myself standing next to the windows for the natural light as I work on more detailed tasks and would hate to lose that light to a more permanent solution like covering the windows with pegboards or something.

Shelving
The measurements for shelving listed on Asmbly’s website is not entirely accurate. They are described as 15"H for half and full shelves with a premium for the top shelves which offer 48"H in height. Let’s say the top shelf is “Shelf 1”. The heights of Shelves, 2, 3 and 4 are not uniform. I was using Shelf 3 and had a 12" piece that would not fit onto my shelf (granted it was on a wareboard) but I was able to fit on Shelf 4 (bottom shelf) with room to spare. I don’t have exact measurements, but if you look at the shelves you can see that there are height differences.

I think it may also be worth adding a note in that Membership Options area the maximum pot height that can be fired at Asmbly as I believe the kiln depth is 27".

Quality of Life

  1. We have hooks for aprons, but I don’t think we have general use hooks. Potter’s love their tools and I know I always bring at least a backpack or tote with me to the studio. It would be nice to have a dedicated space for hanging bags, jackets, etc, that is relatively free of clay dust.
  2. Total amenity item here (and maybe this already exists somewhere at Asmbly) but adding a little area with a lighbox for photographing work would be awesome. Sharing work on socials is fun and a great way to get the word out about Asmbly through tagging or a mention in the captions and I think having consistent quality photos would only help.
  3. And lastly, some sort of noise/phone policy. I have no problem working in silence, and I have no problem with people connecting to the bluetooth speaker and playing music (in my experience everyone has been very thoughtful and considerate with this), but I think it is inconsiderate to have prolonged phone conversations, play videos, or play music through your phone speaker for all to hear. Just a general courtesy thing for me.
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This is all really great feedback. Thank you for putting the time and thought into all of this. As well, welcome to the Steward team!

I wish I had more to write at the moment but I at least wanted to let you know that we’re listening. More to follow!

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We are putting up shades on the glazing area today. We need a large enough canvas sheet to cover the tables, but some people do prefer to work on a wooden surface. We do not currently have a real wedging table (canvas over wood it not a wedging table!) As to not set work on the floor of our kiln your maximum height on a pot is about 24". We have hex lighting over our current glazing station which allows for better photography, but yeah, the rest of the lighting stinks. A volunteer has taken some initiative on mixed glazes. We currently have material, but the mixing has stalled out. We are addressing these issues as quickly as we can, and more. Side note: Bringing in some more members could help increase out budget for expansion and improvement…

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Now that it’s stopped raining dip glazes should be easy to get going. Will likely have tests to fire this weekend

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Hello, Maxine and Stanton,
So excited to have you volunteering as well as working as a member!
I am coming back from a brief trip, and will address each of the things you are pointing out.
As far as tables: we’ve just added a new table after I started as head, in June. I know we could use another one, but looking at our skedda bookings, we have not had the studio fully booked yet.
So, I’ll enumerate the points, and then address them. Most of them were things I also pointed out when I joined, and some we’ve already improved, and some we still need to.

  1. Number of tables - yes, this is my very important next priority, but because I just got us a new table, we will have to wait a bit (month or two?). I do have a couple of possible solutions to increase capacity that I will be disclosing soon;
  2. Number of users per table - I fully agree with what you are saying. These tables do not allow for 4 members to work, as they are offered on Skedda, at least for handbuilders. A 1/4th of a table may be enough for a wheel user that also needs a support table for throwing, and this is why I think we should keep Skedda with 4 spots per table. What I do: I book 2 spots on Skedda when doing my larger projects. I suggest you all do the same, the day before you come to work: book two spots at the studio. This way nobody gets into the studio and js surprised with no space to work;
  3. Usage of the wedging table - here we have mixed opinions. I used to wedge in shared tables in previous studios, but like Stanton well pointed out, heavy wedging can disturb people that are working in delicate tasks. So, I am a converted: I think the wedging table should remain dedicated, and members SHOULD NOT use it for leaving objects there, and instead book a support one spot at a studio table for when they are using the wheel, if they require more space;
  4. Usage of glazing area, and spaces to glaze - yes, that is too small for glazing, and this is why since a month or more ago we have changed our policies and we now allow members to glaze at their own table. The way you do it is: don’t forget to use a wood slab between the table, because glaze is hard to clean from the fabric. You can bring the glazes to your table while you are using, or you can pour some in the white containers, that’s what they are there for. This way we can all glaze at the same time;
  5. Other table by the extruder - I am reviewing possibilities for that table. It was supposed to be a support table for the extruder, but it is rarely used as such, and therefore we should think of more utilitiarian ways to use it. More about that will soon come, I just need to organize and get approval from leadership;
  6. Sunlight in the studio - we are in the process of trying to install curtains in that area. May I just say: in general, I think all the sunlight we have is actually a blessing, and makes the space look bright and good to work on. Being someone that doesn’t see well, and having come from a studio that didn’t have enough natural light, I am super grateful for all that sunlight.
    I know it has a downside, sometimes it can get warm. But the area has a great working A/C, and this is Texas Summer, and global warming is real. In short: we will see what we can do, curtains are being installed, but soon enough, in September, we will be more thankful than not for all that sun.
    Then we have Stanton contribution, which I am partially addressing here and partially in some of the next posts. I want to particularly address the tables with wood x tables with fabric possibilities, because we’ve been doing experiments, and also creating alternatives so that the folks that like fabric can have their way, and the ones that like wood can also have what they want.
    I’ll make a large post (or maybe a sequence of them) with all that, to explain exactly what we have in store as far as changes, and how we volunteers can nudge ASMBLY leadership in the right direction to implement them.
    Having all your opinions here is super important because it makes it visible, it is not just me saying it.
    There are other ways we can make it clear we are at capacity sometimes, and that is through Skedda bookings.

So, the first thing I am going to ask of all Ceramics members, volunteers and staff is: ALWAYS book on Skedda. If you need a wheel and space at the table, book both.
If you need two spaces at the table because you are working on large projects: book 2 spaces.
We need those numbers to show we are at capacity, and at what times is our studio most crowded.
I am making a big post now on all the changes I’ve just agreed with leadership to simplify Skedda bookings, in order to make it easier for members, but also so that we can all adhere to the booking system, because it is the single most important way to manage assets and capacity we have, and it will tell leadership about our need for another table without us even having to speak.
Stay tunned!

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This IS amazing!
How can I help you?

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Hey Juli,
Thanks for your input and moving forward with planning. Booking 2 Skedda spots to access half a table is a great idea. I’ll definitely start doing this.
Also appreciate you nudging members to always book on Skedda. There’s been several occasions when I’m the only name on Skedda, yet I walk in to see other potters working at the tables. No conflict. Just surprised!

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Thank you again!
I am pushing for us all to book, so that we have visibility about how we use the space.
I am guilty myself of sometimes booking only one spot, when I actually was using two.

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Here is the link for the Discourse post that highlights how we are simplifying Skedda bookings in the Ceramics studio:

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I think this is an excellent point that should be a shopwide thing IMO

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Thanks Juliana! I agree the natural light is a blessing! I’ll start double booking tables from now on.

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I also want to implement and talk about your other suggestions!
I’ve sent you a message on Slack. Let’s talk!

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I spoke with other members, and consulted other Shop Leads, and apparently there is nothing on that in shop specific policies, or wiki.
Happy to create the blue print in Ceramics to roll out ASMBLY wide. We’ll add an etiquette section to our studio policy.
Or should we add this item to our organization-wide policy?

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I am a little late to the party but just to confirm and (hopefully) clarify— is it correct to assume that if someone double books two spaces at the table then 1 hour in the studio will count as two hours with respect to the monthly total? I mention it because that was what happened to me last last year in the metal shop.

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That’s correct @EAK58. @Rolo added further clarification and updates on this —

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HI Nick, as a member since the ceramics space since it opened, I’ve been looking forward to using the dip glazes for a while. I’m wondering if it would be helpful to schedule a time for people to help with this so we can get it done sooner?
I have never made glazes before but happy to help someone that knows what they are doing.

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Hi Allison-

We plan on having a learning session for the ceramics volunteers when the full 5 gallon buckets are being mixed.

Unfortunately, my schedule is not as open as it was when this was originally planned- scheduling a time isn’t going to make anything happen sooner unless someone else who is skilled in glaze mixing wants to step in.

If you’d like to join, talk to @Sid about onboarding and getting access to slack where volunteer activities are discussed more in depth. Since this is a more of a “when there’s time” activity there likely won’t be a ton of notice to make a forum post.

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Thanks Nick. Maybe just us discussing it will find a member that knows how to mix glazes and can help.

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