azure arts Studio Use and Class Policies

 

Students enrolled in adult classes must be 18 years or older.

Private Classes

  • Private classes are intended for 1 to 2 students only. Classes must be at least 1 hour long. A shorter period may be approved on a case-by-case basis.

  • Registration for private classes guarantees a student’s day and time. A minimum of three classes must be prepaid at the time of registration. This can be done on the Azure Arts website, in person, or through Venmo. An invoice can also be issued upon request.

  • Classes cancelled 5 days or more before the scheduled date will be refunded or credited toward another class, less a $30 processing fee.

  • Classes or sessions cancelled 4 days or less before a scheduled class are non-refundable, as the time slot is reserved and guaranteed upon registration for a student or students.

  • Also see general policies for all classes below.

8-week Classes

  • Registration

    • Registration for a class guarantees a student’s spot for the day and time in which they are enrolled. Students are responsible for payment for the class immediately upon registration or by the studio-set deadline. Class fees must be paid at least 3 weeks before the start of the next session, or the spot will not be held.

    • Students who are currently enrolled in classes and do not register for the next session will be moved to the bottom of the wait list if they wish to enroll in future classes.

    • Class registrations cancelled 15 days before the start of a class session will receive a full refund, less a $30 processing fee.

    • Class registrations cancelled 14 days or less prior to the start of a class session, or after the start of the session, are non-refundable. Upon registration, your spot in the class is guaranteed. After a late cancellation, the studio is often unable to fill the spot. It also prevents someone else from taking a class.

    • The Studio does not offer refunds for missed classes or prorate the class fee, whether or not the studio staff or instructor is notified in advance.

Membership

  • Three membership options are available: a general annual membership, a studio artist membership, and an open studio with class registration (see below). Each membership has unique benefits. Studio artist members must be familiar with the studio and have taken at least three classes at azure arts studio prior to signing up for membership. All general policies apply to members and students alike. Please inquire with the studio owner for further information about membership options.

Open Studio with Class Registration

  • Open studio is available for students currently enrolled in classes, allowing students extra time to work independently and practice skills. Students may opt for the open studio with class registration membership, which provides access to the studio during the respective 8-week session.

  • Without a membership, open studio is $10/hour if a student is registered for an 8-week class session or the equivalent number of private classes.

  • General questions may be answered, but instruction is not provided during open studio. Studio instructors and staff may not be available during this time.

  • Children, guests, and anyone not associated with the studio should not be brought to open studio.

Access

  • Members and students who have taken classes for two or more sessions may be given a unique keypad code for access to the studio through the side entrance. This is at the owner's discretion. The keypad code may be disabled at any time if studio policies are not followed, the studio is not respected, payment balances are not up to date, or at the owner's discretion. The keypad code is for students’ use only and should not be given to any other individual under any circumstances.

  • After an open studio session, lights and music should be turned off, all doors locked, and the studio locked using the keypad on the side door. (Do not lock the handle on the side entrance door.)

  • This includes the use of the studio, including wheels, the slab roller, extruder, community tools, slips, etc.

  • The fee should be paid prior to or immediately following an open studio session.

Use and Clean-Up

  • Out of courtesy for others, all equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and/or put away, including wedging boards, extruder, slab roller, community tools, sinks, tables, and stools. Also see cleaning and equipment under general policies.

 Hours

  • Regular open studio hours will be set each session, and students will be notified by email or at the start of each session by the instructor. Extended studio hours may be available before or after class times, on weekends, or when the studio is not in use for classes, workshops, kiln firing, or other activities. These hours are subject to change at anytime and without notice.

  • Everyone participating in open studio must sign in upon their arrival and out prior to leaving the studio on the clipboard hung on the wall to the right of the side entry door.

Workshops

  • Workshop registrations cancelled 7 days or more before the scheduled date and time will receive a full refund or credit toward another workshop, less a $30 processing fee.

  • Workshop registrations cancelled 6 days or less in advance of the scheduled date are non-refundable. Upon registration, the spots in a workshop, date, and time are guaranteed.

  • azure arts is not responsible for the reimbursement or credit of per-person fees for members of your party who are unable to attend a workshop as booked.

  • We work with a wide range of people, teaching both wheel throwing and hand building. A reservation is required in advance for all members of your group who attend a workshop or class. If additional members attend beyond your reservation, space and materials may not be available to accommodate them during the workshop.

  • Children and infants under the age of 4 should not attend a workshop. Due to the nature of the medium and the fragility of student work, it is unsafe for children and infants below this age.

  • Pots must be picked up within 6-weeks of notification that they are ready. After that time, pots may not be stored without prior arrangement. Pots will be shipped within 5-days of the final firing.

Guest Artist Workshops

  • Workshop registrations cancelled 30 days before the scheduled workshop date will receive a full refund, less a $30 processing fee. After that time, registration fees are non-refundable as your spot in the workshop is guaranteed upon registration.

General Policies for all Classes, Workshops and Members

Food and Beverages

  • For safety reasons, food and beverages are not allowed in the studio, except for water in a closed container with a tight-fitting lid. Please speak to Christina privately if you need any accommodations during class or open studio times. The use or possession of alcohol and drugs is prohibited in the studio or on the studio property.

Unclaimed Work and Tools

  • All pottery made in a class session must be picked up within 4 weeks of notification that the pots are fired. After this time, pottery may be discarded.

  • Tools or other property left at the studio 4-weeks after the end of a class session will become the property of the studio. All other personal belongings (towels, aprons, etc.) will be discarded. The exception is if a student is registered for the subsequent session or taking ongoing classes.

Make-Up Classes

  • Students have the opportunity to make up a class (except for the glazing class) if they must miss it due to unforeseen circumstances or illness. Note that this is a courtesy, not a common practice at community studios! These can be arranged with the instructor during open studio hours, at the instructor's discretion. All missed classes must be made up by the 7th class session, respectively. No exceptions will be made.

  • General questions may be answered during make-up classes. Individual and group instruction is not provided.

  • Glazing classes can not be made up through open studio or make-up classes. Glazing takes place only during the final class. If a glazing session must be missed, a student may join another class during that week with the instructor's permission, if space allows. If pots are not glazed during the session a student is registered for, the student may register for a private session and pay the associated private class fee. All unglazed pots left at the studio 4-weeks after the session a student registered for may be discarded.

  • The exception to the above is for advanced students only or with special permission from the studio owner.

Glazing and Kiln Firings

  • If students are taking an 8-week class, all wet work must be finished by the conclusion of the 7th class for the final bisque firing. Pots that are too thick or too wet for the final firing may not be loaded into the kiln and fired. This is at the discretion of the person loading the kiln.

  • All pots must have a 1/4” glaze line above the bottom of the pot. Pots that are not wiped clean, the glaze line is too low, glazes appear to be too thick or too many glazes are used may not be fired until the glazing issue is corrected.

  • Students are responsible for the damage and replacement of kiln brick, shelves, thermocouples, or other kiln equipment if the kiln parts must be replaced as a result of errors in glazing, such as running glazes, faulty glazing, untested glazes, or clays that do not meet the studio firing temperature of cone 5/6.

  • All glazed pottery will be fired within three weeks after the last class. Students will be notified when all pottery is ready for pickup.

  • Pottery made independently by current or former students outside of classes and the studio may be fired in the studio at the owner's discretion. Those who wish to fire independent work made in their home studio must become a home studio member. Firing fees apply; see clay and firing below. The studio does not rent kiln space.

Clay and Firing

  • Firing credit, if applicable, is provided for the amount of clay received with a class registration. Additional twenty-five-pound bags of new or reclaimed clay (when available) can be purchased separately. The fees for clay and firing are subject to change at any time based on current retail prices of all materials and related costs.

  • Pots must be measured using the firing grid at the leather-hard stage, and a firing calculation sheet must be completed and any fees paid before pots are placed on the greenware shelves to be bisque-fired.

  • Fees for firing oversized pieces over 10” in height and 10” in diameter/width will be assessed by the studio owner and may incur an additional fee.

  • Remaining firing credits from any individual class session can not be redeemed for cash, credit, transferred to another session, or to another student or individual at the conclusion of a session.

  • Any remaining clay from an individual class session can not be redeemed for cash or credit at the conclusion of the session.

  • Only white clay can be used in the studio. If students have a studio at home in which to work, other clays and glazes may be used with prior approval and testing. The studio will bisque and glaze-fire mid-range, cone 5/6 clays only, with the studio owner's approval. Test tiles of all clays must be fired first. All glazes must also be tested for safety, clay/glaze fit, running, and any issues related to the glaze(s)' chemistry.

  • The studio and staff do not take responsibility for any issues resulting from clay or glazes purchased outside the studio. Please see the policy regarding damage to the kiln above in glazing and kiln firings.

Cleaning and Equipment Use

  • The goal of the studio is to keep all clay and glaze dust to a minimum. Clay and glaze dust are respiratory irritants and can cause serious health problems over time. For this reason, all clay and glaze spills should be cleaned up immediately. Surfaces, including wedging boards, work tables, wheels, stools, etc., as well as tools, should be kept as clean as possible at all times.

  • As a general rule, please leave all equipment in the condition and state in which you found it or better. This means cleaning all wheels, slab roller, extruder, wedging boards, tools, sinks, etc., thoroughly. Only water and a soft sponge should be used to clean all surfaces, especially wheel heads and other metal surfaces, to prevent corrosion, rust, or oxidation.

  • Metal tools such as ribs, needle tools, and trim tools should be used with discretion and caution on the wheel heads, as they can cause irreparable damage if misused.

  • Hard plastic tools and scrapers can also damage wheel heads and should only be used to clean wedging boards.

  • Cutting on or into wood or plaster surfaces is prohibited due to the resulting damage.

  • Please use all studio equipment responsibly. Please refrain from using studio equipment if you are new to it without prior training.

  • Any damaged or broken equipment must be reported immediately to the instructor or studio owner.

Payment:

  • Payment is for all classes, memberships, open studio, clay, firing, tools, etc., at the time the service or item is received or rendered.

  • Payments are accepted by cash, check, credit card, or Venmo (Christina-Milliman). Membership fees will be invoiced automatically and must be paid by the renewal date (monthly, semi-annually, or annually).

  • Notice of the cancellation of membership must be provided at least 30 days before the date of discontinuation.

  • Studio and kiln-firing access can be suspended or revoked for any member who is not current on their balance.

Etiquette:

  • ·The primary goal at azure arts is to provide a creative, inspiring, and safe space for everyone where they can feel accepted and comfortable. Idea sharing and socializing are highly encouraged, but people trying to work independently should be respected.

  • Behavior that is unsafe, threatening, or violent toward others, lack of respect for studio property, others’ personal property, personal space and boundaries, theft, unwanted sexual advances or comments, or any other highly disruptive behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Students and members may be dismissed from classes, workshops, or open studio at the owner's or instructor's discretion if any unsafe or unwanted behavior occurs among students, members, and/or staff.

By registering for a class or attending open studio at azure arts, you agree to follow the above policies and guidelines. Azure Arts reserves the right to suspend class or workshop enrollment or open studio access to those who do not follow the studio policies and guidelines, have outstanding balances, or become disruptive to the studio environment and community. Policies, guidelines, and fees may be updated at any time without advance notice.