Five Years of Throw Clay LA: Clay, Community & Expanding Access to Art
Updated: Sep 21
On January 4, 2020, Throw Clay LA opened its doors in Downtown Los Angeles. Two months later, the world changed.
Five years later, we're still here, and the small pottery studio that opened just before the COVID shutdown has grown into a 7,500-square-foot space filled with students, members, instructors and a community of people who share an enthusiasm for working with clay.
As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we're looking back at how Throw Clay LA has grown and forward to another part of that journey: expanding access to pottery through Art Without Barriers.
Day 1 in the studio - Pottery, books and plants. The pottery wheel classroom on Day 1 - beautiful garage door, hanging plants. Day 1 - brand new tools ready to use.
Looking Back: Five Years of Throw Clay LA
Throw Clay LA began with a simple idea: create a pottery studio where people could learn, make and connect through clay. We could hardly have chosen a more complicated time to begin.
Opening in January 2020 meant that our first year became something none of us could have anticipated. Just as the studio was getting started, COVID forced us to close our doors. Getting from those first uncertain months to our fifth anniversary required plenty of improvising, patience and help from the people who believed in what we were building.
Since then, thousands of people have come through the studio. Some arrived to try the potter's wheel for the first time. Others joined a six-week course and kept learning. Experienced potters found a place to continue their own work as studio members. Along the way, the studio grew into the 7,500-square-foot space we have today, with approximately 35 wheels, electric and gas kilns, and room for both wheel throwing and handbuilding.
The equipment matters, but it isn't what makes Throw Clay LA what it is. Five years later, the part we're proudest of is the community that grew around it.
Expanding Access Through Art Without Barriers
When we launched Art Without Barriers, our goal was simple: make it possible for more people to continue working with clay when cost might otherwise stand in the way.
Today, Art Without Barriers supports an average of five to eight artists each month. Most receive grants covering 25% to 100% of the cost of a six-week pottery course, giving students an opportunity to learn and continue developing their skills when they need help making that possible. We also provide assistance to studio members who need support so they can remain part of the community and continue their work.
The program has become an ongoing part of Throw Clay LA and one of the ways we can extend the community we've built over the past five years.
Supporting Art Without Barriers
Art Without Barriers grows through support from the Throw Clay LA community. Donations go directly toward helping students and members continue working with clay, and spreading the word helps us reach people who may not know that assistance is available.
John & Steph celebrate 5 years! Kat celebrates a free month of membership! Students and members waiting to win! The backbone of the studio - staff Natalie, Bailey, Aidan & Eileen. One-Time students picking up pots made as a birthday celebration. John announcing the winners of our door prizes..
Thank you for being part of this community. Whether you’ve been with us since day one or just stepped into the studio, you’re part of what makes Throw Clay LA more than a place to make pottery. You’re part of the community that has grown here.
About Throw Clay LA
Whether you’re curious to try pottery for the first time or ready to develop your skills, Throw Clay LA offers one-time pottery experiences, six-week Build Skills courses, and six-week Refine & Explore courses in wheel throwing and handbuilding at our studio in Downtown Los Angeles.
We also offer pottery workshops and private pottery events for groups, while studio memberships provide experienced potters with dedicated space and time to pursue their own work, along with access to studio equipment, glazes, firing services and free weekly Member Clinics.
