Clay Classes

Explore form, function, texture, and color using clay. Create astonishing pottery, vessels for the garden, or sculpt animals and mythical creatures while developing good habits. Explore the mysteries of glazes and alternative firings or delve into slab and wheel techniques. Bask in the kiln’s inviting glow.

Explore The Studio

Clay Studio

Originally built by Cherokee County as a cooperative cannery that served the community for many years, the Clay Studio includes plenty of workstations for wheel and handbuilding classes, along with a dry box and electric kilns. Gas, wood, and raku kilns are outside a few yards away. The studio’s rustic front porch overlooks a small flower garden and is a great place to take a quick break. Our Clay Studio is on Studio Row, alongside the Enameling, Woodcarving, and D.X. Ross Jewelry & Metals Studios.

News & Stories: What's Happening in Clay

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Tickets for Empty Bowls are sold out

Purchase Tickets NOTICE: This event...

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Welcome to Our New Website

Our new website is here!...

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The Importance of Carrying on Tradition: Interview with Gina Myers, 3rd Generation Cherokee Potter

Gina “Swimmer” Myers sat down with Tammy Elwell recently for a conversation about her craft. Gina comes from a long line of established Cherokee potters, the granddaughter of renowned Cherokee potter Amanda “Sequoyah” Swimmer. Her craft has been inspired by the strong women in her life and her commitment to the stewardship of traditional Cherokee crafts.

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Quest: Pottery, Printmaking & Family Vacations

I met Tom Quest over meatloaf dinner in the Dining Hall on Sunday night. We quickly discovered that we were enrolled in the same class: Jim Horton’s “Great American Poster” printmaking class. I discovered Tom is a professional potter and he got his start in clay years ago at the Folk School. He and his family often come here for vacation. This particular week, his wife and daughter were taking felting & dyeing together. I sat down with him to learn a little bit more about his pottery, our class, and why the Folk School is a great place for a family vacation. Enjoy our interview!

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Empty Bowls Presents Checks to Local Food Banks

Empty Bowls checks of $3,188 each were presented this week to the Cherokee County Sharing Center and Clay County Food Pantry. The 10th Annual Empty Bowls was held on March 12 at the Folk School. The Empty Bowls fundraiser for Cherokee and Clay County food banks has been organized by Resident Potter Mike Lalone and hosted by the John C. Campbell Folk School for the past 10 years. Thanks again to everyone who supported this event!

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Sienna Schute headshot

Clay, Sculpture & Mosaics Coordinator

Sienna Shute

Sienna grew up digging clay and air-drying small sculptures on the lake shores of Seven Lakes, North Carolina where she lived with her family until pursuing a degree at UNC Chapel Hill. After college she came to the Folk School as a clay student and, like many others, was pulled right in! In the years to follow she came back as both a Work Study and a Host. Sienna then found her way to Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program where she took a deep dive into pottery and received a degree in Clay. Since graduation, Sienna has returned to the area and is working as a studio potter with a focus on functional tableware.

Interested in Attending?

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