Studio on the Common — Local services in Winchester

3 stars from the perspective of a beginner student, 4 stars overall. I provide more detail below, but I feel that the class needed more structure and instruction for the beginner students. I also caution you to make sure that you are able to attend the open studio hours before signing up because you will not make much progress in a single 2 hour class each week.

*Comment on open studio: Open studio is non-instructional time to come into the studio and do whatever you need to do. The studio fills up quickly because it is small and there are lot of students. When I attended the majority of studio hours were on Saturday and Sunday. Some parents voiced that they would appreciate more open studio hours on weekdays so that they can spend their weekends with their children. My advice is to check the open studio schedule and make sure you can attend one of the days. As a beginner you will need extra time to practice.

*My experience as a beginner: I finished a Beginner/Intermediate class in early 2025. Studio on the Common offers two class levels: Beginner/Intermediate and Intermediate. Many people return to this studio and sign up for the Beginner/Intermediate if they don't want to do the Intermediate course, which is a good thing because it means that the studio fosters a lovely community. This does mean, however, that the Beginner/Intermediate classes are filled with a mix of skill and experience levels.

There were 2 other beginner students in my class. The returning students jumped right in to throwing. On the first day the beginners were given one fast, continuous demo that included wedging, centering, throwing, and trimming. We did not have the opportunity to do these steps side-by-side with the instructor, nor did we have time to practice what we learned after the demo. Returning to class a week later and trying to remember a fast, visual demo was difficult and made the learning process frustrating.

The instructors are happy to redo demos or reshow steps, but I feel that the overall structure could have been better for a beginner. I know that the goal of the Intermediate class was to make a teapot. That sounds great! Bring that concept to the Beginners and have everyone make a mug. I remember us giving our instructor goals at the beginning of the class, but there was no follow up or check in on our goal progress.

Overall I was left wanting more. I wanted to understand cones and firing. I wanted to know why glazes do what they do. I feel like a level of knowledge was assumed for the beginners that made the class more tough than it needed to be. If you are a returning student seeking studio time, or a beginner who doesn't learn the way I do, then I do recommend Studio on the Common. If you are a true beginner, then you may find the Beginner/Intermediate course...

We come here routinely to find inspired seasonal gifts, but it wasn't until we signed our oldest child up for pottery class that we really found out how amazing this place is. Our oldest has found an amazing artistic inspiration here, and they love these classes so much that, no matter how tired they are from sports or working, they come out of class energized and talking about this being the best day ever. Honestly we've found that the teaching here is extremely solid too - our child went from barely knowing how to mash clay to creating really beautiful and polished works of art! These are now extremely in-demand with our family and friends. It's an...

I recently moved to the area and was looking for a place to meet new people and revisit an old hobby. I discovered Studio on the Common and started with the beginner’s class—best decision ever! I instantly fell in love with the studio; it quickly became a place where I felt truly comfortable and inspired. After completing both the beginner and intermediate classes over the past year, I’ve grown so much. Bel, the instructor, has been incredible—teaching me so much, helping me improve my skills, and consistently challenging me each week. If you're looking for pottery classes, I can’t recommend this...