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.
Clay Classes
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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October 22, 2024
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August 29, 2024
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August 14, 2024
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July 23, 2024
Browse our 2025 classes digitally...
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June 28, 2024
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May 6, 2024
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March 5, 2024
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November 9, 2023
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July 24, 2023
Browse our August 2023–June 2024...
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July 3, 2023
Folk School staff, local potters,...
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June 16, 2023
Michael Hamlin is an award-winning...
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May 22, 2023
A huge thank you to...
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February 14, 2023
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November 7, 2022
Soda firing creates beautiful flashes...
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September 13, 2022
Announcing our 2023 Traditional Craft...
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August 29, 2022
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July 25, 2022
Building on your feedback, we're...
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July 22, 2022
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April 12, 2021
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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November 7, 2017
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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May 13, 2016
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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April 10, 2016
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September 17, 2015
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September 15, 2015
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March 19, 2015
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.
Images from the Studio
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Housing & Meals
There’s nothing like staying on campus to fully immerse yourself in the Folk’s School experience.
A Typical Week or Weekend
A quick glance of what you can expect when you take a class as the Folk School.
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