Support Clay

The Clay Studio, originally built by and used for years by Cherokee County as a cannery, is an integral part of our Studio Row on campus. Equipped with workstations for both wheel and hand building, the studio provides the perfect space for makers of all levels to enhance their work with clay. With modern electric kilns, convenient dry boxes, and nearby gas, wood, and raku kilns, this studio offers a diverse range of tools and techniques for classes.

With your support, the Folk School can ensure that our clay programs continue to thrive. Your donation to this program can provide general operating support or focus on specific needs, like new woodfire kilns or wheels. Your gift today will make an immediate impact.

Support the Clay Studio

Week or Weekend Scholarships

The Folk School awards several scholarships each year, providing partial or full financial support for a weeklong or weekend class. Scholarships are awarded to individuals who demonstrate financial need along with an admiration for the Folk School’s unique education model.

Support a Clay Scholarship

Clay 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.