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Header image courtesy of LUMP Studio (Facebook)
No more excuses! It’s time to try something you’ve always wanted to but never made the time for: pottery. Possibly one of the most beginner-friendly craft activities available on the market, it’s guaranteed that if you have ever messed around with Play-Doh in your childhood years, you will have some degree of familiarity with shaping and pinching clay.
Whether you’re a complete amateur or have a few hand-building and coiling classes under your belt, these pottery and ceramics studios around Hong Kong are sure to make you fall in love with creating something from nothing. What are you waiting for? Don an apron and get your throw on! Bonus points if you feel brave (and silly) enough to re-enact the iconic pottery wheel scene from Ghost—much to your instructor’s chagrin.
With two locations in Tai Koo and San Po Kong, Two Parts Studio is one of the leading pottery studios in Hong Kong, specialising in small classroom settings for their instructor-led courses. All available classes are limited to four people, so if you thrive in environments where lots of individual attention is given, this one’s for you.
Two Parts Studio offers a five-lesson basic course ($1,250) where beginners will learn to craft one three-piece set consisting of a cup, bowl, and plate. Each engaging and digestible lesson is two hours each, where their instructor will guide you through standard throwing techniques, as well as trimming and glazing methods.
Looking for something above beginner level? There’s also a five-lesson advanced course ($1,750) on offer, where seasoned students can try their hand at crafting a custom teapot and vase. For both types of courses, all materials are included, as well as equipment needed for Bisque firing and glazing.
Once you’ve covered all available classes, Two Parts Studio also allows experienced potters to subscribe to a self-service membership ($60 per hour) in their spacious studio, where you can engage in unsupervised throwing to your heart’s content. Additional charges apply for pottery clay, Bisque firing, and glaze firing.
Two Parts Studio, locations across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon
Since the mid-1990s—gee, that’s more than two decades ago—Cobo Ceramic Workshop in Causeway Bay has been offering pottery classes for students of all levels to get their throwing on. Founded by experienced ceramic artist Chris Lo, who has participated in numerous exhibitions in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, and Europe, it’s safe to say that the man knows his stuff and his teaching team of four is no less distinguished.
Cobo Ceramic Workshop offers classes from Monday to Saturday, where students can learn to prepare clay and use different hand-building techniques, such as pinching, coiling, and slab-building, crafting everything from functional tableware and vessels to sculptures. Intermediate students can move on to throwing techniques on the potter’s wheels to create items such as mugs, bowls, plates, vases, and teapots. A four-course package ($1,120) is available, and material and firing fees are charged by weight and volume after firing.
Cobo Workshop, 1/F, Fortune Court, 33 Morrison Hill Road, Causeway Bay | (+852) 2528 0672
Note: From July 2020 onwards, Cobo Workshop will merge with Half Corner Studio, run by local ceramic artist Nick Poon.
This petite studio is run by Hong Kong ceramic artist Kit Han, whose love for experimentation is demonstrated through the exploration of material, texture, and colour in her ceramic works. Cupclay pulls double-duty as both a pottery workshop and retail space for her gorgeous handbuilt ceramic animals and tableware, and students can take a huge of variety of classes under her tutelage.
From wheel-throwing classes ($1,200 for four lessons) and regular hand-building courses ($1,200 for four lessons) to a hand-built teapot class ($880) and a hand-built aroma burner workshop ($880), there’s something for everyone to keep their hands busy. Kit takes reservations through Whatsapp at (+852) 9312 6580 and her studio is open by appointment from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm.
Cupclay, 1/F, 85 Fuk Wa Street, Sham Shui Po | (+852) 3101 2918
Hop on over to the southside and have some fun at LUMP Studio, a fully equipped ceramic workshop in Wong Chuk Hang. Now three years old, LUMP offers two kinds of workshops: monthly or private. With monthly classes, you can sign up for a four-class package ($1,350) that takes place on either Tuesday or Thursday night from 7 pm to 9.30 pm, where you will learn hand-building and growing techniques. Extra fees apply for firing and materials at $50 per kilogram of clay.
Private classes allow for a more flexible schedule and class size, wherein the attendance fee for the first student clocks in at $500 per hour, the second student at $300 per hour, and the third and all subsequent students at $200 per hour, with a minimum enrolment time of two hours per session. Same firing and materials costs apply.
Memberships to their studio, reserved for experienced potters, are also available; simply choose between a 15-hour weekly package ($2,160) or a 10-hour package ($1,110) that can be topped up anytime you run out.
LUMP Studio is extremely popular and is already fully booked for the month of June, so the best way to stay informed of their July schedule is to subscribe to their newsletter for updates.
LUMP Studio, 11A, Gee Luen Hing Industrial Building, 2 Yip Fat Street, Wong Chuk Hang | (+852) 2116 0865
Led by local ceramic artist and former Cobo Workshop instructor Nick Poon, Half Corner Studio offers classes from Monday to Saturday for students of all levels. From learning different hand-building techniques to better understand the process of pottery-making to mastering the basics of pottery throwing on the wheel, the Half Corner Studio team artfully guides students through weekly classes in their Causeway Bay and Kwai Fong studios.
Students can opt for a monthly four-course package ($1,300) or a 10-class package ($3,000), both of which exclude materials, firing, and glazing costs, which are calculated and charged by weight and volume after firing.
Half Corner Studio, locations across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon
Note: From July 2020 onwards, Half Corner Studio will open their new Causeway Bay studio, formerly Cobo Workshop.
Newcomer Mudheytong Gallery was founded by three Hong Kong artists who are well-versed and experienced in the field of ceramic arts. This formidable trio—consisting of Coco, Janet, and Karen—lead a studio that is wholly dedicated to ceramic arts education and the exhibition of ceramic arts, and in this encompassing space, interested students can not only learn the basics of pottery and ceramics but also further develop their existing skills.
Sign up for a monthly membership ($1,800) if you’re an able potter, or get your hands wet with a two-hour trial workshop ($500) to become familiar with the fundamentals. Similarly, you can opt for a four-class package ($1,200) to really dive into the art of ceramics. Additional firing and glazing costs are based on clay weight. Classes are available for both kids and adults, so why not make it an activity for the whole family?
Mudheytong Gallery, 175 Tai Nan Street, Sham Shui Po | (+852) 9863 2210
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Germany, and educated in the U.S., Jen is an award-winning creative with a background in illustration, communication design, art direction, and content creation. When she’s not getting lost in a good book, you’ll find her doing crosswords, eating dim sum, covering all sides of a “Hamilton” number, and taking naps.
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