Shoulder Cat Studio

Friday Pottery Date Night/Custom Workshop - 2026
2026-01-01 - 2026-12-31 | Shoulder Cat Studio, 3112 N Peary St, Arlington, VA, 22207, United States
Note: This is an animal-friendly studio. While cleaning is regularly done, there will most likely be allergens present. Pets are welcomed with permission only.
Availability: We are currently booked on every Friday through May and most of June. Our only available date in June is now June 12 followed by July 10th as our next available date.
For “date night”, bring a companion for a fun and relaxed 2 hour pottery demonstration (3 hours for four people). During your session, you will get to try your hand at wheel throwing, handbuilding or slipcasting, the choice is yours. We will work together to customize your session. There is no pressure to make a piece and you will have the ability to make 1-2 pieces to keep at the end of the session. This workshop is well-suited for beginners who are new to the pottery. The instructor will help start and finish pieces.
The class includes clay, oxides, glaze, and firings. There are general pottery supplies for use in the studio. An apron and towel will be provided, though you can bring your own.
A maximum of two couples, or four people can be booked per session, so feel free to bring along some friends. Please only purchase one ticket per pair/two pair. The price for the different tiers is inclusive of all participants. Session dates can be selected during checkout, though exact date and time will be determined during a follow up email. Note, dates may need to be adjusted based on availability, other bookings, and other factors, but if a mutually acceptable date cannot be determined, we will refund your purchase.
If there are pieces you would like to keep, the instructor will clean up and glaze those pieces. Finished pieces will be available to pick up within 3 weeks after the date night session. More information will be provided as needed,
Please contact us if you have questions or need accommodations.
SLIDING SCALE PRICING
Sliding scale pricing is how we balance the equity scales and we use it to make ceramics education accessible and affordable to all. There are four tiers for pricing. When signing up for this class, please pay what feels right to you and your current finances. This is a trust based system, only you will know what feels comfortable and possible. BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ are encouraged to pay the Solidarity and Equity Tiers.
Full-price Tier – This is the actual cost for date night.
Solidarity Tier – This is a moderately discounted cost for date night.
Equity Tier – This is a further discounted cost for date night.
Pay-it-Forward Tier – This is a moderately higher cost for date night. This tier helps us continue to offer sliding scale pricing as well as offer low cost workshops.

Classes and Workshop Schedule for 2026
2026-01-01 00:00 - 2026-12-31 00:00 (America/New_York)
Thank you for your interest in our classes and workshops. Find our schedule for the year below; dates are subject to change. Sign up for our newsletter to get notice of advanced registration. Have a workshop idea? Send us an email!
January 31st – November 6th: Date Night/ Custom Workshops on-demand
February – March: Winter/Spring Workshops, dates and topics TBD
March 15th – April 11th: Spring Throwing and Handbuilding Classes, evening and weekend hours
June 6th – June 27th: Summer Throwing and Handbuilding Classes, evening and weekend hours
July – August: Summer workshops, dates and topics TBD
October 16th – November 6th: Fall Throwing and Handbuilding Classes, evening hours only
December – January: Winter Workshops, dates and topics TBD

Throwing on the Pottery Wheel Tues., March 17, 2026 - April 7, 2026 6:30 pm-9:30 pm
2026-03-17 18:30 - 2026-04-07 21:30
Note: This is a pet-friendly studio. While cleaning is regularly done, there will most likely be allergens present. Pets are welcomed with permission only.
During this 4-week pottery class, students will work on throwing pottery on the wheel. The focus of these sessions will be to help you on your skills whether you are new to the wheel, a beginner looking to build skills, or an intermediate potter looking to improve your technique. Pottery terminology, skills, and glazing techniques will be discussed.
The class fee includes 10 pounds of clay, oxides, glaze, firings, and storage space.
There are general pottery supplies for use in the studio. Personal tool kits are also available to purchase for $15. Apron and towels are no longer provided for classes, so please bring your own. Additional clay (recycled clay is free), firings, special lusters, underglaze transfers and overglaze decals can be purchased for a fee.
A maximum of 4 students will be in the class, allowing for plenty of hands-on guidance as needed. You must be able to attend all four sessions as no make up sessions will be offered. Once the class is full, a waitlist will open.
Sample 3 hour, 4-week schedule:

Week 1: Review studio best practices. Demo and practice cylinders/bowls on the wheel.
Week 2: Practice and demo trimming on the wheel.
Week 3: Continue practice and finish all pieces from week 1 and 2. Start discussing glaze and practice on test tile. Pieces loaded for bisque firing.
Week 4: Demo and glaze bisque pieces. Glazed pieces loaded into kiln for glaze firing.

Finished pieces will be available for pickup 2-3 weeks after week 4. You will be contacted to arrange pickup.Please contact us if you have questions or need accommodations.
SLIDING SCALE PRICING
Sliding scale pricing is how we balance the equity scales and we use it to make ceramics education accessible and affordable to all. There are four tiers for pricing. When signing up for this class, please pay what feels right to you and your current finances. This is a trust based system, only you will know what feels comfortable and possible. BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ are encouraged to pay the Solidarity and Equity Tiers.
Full-price Tier – This is the actual cost for the class.
Solidarity Tier – This is a moderately discounted cost for the class.
Equity Tier – This is a further discounted cost for the class.
Pay-it-Forward Tier – This is a moderately higher cost for the class. This tier helps us continue to offer sliding scale pricing as well as offer low cost workshops.

Throwing and Handbuilding Sat., March 21, 2026 - April 11, 2026 10:00 am-1:00 pm
2026-03-21 10:00 - 2026-04-11 13:00
Note: This is a pet-friendly studio. While cleaning is regularly done, there will most likely be allergens present. Pets are welcomed with permission only.
During this 4-week pottery class, students will work on throwing pottery on the wheel as well as handbuild with a variety of techniques. While this class is best for advanced beginners and intermediate potters, beginners to either the wheel or handbuilding will also benefit from the class as there are only 4 students per class. Pottery terminology, skills, and glazing techniques will be discussed.
The class fee includes 15 pounds of clay, oxides, glaze, firings, and storage space.
There are general pottery supplies for use in the studio. Personal tool kits are also available to purchase for $15. Apron and towels are no longer provided for classes, so please bring your own. Additional clay (recycled clay is free), firings, special lusters, underglaze transfers and overglaze decals can be purchased for a fee.
A maximum of 4 students will be in the class, allowing for plenty of hands-on guidance as needed. You must be able to attend all four sessions as no make up sessions will be offered. Once the class is full, a waitlist will open.
Sample 3 hour, 4-week schedule:

Week 1: Review studio best practices. Demo and practice cylinders/bowls on the wheel as well as coil and slab building.
Week 2: Practice and demo trimming on the wheel and continue practicing coil and slab building.
Week 3: Continue practice and finish all pieces from week 1 and 2. Pieces will be loaded into kiln for bisque firing.
Week 4: Demo and glaze bisque pieces. Glazed pieces loaded into kiln for glaze firing.

Finished pieces will be available for pickup 2-3 weeks after week 4. You will be contacted to arrange pickup.Please contact us if you have questions or need accommodations.
SLIDING SCALE PRICING
Sliding scale pricing is how we balance the equity scales and we use it to make ceramics education accessible and affordable to all. There are four tiers for pricing. When signing up for this class, please pay what feels right to you and your current finances. This is a trust based system, only you will know what feels comfortable and possible. BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ are encouraged to pay the Solidarity and Equity Tiers.
Full-price Tier – This is the actual cost for the class.
Solidarity Tier – This is a moderately discounted cost for the class.
Equity Tier – This is a further discounted cost for the class.
Pay-it-Forward Tier – This is a moderately higher cost for the class. This tier helps us continue to offer sliding scale pricing as well as offer low cost workshops.

Throwing on the Pottery Wheel Sat., March 21, 2026 - April 11, 2026 3:30 pm-6:30 pm
2026-03-21 15:30 - 2026-04-11 18:30

Handbuilding Pottery Mon., March 23, 2026 - April 13, 2026 6:30 pm-9:30 pm
2026-03-23 18:30 - 2026-04-13 21:30
Update: due to the storm on March 16th, this class has been rescheduled to March 23rd to April 13th.
Note: This is a pet-friendly studio. While cleaning is regularly done, there will most likely be allergens present. Pets are welcomed with permission only.
During this 4-week pottery class, students will build pottery with a variety of handbuilding techniques. The focus of these sessions will be to help you on your skills whether you are new to pottery, a wheel thrower looking to hand build, or an intermediate potter looking to improve your techniques. Pottery terminology, skills, and glazing techniques will be discussed.
The class fee includes 10 pounds of clay, oxides, glaze, firings, and storage space.
There are general pottery supplies for use in the studio. Personal tool kits are also available to purchase for $15. Apron and towels are no longer provided for classes, so please bring your own. Additional clay (recycled clay is free), firings, special lusters, underglaze transfers and overglaze decals can be purchased for a fee.
A maximum of 4 students will be in the class, allowing for plenty of hands-on guidance as needed. You must be able to attend all four sessions as no make up sessions will be offered. Once the class is full, a waitlist will open.
Sample 3 hour, 4-week schedule:

Week 1: Review studio best practices. Demo and practice coil and slab building.
Week 2: Practice coil and slab building.
Week 3: Finish all pieces from week 1-2. Pieces will be loaded into kiln for bisque firing.
Week 4: Demo and glaze bisque pieces. Glazed pieces loaded into kiln for glaze firing.

Finished pieces will be available for pickup 2-3 weeks after week 4. You will be contacted to arrange pickup. Please contact us if you have questions or need accommodations.
SLIDING SCALE PRICING
Sliding scale pricing is how we balance the equity scales and we use it to make ceramics education accessible and affordable to all. There are four tiers for pricing. When signing up for this class, please pay what feels right to you and your current finances. This is a trust based system, only you will know what feels comfortable and possible. BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ are encouraged to pay the Solidarity and Equity Tiers.
Full-price Tier – This is the actual cost for the class.
Solidarity Tier – This is a moderately discounted cost for the class.
Equity Tier – This is a further discounted cost for the class.
Pay-it-Forward Tier – This is a moderately higher cost for the class. This tier helps us continue to offer sliding scale pricing as well as offer low cost workshops.
