How We Reimagined Pottery Classes at CREATE Makerspace in Squamish
At CREATE Makerspace in the heart of Squamish, BC, we’re always evolving to meet the needs of our creative community. One of our most exciting recent changes? We’ve restructured our pottery classes to make them more accessible, enjoyable, and effective for makers at every level.
Whether you’re brand new to clay or ready to refine your skills, our new class formats are designed to help you thrive — here’s how and why we made the shift.
Slowing Down to Dive Deeper
In the past, our wheel pottery classes in Squamish ran in three intensive sessions, each lasting up to three hours. While that format offered deep immersion, it could also be physically exhausting — especially for beginners just learning to wedge, center, and shape clay. We noticed that after about two hours, participants often felt drained, and their focus began to wane.
In response to your feedback, we made a meaningful change: all of our pottery classes are now structured as five sessions of two hours each. This updated pace allows for a much more comfortable and rewarding experience. You'll have the space to absorb techniques at your own rhythm, focus on core skills like trimming during class instead of scrambling to catch up between sessions, and stay energized from start to finish. It's all about learning at a steady pace, without the burnout.
A potter trims the base of their leather-hard mug
Introducing First Spin: Pottery Wheel Intro for Beginners
If you're curious about working with clay but not quite ready to commit to a multi-week course, First Spin is made for you. This welcoming, low-pressure workshop is a one-night intro to pottery designed specifically for total beginners in Squamish.
In two guided hours, you'll get hands-on experience with the pottery wheel, learning foundational techniques like centring and pulling. You’ll have the chance to create up to two small pieces to keep — and we’ll take care of the trimming and glazing for you, so you can simply focus on the fun.
It's a perfect choice for creative date nights, casual outings with friends, or even private group bookings if you're looking for something new and hands-on to do in Squamish.
New potters learn to centre their clay - an important first step
Next Steps: Wheel Pottery Level 2
If you’ve already completed our beginner program, you’re ready to take the next step with Wheel Pottery Level 2 — our five-week intermediate course for makers who want to level up their skills.
In this course, you’ll focus on creating more complex forms like bowls and plates, and work on refining your trimming with greater confidence and precision. We also dive into more advanced glazing techniques so you can start developing your personal style and artistic voice. It's all about pushing your craft forward while staying grounded in a supportive, community-driven space.
Happy makers show off their beautifully painted ceramics
Handbuilding Pottery Level 1
If you love working with clay but prefer a more tactile, wheel-free approach, our Handbuilding Pottery Level 1 class is perfect for you. Over five relaxed sessions, you’ll explore essential handbuilding techniques like pinching, coiling, and slab construction — each week building your skills and confidence through hands-on projects. You’ll also enjoy a week of creative free play to combine methods and express your personal style, finishing with an introduction to glazing to bring your pieces to life. By the end of the course, you’ll have a strong foundation in handbuilding and a small collection of unique ceramic creations to be proud of.
Hands doing what they do best, hand building!
Why These Changes Matter
At CREATE Makerspace, our mission is to make creativity sustainable, inclusive, and fun right here in Squamish. Pottery is a surprisingly physical art form, and we hope this restructured class format helps our guests and members get the most out of our classes.
By adjusting the length and flow of each course, we’re reducing the physical strain of long sessions and giving everyone the time they need to really absorb skills and techniques. More than anything, we’re creating room for real growth. These changes are about making sure every maker walks away from class feeling energized, not exhausted.
Just like our Indigenous canoe paddle carving workshops, or our popular team-building experiences, every offering we design is rooted in care, intention, and a deep respect for the creative process.
Finished pieces displaying a variety of our studio glazes
Ready to Get Started?
If you're ready to explore pottery in Squamish, we’d love to help you begin. Check out our full pottery class schedule to see what’s coming up and find a course that fits your creative goals.
📧 You can also email us at info@createmakerspace.com to ask questions or book your spot.
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