Terms & Conditions

We hope you enjoy your experience at Northwest Pottery Collective, LLC ("Northwest Pottery Collective")! Our goal is to support you in learning and creating beautiful ceramic work in a welcoming, encouraging, respectful, and enjoyable studio space. Please ensure you have read, understood and accepted these Terms & Conditions before you book a class, camp, workshop or studio membership.

Accepted Contract

Completion of our booking or membership process and authorizing payment constitutes your understanding and acceptance of our terms and conditions and thus forms your contract with Northwest Pottery Collective.

Payment

You must pay in full upon registration your selected class series, camp, and/or workshop and commit to an entire class series, camp, or workshop when registering. You are not permitted to attend a class, camp, or workshop that is not paid for in advance.

We will charge your studio membership dues at the beginning of the month and continue in perpetuity until cancelled (see Cancellation section below).

We accept payment for classes, camps, workshops, and memberships by credit card only.

All participants (or guardians) of classes, camps, workshops and studio member hours must have an account and valid credit card on file with Northwest Pottery Collective to process tuition fees and membership payments.

Weekly class, camp, and workshop fees include tuition, materials, and firing costs, but students may purchase additional clay from Northwest Pottery Collective. Studio membership fees include access to the studio space, use of studio glazes and tools, and firing costs. Studio members may purchase clay separately from Northwest Pottery Collective.

Retail

You may purchase clay, glazes, or tools online or in-studio (during studio member hours only) via credit card. We can accept retail payment in-studio via Venmo. We do not accept cash payments.

Missing Weekly Classes, Camps, or Workshops

Sometimes serious, unavoidable situations can result in missing your class, camp, or workshop. In these situations, please reach out to admin@nwpotterycollective.com to see if we can offer you an open spot in another session within the same week or book a private lesson with the instructor during studio member hours (additional costs will apply). We cannot guarantee that we will find you a makeup session.

Unfortunately, we cannot carry over missed classes, camps, or workshops to the next term and we are not able to provide refunds.

Cancellation

We do not offer refunds on enrollment. If you want to cancel any classes, camps, and workshops, you will receive a credit to your account for the full tuition amount to be used on a future class, camp, or workshop enrollment. If you cancel within 7 days of the start date, we will charge a cancellation fee of 50% of the tuition. 

If the participant fails to attend any class, camp, or workshop, we will not prorate or refund the course fee.

If a studio member wishes to cancel their membership, they must do so in writing via email 30 days before the cancellation date. Collected monthly membership fees are non-refundable.

Situational adjustment of these cancellation policies is at Northwest Pottery Collective’s discretion.

Mobile Phones

We ask that mobile phones are either switched off or switched to vibrate-mode during classes, camps, workshops, and studio member hours. If you do have to make or receive a call, please kindly walk outside before you speak. This helps maintain a creative, focused atmosphere, uninterrupted by the outside world for a few hours. We also ask that you use headphones or earbuds if you are listening to music.

Studio Closure

If the studio is forced to close due to factors outside of our control such as severe weather, force majeure, or other unforeseen circumstances, we will offer you a full refund or ideally, reschedule your missed class, camp, or workshop.

Content

Northwest Pottery Collective reserves the right to change the content, timing, date, venue or teacher of any class, camp, or workshop in order to provide a high-quality service or where it is necessary for reasons beyond our control.

Northwest Pottery Collective reserves the right to cancel a class, camp, or workshop up to and including the date of the class, camp, or workshop if insufficient bookings have been received, and will strive to give as much notice of this as possible.

We will give individuals booked into a cancelled class, camp, or workshop the option of a full refund or of rescheduling to a future class, camp, or workshop date. Northwest Pottery Collective will not be liable for any losses or expenses arising from changes to the class, camp, or workshop schedule or cancellations.

Late Attendance

We will not allow individuals who arrive to classes, camps, or workshops 10 minutes or more after the scheduled start time, as it is disruptive for the rest of the participants and instructors.

Late Pick-Up

You must pick up your children from classes, camps, and workshops on time. If not, we will charge a late pick-up fee of $20 for every 10 minutes past the scheduled class, camp, or workshop end time.

Prolific Makers

We are not able to accommodate high-volume (production-level) potters with our studio membership. If your work volume exceeds a reasonable amount, we may rescind your studio membership or charge additional fees.

Students and studio members should not bring creations made outside of Northwest Pottery Collective for completion and firing at Northwest Pottery Collective. Such action would cause delays for students receiving their work made during classes, camps, and workshops.

Equipment

We will assign students a work area (wheel or table spot) upon their arrival at the first occurrence of their class, camp, or workshop that they will use for the duration of the session. This will help us keep student work organized and reduce the incidence of lost items.

Studio members can use all studio space and equipment on a first-come, first-served basis. Northwest Pottery Collective cannot guarantee access to desired equipment or work areas during studio member hours.

Health and Safety

Northwest Pottery Collective takes health and safety very seriously for the sake of all staff, students, and members. Students and members use the studio at their own risk, with awareness of the inherent hazards of a studio environment, which include, but are not limited to, use of sharp tools and sharp edges, exposure to toxic materials, the dangers of using materials and equipment at high temperatures, and the risks associated with breathing dust.

Most ceramic materials (clay and glazes) are made from finely ground minerals and if not handled correctly, can pose a general respiratory risk. Hence, students and members are asked to refrain from using spray or “bubble” methods for all application of slips, oxides and glazes.

You shall not use clays other than those provided by or purchased from Northwest Pottery Collective in the studio to avoid contamination of and damage to surfaces and equipment.

Students and members must comply with all health and safety instructions given by staff at all times.

Students and members are required to keep all surfaces clean of clay and glaze, and to clean and dry all areas, including the floor around their work area, thoroughly before completing their class, camp, workshop or studio member time. This also minimizes the risk to students, members, and staff caused by breathing in clay and dusts.

To avoid ingestion, students and members must wash their hands thoroughly in the studio sink after handling clay, glaze, or other materials.

Students and members are not permitted to dry-sand greenware or bisque indoors. If you need to sand a piece, you must wear a mask and you must do so outside the studio. Please rehydrate dry work before trimming.  You should wet-sand bisque at the studio sink if necessary.  Always use water when sanding finished work with diamond sanding pads, bats, or sponges.

In the interest of safety and hygiene, no crockery, glass, or food are permitted in the studio working areas, unless provided by staff at Northwest Pottery Collective. Except for guide dogs, no pets are permitted in the studio and no unenrolled visitors (including siblings of enrolled children) are allowed in the studio for an extended duration during class, camp, workshop, or studio member hours.

Students should unplug any tools or equipment that produce heat after use, such as a heat gun, etc. If you cause heat damage to studio equipment, including power cords, you may incur a fine.

Students and members must use the main entrance to the studio when entering or leaving. In the event of a fire, students and members are asked to make their way to the nearest available exit.

Students and members are not permitted to enter the kiln room at any time. This is grounds for dismissal.

Smoking, vaping, drug use, and outside alcohol is forbidden in the studio.

In case of emergency, call 911 and notify staff on site immediately.

Restrooms

All students and members will have access to the restrooms located in the common area outside of the studio backdoor (which are shared with other businesses). Occasionally, a neighboring business requires that employees of the opposite gender may accompany the children they are supervising into the common restrooms. Please email us if you have any questions or concerns about this possibility.

You must respect the building common areas by thoroughly cleaning your hands and wiping your shoes prior to entering common areas. Students and members must not use the restrooms to clean studio equipment or tools.

Technical Issues, Breakage, and Loss

Northwest Pottery Collective will try to ensure that experienced and trained staff are the only people who will handle and fire your ceramic work. However, by the very nature of ceramics, especially within a teaching studio, there is always a risk of technical failure, occasional technical errors, breakages, and loss for which we cannot be held responsible.

Northwest Pottery Collective reserves the right to not fire work in its kilns if the work is improperly prepared or constructed (too thick, improper glaze/clay, etc.).

Collection of Works

We recommend you collect your finished work as soon as possible after your class, camp, or workshop to help keep our storage area clear. If finished ceramic work is not collected within 30 days of the end of your class, camp, or workshop or when a studio member completes their work, it will be considered abandoned and we may dispose of said items.

Arriving at the Studio

We generally open the doors a few minutes before each class is due to start. Please do not arrive more than 5 minutes early, as you may have to wait while we finish cleaning or preparing the studio for your class, camp, or workshop to start.

Studio Clean-up

You must clean and dry all working areas and tools after use. At least the last 15 minutes of all studio classes, camps, and workshops are dedicated to gathering tools and cleaning work tables, floors, tools, and other equipment for each individual student’s work area. This is a communal studio and its cleanliness depends on everyone doing their part.

If students and members fail to clean their equipment, tools, and work area properly, we may charge a cleaning fee of $20 per incident.

Studio Environment and Materials

We ask that all materials are reused or recycled wherever possible. You should never pour clay, glaze, and sedimentary materials down sinks in the studio.

Please ensure that the correct bins are used when disposing of any materials; you may ask instructors or studio technicians if you are unsure of how to dispose of materials properly.

Excessive Use

As we are a communal facility, students and members are asked not to use more materials than are needed in the course of creating their pieces. If we find that a student or member is wasting materials or using them in a manner that generates an unreasonable amount of waste, we may charge an additional fee or rescind enrollment or membership.

Conduct and Exclusion

We will not tolerate disruptive or abusive behavior. Students and members of Northwest Pottery Collective must be respectful and courteous of the facility (including common areas), staff, and other students or members at all times. In addition, we will not tolerate inappropriate, discriminatory, or threatening behavior, and we reserve the right to exclude any offending parties from the studio at any time if that behavior is disruptive, abusive, inappropriate, discriminatory, threatening, or otherwise dangerous, or causes (or has the potential to cause) offense, harm or injury.

Images for Promotional Purposes

Northwest Pottery Collective reserves the right to take, use, share, and post photos of participants (including children) during classes, camps, workshops, or studio member hours for promotional purposes only.  Please inform us in writing if you do not wish for us to use any images of you or your children.

By enrolling in classes, camps, workshops, or studio membership at Northwest Pottery Collective, you agree that you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms and Conditions, and that Northwest Pottery Collective is authorized to charge your credit card as described herein, including for all applicable fees for violations of these Terms and Conditions.