I first came to Higher Fire to take a class because I thought it would be fun make something with clay. It was so much fun, that I took another class. Then I realized I really enjoyed being with the people and the community, so I became a member. Classes are taught by excellent instructors and the studio members and staff are a friendly, super helpful group. If you've ever wanted to play with clay, come check out Higher Fire -- you'll learn a lot, meet some great people, and have a great time! read more

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Sign up for a class today and begin your love affair with clay. My wife and I took a two hour introduction class. We learned basic wheel use, shaping, compressing and decorating techniques. After finishing one bowl and one cup, the class ended but not before we picked a glazing color for each piece. The surprise comes when we pick up the final kiln fired and glazed bowl and cup. Our instructor was a gem. She was patient and gave clear instructions. She invited us up to her wheel to watch her complete each step. Well done Isis (our instructor) and Higher Fire! We will be back. read more

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Super fun time! I took the Take a Spin class as I wanted to try pottery but didn't want to commit to a multi-session course. The class was $99 for 2 hours and you get to make 2 pieces. It's a small group with max 8 people so you definitely get attention from the instructor and our instructor came by to correct us and help at each step. You really learn the basics of throwing pottery through making a bowl and a cup and the instructor will help you with the pulls or course correct if you're something incorrectly. It's awesome that you can customize your pieces and don't be afraid to mess up! The instructor lets you take the pieces he makes if yours is ruined completely. At the end you can choose a glaze to fire your pieces with and then it's a 2-3 week wait until it's ready to pick up! Would definitely recommend for a group of friends or a fun date! read more

Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery - Art Galleries Near Me - San Jose, California

We retook the take a spin intro class after experiencing some issues with the previous instructor who no longer works there and it was a totally different experience ! The owners Dan seems very passionate about pottery and maintaining a friendly and inclusive environment in this community. Our kind instructors Joey and Jamie were absolutely amazing! Joey was so great at teaching the class and went over in detail of how to approach each step. He really empowered each student to create their own amazing bowls and cups and his thorough explanations really helped everyone in the class make truly amazing unique pieces! I truly applaud Joey and Jamie for their patience with each student. They were definitely amazing to work with and I would definitely come back again!! Highly recommend this activity to anyone starting out in pottery or interested in dabbling in this fun crafty activity. read more

Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery - Art Galleries Near Me - San Jose, California

I really wanted to try ceramics for the first time and saw that Higher Fire had a "Take a spin" class for $99 for 2 hours. In these two hours, participants would create their own cup and bowl. I think the entire class was only 8 people, these spots fill up fast, so I would definitely recommend looking at reservations online early! I joined the waitlist for a few classes and higher fire will email if more spots and more days open up. I went on May 1st, 4pm-6pm. There's plenty of street parking, you only have to pay for 2 hours and not worry about the meter because parking is free after 6pm. Since it was my first time doing ceramics, I had trouble "pulling" my clay higher. Thankfully, the instructor was very helpful, will go around to each student's work and ask if they want an extra pull from him. He'll also provide each student with some feedback and advice during the class. Before we start messing with our clay, he does a live demonstration and behind him is a diagram with all the ceramics terms you'll need. Tools such as a sponge, wooden carving stick, and this plastic (?) rib are provided to help shape your pieces. Once your cup and bowl are shaped, you won't want to take it off yourself, it's done behind the scenes after you leave. You do get to choose the glaze you want on your pieces! There are example pieces with specific glazes on them; you just have to write the glaze names on a piece of paper and place it in your piece. Cool thing is that everyone's pieces end up looking different! read more

Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery - cup - Art Galleries Near Me - San Jose, California

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I took a two hour class here and it was so awesome! They definitely teach and help you through the process. Much much harder than I thought so I'm so glad that the teachers are so attentive and helpful. Everyone left with two pieces, a cup and a bowl. We were given a variety of glazes and my pieces were ready to be picked up about 4 weeks later. I loved how my pieces turned out too. Much better than I expected. Loved the colors. read more

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We were here for a beginner take a spin class. The place is right in downtown , so it was very accessible and we got parking right in front of the store , which was easy. Our instructor was really great , she explained every step with great detail. We were able to make a bowl and a tumbler. Our instructor did help us along the way (if we wanted the help) and made sure we could bring home a good piece of work. After that we were able to pick our glaze , and now we are waiting to bring the final product home. I had such a good time , that I might actually consider doing a more intense program with them . read more

Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery - Art Galleries Near Me - San Jose, California

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*In my arts and crafts era* I've been wanting to do a pottery class and finally was able to reserve a private 2 hour session for me and my friends. You have to put down a deposit to secure the reservation. In this session you will walk away with two pottery pieces, one bowl and one cup, but you are more than welcome to switch it up and do something different like a vase. Anthony was our instructor and he was fantastic. He taught us the basics and let us try to attempt to shape our pieces. He was extremely helpful when we needed assistance and if we messed up, he got us right back on track. He was also extremely encouraging throughout the entire time, which is nice! Once you finish your pieces, you can choose the type of glaze and colors you want your pieces. There are already preset colors and because it takes long for your pieces to dry, you don't get to paint your own pieces. It was a great experience, and I want to look into doing the 6 week class to really deep dive into the technique and process from end to end. We also saw a lot of folks coming in with memberships and working on their pieces, which looks like a therapeutic and chill weekend activity. I highly recommend this spot, whether you're going solo, on a date or with friends. read more

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Starter coming at Higher Fire a few months ago, took a (back then) 3h take a spin class and then signed up for a 6-week beginner class and never stopped. I took two beginners classes, one with Janet and one with Ian, I enjoyed both of them and really liked the different styles. When I got better at centering I picked up some more advanced beginner/ project classes. Ward's surface decoration was by far my favorite! He was sooooo well prepared with materials, articles and homework. The studio itself has so much variety, you have so many glazes and combinations to choose from, clay bodies, and everyone is super friendly and willing to help answer any questions or show you some tricks. I highly recommend any and all classes! read more

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We took the $100 2 hour class and it was such a treat! The classes were fully booked for 2 months but luckily we called and got into a class due to a last minute cancellation. For $100 you are in a 2 hour class and make a bowl and a big cup. The instructor is really nice but I will say it's a little fast paced. She definitely corrected any mistakes in the class so it wasn't extremely hands on, like I definitely couldn't do pottery on my own now. But it's perfect to try it out, and just spark some interest! Cant wait to pick up our pieces. They said we should get it in about 4 weeks! Looking to potentially doing the more in-depth classes. read more

I signed up for a the Take a Spin 2 hour class two months in advance, the classes fill up quick so make sure to get in on them early. For $99, you're allowed access to the mini pottery wheel workshop to make a bowl and a big cup. There's a choice of 15 glaze colors and firing at the end, and you can pick up your cup and bowl 3 to 4 weeks after the class (they'll email you a notification). Our instructor, a young Indian woman, was really nice and explained everything very thoroughly. She also corrected any mistakes that we made, but it is a little fast paced. You won't get the full depth of knowledge about pottery that you might if you purchase the six week class pass that Higher Fire offers, but it's perfect for beginners that want to try pottery for the first time. As of now my schedule is difficult, but when things calm down I'd love to sign up for one of their six week class passes to take consistent classes and improve upon my pottery skills. read more

I took the Saturday Evening Just Try It class with Tim. This class is intended for beginners and I have previous pottery experience but wasn't able to find a class that fit my schedule. Tim was really great about providing constructive feedback and challenging me so that I learned new things while in the class. I highly recommend him as an instructor! Some things that were unique that I liked about this class/studio were that instead of every student getting their own bag of clay, they provided us with clay. If we ended up throwing something that was a flop, we threw it in a bin to be recycled instead of drying and wedging the clay on our own. I also appreciated that they dried/wrapped our pieces for us so they were leather hard by the time we returned for class the next week. read more

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I have mixed feelings because my gripes include a third party service that added to this mediocre experience. Expectations weren't aligned and while trying something new while working with our hands was fun, the overall experience left me feeling underwhelmed. The Take A Spin 1-day class advertises as: Course includes the 2-hour guided lesson, use of studio tools and clay, choice of 15 glaze colors, and firing for 2 pieces...Each student gets their own wheel. Instructor pre-centers your clay. Items are fired, finished, and ready for pickup within 3-4 weeks. Here's what this means: - Each student will get their own wheel to spin a cup and a bowl - The studio centers the clay mound for you to work with so you'll focus on shaping the piece - You are not glazing these pieces yourself as the clay needs to dry before glazing and firing (not something achievable in a two hour class), you are only picking the colors of the glaze Upon walking in after two other participants for our scheduled session, no one greeted us. You can't really tell who are staff, but people will look up to see you arrive and return to themselves. When we were approached it was to to instruct us to put our things on a rack and take a seat. There was no check in, no roll call. Welcoming is not the word for this experience. They also didn't indicate where anything was (that wasn't obvious) at the studio so we guessed which sinks were available to use and where the glazes were set. Our group may have drawn the short straw on instructors compared to most of these other reviewers, because it was an awkward, unenergetic time. For starters, our session ended some twenty minutes early because we no longer wanted to be at there anymore. In this class, you learn to pull a cup first and then use that base knowledge to pull a bowl for your second piece. This information was, like the instructor, condescendingly pointed out and so we didn't bother trying to make bowls. There were remarks and staring from the instructor that heavily singled out individuals to more or less give up. The young tween daughter of the father-daughter date on the way out said to her father she felt like she did a bad job and we told her that she shouldn't feel bad and we all were trying something new, explaining some people aren't supposed to be teachers. I found disappointing as well that despite being taught how to form your clay, the instructor will go to each station to correct it anyways at every step. I suffer no illusions in being instantly good at something new. In fact, I expected to be bad and to look fondly at my shitty piece when I took it home. That did not happen. Instead, I kinda touched it and then it got completely reformed by the instructor correctly. After that, I chose a glaze and went home. Over a month later, I reach out to the studio to pick up my pieces, not having received any notification that they were ready. For some reason the staff alias doesn't get a response, but the info one does. Turns out, they sent the email to the third party experience service vendor who booked on my behalf instead of emailing me directly. That was odd. Upon pick up, I walked past a session like the one I took, towards the back, rose my hand to find help. I generally like the pieces; The white glaze has splatter of blue, but the others were great. I will definitely try spinning pottery again, however, I will not be returning here. read more

My husband and I took the 6 week Just Try It class and added the upgrade for studio practice time. The class gave us the foundation we needed and upgrade during those 6 weeks gave us the tools to practice. We started with lumps of clay about 1.5lbs in size. Because of the class and the time we put in practicing, by the end I was able to throw a 6lb. hunk of clay I had left over from my upgrade and made a beautiful bowl, thanks to the teaching, the supportive staff, and the practice we put in. My dream for many years was to replace our boring IKeA dishes with handmade pieces once the kids went off to university. I thought we'd slowly build our collection by buying from ceramic artists over years. I never thought that *we* would be the ceramic artists. We are near the end of our second JTI class (different teacher for different insights) and our cupboard is now entirely stocked with our own, hand made pieces. It feels AMAZING and we love it so much we just became members of Higher Fire. I cannot recommend it enough. read more

Had so much fun taking the 6 week Just Try It class! Instructors there and the TAs are all very helpful and friendly. The price of the 6 week class is very competitive, it includes the tools, clays, firing, and a large selection of glazes. They also offer upgrades for more clay and unlimited studio hours. Absolutely worth it! read more

Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery - Pottery - Art Galleries Near Me - San Jose, California

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Loved their intimate "take a spin" introduction classes! The instructor was awesome (apologies forgot her name). She was attentive and very friendly. This class gives your 2 hours to make 2 pieces- 1 bowl and 1 cup. This class is a great intro for beginner. One small recommendation would be to allow for more creativity (and creative mistakes), I think people could have done without as much hand holding. Overall still love the experience and enjoint very much! read more

Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery - Take a Spin Intro Class - Art Galleries Near Me - San Jose, California

I came here for a team event. We had a fun 2-hour workshop where they taught us to make a bowl and a cup. The staff was very friendly and attentive. Later on, we picked the glaze for our pieces, and it was ready to pick up after a month. Both pieces came out beautifully, and I use them every day. I would definitely recommend this for a fun team event as well as to those who would love to learn this art. read more

Came with 5 friends for a 2 hour class ; it cost us $99 per head excluding taxes. Stephanie, our instructor was amazing!! She was extremely knowledgeable, incredibly patient and made the entire experience a lot of fun. We made a bowl and a vase, and those 2 hours just flew by! They'll finish our creations with color and baking, ready for us to collect in a few weeks. I thought about waiting until I have the final product to leave a review, but felt they deserve a solid 5-star rating, regardless. If it weren't for the distance from my place, I'd definitely enroll in the 6-week course. read more

I took the Take a Spin Mini Workshop, where you get to make two items - a bowl-type piece and a cup-type piece. I ended up making a bowl and a vase. The class was fun, informative, and easy-paced. I went with a friend and we were easily able to sit next to each other. The instructor and assistant were pretty helpful, and I definitely needed that. We got much more hands-on assistance with the first piece, the bowl, than with the second, which was nice. You end up making one pretty good piece and then a wonky one, but I think it makes the experience unique and definitely memora(bowl). About a month later, we were able to pick up our pieces, which was a super easy process. The glazes were beautiful and I'm still using my ceramics today! read more

Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery - Take a Spin results! - Art Galleries Near Me - San Jose, California

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I was excited to start pottery, but my experience with the instructor was disappointing. The older Asian man treated white people nicely but neglected others, which felt racist and made the first class very uncomfortable. Also his way of teaching is not encouraging, feels like the teacher from movie Whiplash, def not suitable for beginners. I still love pottery, but I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone due to the instructor's behavior. Or simply avoid this particular instructor. read more

Such an amazing studio and fun classes that they have! We are so grateful to have a gem of a studio like this in San Jose. read more

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Love this place! They have a 2 hour Ceramics class "Take a Spin Class" where you make your own cup and bowl. The class was $99 and it was worth every penny. People there are very friendly and our instructor was amazing, funny, and taught us great techniques to use to make our cup and bowl. read more

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I did a try it class and it was great. The teacher was really funny and very helpful. I made two items and I learned a lot.

Everyone at Higher Fire is so nice and welcoming! I'm so happy I stumbled upon this little gem downtown. I took a 6 week Just Try It class with Thomas and upgraded to unlimited studio hours so I could also practice some hand building techniques. I had a great time in the class and after it ended I signed up for a monthly membership so I can continue to make things. As a graphic designer I spend most of my days and nights behind a computer screen so it is really great to get away from that and create something tangible with my hands. It's a nice challenge to get my brain to stop thinking in 2D design and figure out how to create in 3D. In 5 weeks I managed to create over 18 pieces and I wasn't even going in super often. I had never thrown on a wheel before but with the help of the great staff at Higher Fire, I got the basics down pretty quickly. Still need to work on pulling walls but I managed to create a cute little pitcher all on my own after just 3 weeks in the class. Highly recommend checking this place out! ^_^ read more

Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery - Some pieces I made during a 6 week Just Try It class. Excuse the food, the last class is a potluck ;) - Art Galleries Near Me - San Jose, California

Best pottery studio ever. Frequent bisque and glaze firing. Many studio glazes to choose from. Great friendly and professional staff.

Excellent class! I know nothing about pottery but the instructors guided me to make a beautiful cup and bowl and the process was fun and therapeutic! I signed up for the 6 week course. Highly recommend. read more

Booked a private Take a Spin class with 4 friends. It was 2 hours long for $99, and we made 2 pieces. Anthony walked us through the process & was very helpful. Everyone in the studio was super nice! Had a great time! Thank you!! read more

Really terrible practices with barely paying interns for high levels of commitment/teaching and taking large commissions on items at festivals without actually doing the work of selling them for you. Cannot recommend in good faith due to the obvious greed of leadership. read more

Top notch friendly classes - a wide variety of clays and glazes. So many instructors and assistants with great talents to share.

My friend and I took the 6 week beginner class with Ward. We absolutely loved it!! Ward is so helpful, funny and cares about everyone's progress. We got to use the wheel and learn various hand building techniques. There were 2 TAs, Greg and Alan who were so so helpful and kind. Awesome experience! read more

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Attended an introductory 2 hour class at this place, while the instructor was good he rushed us and had us finish 40 minutes before the class was supposed to end and did not give us time to work on our pottery. They said we would have to choose a color for our piece and they would fire and glaze it for us. When I came to pick up my pottery 3 weeks later, the color was so sloppy making it look like some child had worked on it, was so disappointed. Would not recommend this place to anyone! read more

Went by myself for the 99$ Take a Spin Class to try pottery and make 2 pieces. Instructor was very friendly and entertaining. When I went to pick up my pieces a month later, I was surprised to see another bowl was readily made for me since the original bowl had a big crack at the bottom when it was glazed and fired! I highly recommend giving this place a try! read more

This place is absolutely amazing! I had been wanting to try pottery for a while and found Higher Fire on Yelp and signed up for the Just Try It class. 3 of 6 weeks in and I can't say enough good things about this place, and especially the people that work here. Classes are 3 hours 1x per week in a group format, all supplies are provided and there are multiple instructors moving around the space to provide individual help and guidance. Throwing clay is not easy, but the instructors do an amazing job with demos and explanations and the one on one help has been so crucial to learning and enjoying this craft. I am truly blown away by how nice, friendly, patient, and helpful everyone at Higher Fire is. Being at this studio with the amazing people that work there just makes me happy. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery - Just Try It class - Art Galleries Near Me - San Jose, California

I came here with my coworkers for a corporate event and it was an excellent experience. It was really easy to communicate and work with them in getting our event setup. We got three hours of wheel throwing (two pieces) and hand building (cup and plate combo). The instructors running the session were really knowledgable, friendly, and helpful (both in their instructions and in correcting our mistakes); they were an all-around pleasure to work with. This is the second time I've done a guided pottery event and it was the superior of the two experiences. Not only because I felt like I learned more about the technique, but the ambiance and setting was fun and welcoming. I can't recommend Higher Fire more highly! read more

Dan and team are fabulous! I took a few classes and had a membership here and enjoyed it so much. The studio is well stocked and run. Teachers and staff are friendly and knowledgeable. My husband and I, along with our 7 yo. son, took a private class together as a family. The teacher gave us the right amount of help while still allowing us independence to make our own pieces. The teacher related very well with our son and our little guy said he had a blast. It was so much fun and we had one of the best times. We love Higher Fire! read more

I have only spent a few hours at this studio and have never taken a pottery class before. After the first time here, I don't know why I never did this before! I love it and look forward to returning every week! The instructors are super helpful and soooooo patient with everyone's learning abilities. It never felt rushed and they each spent time with everyone in the class to ensure we understood what to do. They were very encouraging and positive, which is how an art class SHOULD BE! No competition!!! read more

I'm artistically challenged. That's the best way to describe my skills as a visionary and creator. I'm just not very good at it. I don't have a history of artistic abilities. My last art class was 15+ years ago. I haven't touched a lump of clay in probably 20 years. I took a Just Try It class with Kedrick and had THE MOST FUN. He's easy-going and light-hearted and really thoughtful in how he explains things to the class. His demos are clear, his one-on-one instruction was fabulous, and he was SO ENCOURAGING. The space is bright and welcoming, the folks are friendly, the equipment seems good (but what do I know?), and if I weren't in the middle of some mild life crises, I'd be all about taking another class ASAP. The class is roughly $250, which seems steep for a 6 week class, but then you factor in the fact that each class is 3 HOURS LONG and you have essentially unlimited access to all supplies, it actually is super reasonable. That's 18 hours of construction, access to their stuff, all the clay you can throw on a wheel, aaannnd you get to take home whatever questionable and lopsided things you managed to make! It's a win-win! read more

I had come to Higher Fire for a team building activity sponsored by my employer and had the chance to make a few items. The place is spacious and well lit. The staff that was teaching our class that day was very helpful and patient with us. During the 2 hour session, I was able to make a bowl, mug, and 3 small dishes that were decorated with etched designs. My only wish was that we would be able to come back and actually be able to glaze our own artpieces, but I totally understand why that wouldn't be possible. In the end when we got our pieces back 2 weeks later, they were glazed in the colors I requested and I was very pleased with the end result. I had such a great experience that I am planning to take my friends and family back to share with them all the fun and joy I got from my experience. read more

Overall, the beginner class my mom and I took was a great experience. The instructor was very knowledgeable and did a great job teaching the class. My rating has nothing to do with the quality of the class and materials provided, but more so of a unique situation that left me very disappointed. I missed the final class, which I was told I could make it up during a time that was convenient for me since I only needed to glaze my mugs and bowls. Unfortunately, due to my schedule I had difficulty finding time to come in. And then the pandemic happened. Based on the the Bay Area's protocol for closing down businesses temporarily, I assumed the studio was closed since it's not an essential business. Months passed and I remembered that I had not picked up/finished my projects. I reached out to the team to see if I could pick up my incomplete items and was informed that they were JUST discarded the previous week since a certain amount of time had passed. There was no communication/information presented at any time mentioning projects will be discarded if they are not picked up by a certain time. From a customer/student experience standpoint, I would have expected at least an email reminder a few weeks prior to being discarded so I could have picked them up. I basically paid $280 (and my mom participated as well, so $560 total) to learn the basics and not have any of my creations to take home. I was extremely disappointed about this. I reached out to the team again to see if, when the pandemic is over and it's safe to come into the studio again, my mom and I could be given some materials free of charge to make a few items to make up for the loss of the original items, and no one responded (it's been weeks now since I've sent this email). Usually they respond within a few hours, but after my last email no one responded. I hate giving bad reviews, especially since this is a unique case and the class was actually enjoyable. First, the discarding of our items without notice and second, not responding to my reasonable request... I think this is completely unprofessional and something that should be reconsidered in order to provide an overall excellent experience. read more

Started with a "just try it" class about 2 years ago with no experience and now I'm a member! I've learned so much in all the classes I've taken! The instructors and stuff are always there to help if you have any questions or need help. read more

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