A warm and welcoming pottery studio in an area that is easy to get to. It is an extremely well organized and clean space with good lighting and space for both hand building and the wheel. The classes are taught by skilled instructors and there are 2 complimentary 4 hour studio time with additional time available for a fee. I was most impressed that pieces are fired rather quickly and the support from fellow potters is extremely impressive A great studio for both beginners and advance potters read more

La Mano is a great ceramics studio. It is small enough that there is a lot of personal interaction, yet big enough to have plenty of wheels and supplies, and a lot of great people. The instructors are very skilled and knowledgeable and are always very helpful. It's a fun and supportive place to learn and create. read more

I have attended several of the NYC ceramics studios and have found LaMano to exceed expectations in every way. The teaching - wheel or hand building - is varied and excellent. The studio is open, bright and clean. The choices of clay satisfy the needs of all students. One has the option of taking classes or becoming a member of the studio. The courses are well priced and each course comes with two complimentary drop ins which can be augmented with drop in times that have minimal charges associated with them. I love this place! read more

I've been coming here since 2015, and it is the strong sense of community and the supported sharing of knowledge that continues to bring me back. And the staff is friendly & helpful to me, even with my odd requests, trying to either figure something out or nicely telling me I'm crazy. I always feel welcome here amongst the other po read more

Love La Mano!! They are a great pottery studio and community! Everyone is so kind from the teachers to the other staff. The classes are very fun and good for all levels. They are such a great value for the number of pieces you can make ( as long as your learning curve doesn't take too long. I have done pottery before and I made over 15 items, other people in my class made less ) I'm so happy I found this studio and get to resume my hobby! read more

best community ever!!!! Such wonderful teachers who truly care about their students progress and enjoyment.

Patricia was my teacher and she just seemed to despise teaching. she rolled her eyes when I asked questions and spoke poorly about me to other students in front of me. I stuck it out because I wanted to learn but I have since started studying at another studio where the educators enjoy teaching. Her attitude towards teaching is sad and upsetting. read more

I signed up for a basic hand building class. the ONE technique they teach for me seems like a cop out. They are very stingy with their knowledge, like as if you learn too much in a basic class, you won't want to sign up for a different class? It seems like perhaps a cool place for the 8 week course, but my experience just makes me want to find other options. read more

I had the best time tonight. I met with Deepa for a private lesson and she was so knowledgeable, patient and had the best sense of humor. She answered all my questions and gave me hands on tutorial. Loved my time at the studio. read more

Spotless clean pottery studio. Great staff. Very friendly vibe. So glad I landed here.

Purchased a Wheel Pottery 101 from Groupon for $37.20. - Upon arrival, there's a locker room where you can put your belongings. If too big, it won't fit. There's also an open closet for jackets. This is recommended as there's no area to put bag next to you during session. You will proceed to choose your wheel machine. I suggest you seat close to the instructor or facing them to get a full view and hear what they say. - 1 apron and a hand towel will be provided next to the machine. You'll find 3 pcs of clay look like buns once you seat. I do think that 1 small hand towel is not enough. Be prepared for mess :) - The instructor will demonstrate creating a bowl from beginning to end (20 - 25 minutes). It would be good to be on time so you don't miss it and will have a lot of time to practice. - You will be on your own after that. The instructor will be watching and walking around to see who needs assistance. - I understand now why you don't let to bring your own work because the work of art takes time to dry, but it would've been a nice touch if they let you bring home your work at your own risk (like paint night with byob). - The chair had no cushion. My behind was aching after the class. It's because I wasn't gifted on that area. - Our class ended 15 minutes earlier that includes 15 min of cleaning of the machine. I wish we were given more time to practice and end at exactly 2 hours. After finishing 3 clays, I wanted to do more, but we're approached to the next step which was cleaning the machine (rinsing them with water and wiping the areas). I didn't know that I can ask for more clay. The schedule was a little bit on the rough side. No Friday nights after work. I chose Friday at 12:30 pm. Had to take a day off for this. All worth it and definitely 5 stars for the experience! read more

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After years of thinking about the pottery wheel, I finally booked a course at La Mano. Our instructor was Neil, who guided us through the start with much patience + humor + quipping! Not only did I learn a new skill - it was sooo good to get my hands dirty, focus on shaping a form on the wheel - totally in the present (fingers are too dirty to get your phone.) I now have a better understanding of the process, the building, the glazing + could start experimenting with textures (+ made some friends). I recommend it as a skill + also as a great 'de-stress-program. One caveat: classes fill the day they come online. So be quick. One wish to La Mano: Give us 1 (ONE) make-up class per workshop, PLEASE! read more

Wheel Throwing pottery Groupon. Instructor was AWFUL. She quickly went through the steps on how to do wheel throwing, 15 mins max of instruction, and then expected everyone to remember how to do it and dive in. SHE DIDNT HELP US A SINGLE TIME IN TWO HOURS! i tried to ask for help, make eye contact, nothing. She was too busy helping a hand full of people out of the 15 people there. My boyfriend and I sat there wondering what was next, if we did it right, and we messed up every single piece. The instructor was not enthused or good at teaching. I felt like it was a complete waste of my money. I was very upset. read more

I've never been in a class where the instructor hated answering questions and actually teaching before. she also rolled her eyes at questions I asked. I didn't get the feeling she liked working there because she said "if they find out I let some people in the class stay later on a Friday IM DONE FOR!". the comment made me uncomfortable and it was so weird. read more

Had a Groupon for the Intro to Throwing workshop. It's a two hour course, and the time really flies by as your trying to get the hand of shaping and molding clay on the wheel. Easy to redeem the Groupon online/schedule the session. Instructions are very clear. Once you get there, you can put your things away in a locker, and the bathroom is large and pretty clean. The instruction/demo was brief, but there's only so much explaining the teacher could do. She was patient, and had no problem repeating her demo and she went around, observing who was having trouble, and helped everyone who needed additional assistance, or asked questions. She could also sense when someone was getting frustrated and she would come over and walk them through the steps. Each person gets 3 hunks of clay to work with, and access to the tools that would help shape their creation. After someone uses up the clay chunks they were given, you can always request more. The wheel/stations are small, and it's hard to be hunched over for so long. You have to allot time to at the end to clean up, which kind of eats into the learning part. That seems like something the staff should take care of, as the customer should have the most time to enjoy the experience, which could possibly lead to future purchases. At that point, once someone is a regular, clean up should be part of the deal. You don't get to keep any of your pieces you make. I think once you leave they consolidate all the clay once again. The things I made weren't good by any means, but for people who had a knack for it, it would be nice to have an option to come back for them, glaze them, even for an extra fee, etc. NOTE: Definitely a craftsy messy activity. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty! read more

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Did you arrive early?! Is the weather nice outside?! NO WORRIES! Across the street, there are chairs and tables by Holiday Inn that might be open to the public, so you can wait there! :D When you arrive, you have to check-in with the guy at the front by providing your name. After we checked into the pottery class, we were directed to put our stuff in the lockers provided-- there are coat hangers for you to use as well. We then gathered in the middle of the room where the wheels were. (The intro to hand building is located at the back of the same room.) We each chose a wheel station and sat down. The instructor, Daniel, sat in the middle and showed us a wheel demonstration for about 30 minutes. After the demo, everyone went to try out the wheel at their own stations. It's been awhile since I've used the wheel and knowing that I was going to use it again, I was itching to get my hands dirty! Everyone was given three small portions of clay. If you want more clay you can always ask for more. FYI, you do not get to keep anything you make... bummer. The last 15 minutes was used to clean up the wheel and instruments at your own station. TBH, I didn't think I'd have to clean up.. ha.. -looks away- PS. Daniel, Favoritism is no bueno. As a "teach" who is teaching an 'intro to wheel' class in which we paid for out of our own pockets, show some initiative with each and every student in your class. The Asians in front of me could've used some pointers/assistance rather than you giving out pointless compliments. Thanks. PPS: Two days after attending the intro class, you will get an email where if you choose to register for an 8-week course being held next semester, they will waive the corresponding materials fee (valued at $30). 051416 read more

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I got the Groupon deal for the introduction to hand building workshop class which was 50% off the regular price. It was easy to book the class online and I signed up for a Thursday 6-8pm class. They provided locks for the lockers which was nice. There were 12 people in the class which was quite large. There were only 5 small tables for 12 people. The tables were not large enough for you to really roll out the clay especially if you're sharing the table with 3 other people. Also, the instructor could not give that much attention to each student for a 2 hour class. However, the instructor did make an effort to help everyone and did give detailed instructions. I do think they should provide each student with more than one sheet of clay. I had a lot of fun though. It was something fun to do after work and quite therapeutic. Maybe I'll try wheel throwing next time since that looks fun. read more

La Mano Pottery - The creations made at the Intro Workshop Handbuilding - Art Schools Near Me - New York, New York

Oh my gosh AMAZING!!! I literally had the best time! I've wanted to take a pottery class my whole life, no joke and I randomly got the day off so I was looking for something to do to fill my day. I booked this workshop online the night before and it was absolutely the best in bed online purchase I've ever made haha!! I was surprised at how well everyone in the workshop did! We all did a lot better than I anticipated because it's a lot more work than it looks on instagram! Our instructor was so incredible and easy to understand! I wondered if two hours was going to feel like a long time but the class flew by! Had just the right amount of time to catch on and do some pieces on your own but not so much that you get bored. It is messy! I would advise wearing old pants or bringing a change of pants. Overall absolutely amazing experience! read more

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I have taken 2 different classes here and purchased both classes via Groupon. The first class was taken one year ago and it was the hand-building workshop. It was so fun and it was for a "just-because" date. You get to decide if you want to keep your pieces and have them glazed for a separate fee. The second class I took was a wheel-intro workshop. there is so much more to it, than I ever thought, mind you I took Pottery Class in H.S. And could not remember anything that would help me. My instructor was SO kind and patient. She would repeat 5x times if she needed to. Unfortunately for the intro wheel-throwing class there is no option to keep your pieces or decide them to glaze them. Which I wish there was an option for it, b\cus my class, including myself, definitely would've enjoyed keeping our pieces for memoir. Definitely wear something you don't mind getting dirty and fyi, the clay does not stain your clothes but you will leave there dirty from all the splishing and splashing. Definitely recommend it for adults and kids. read more

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Without a doubt the biggest waste of time and money I've ever experienced. Paid over $350 for a class that had essentially no teacher? Class time was spent 1. Listening to the teacher talk about herself and how great she was for 30 minutes straight. 2. Attempting to throw a cylinder with the only instruction being the teacher doing a 5-second demo that no beginner could possibly learn from. 3. Watching said teacher help only 3 very advanced students and wander off to god knows where. I eventually got so frustrated that I stopped coming after week 6. I genuinely thought it would be fun to learn a new craft, but now I never want to see a wheel again. Oh, also- the teacher cancelled a class and then decided to make up for it by adding 15 minutes to the beginning and end of each class. She never even came to the first 15 minutes (surprise), and the last 15 minutes is essentially extra clean up time. Please, whatever you do, if you decide to come to La Mano for class, do NOT take the Thursday night class and be sure to make the most of your studio time. That's the only time you're likely to learn anything. The front desk staff is extremely friendly, and they will help you during studio time if you're struggling. read more

La Mano Pottery is a great place to get your hands dirty (like a kid can't stop playing with play-doh) whilst creating beautiful useful art pieces (now that you're an adult). What you get from the intro to hand building course: ($45-70 depending if you have a deal or not) 30 minute demo 2 hours in total: Demo + Working by yourself 15$ to bake and glaze one piece Just go crazy, don't waste anytime, ready. set. go. Grab whatever tools / props you need from the treasure chest, and get busy on the slab of clay! The slab is a decent size (if you put 2 standard printing paper side-by-side) and you can always ask for more clay if you need to from the instructor! My instructor was very helpful with the basic techniques and encouraging! I end up paying the extra $15 bucks to get my piece glazed and "baked". Unfortunately I cannot choose my own color, and you only get one solid color, so no rainbow cup. Also it took them about 1 month to be ready for pickup and some of the clay (brown bits) are showing through the blue glaze, perhaps they should've done a second layer on top. Overall, I am pleased with the process and final outcome. I am interested to join their workshops (8 courses) in which you can pick between wheeling or free hand-building and learn how to glaze your pottery and other more advance techniques. Don't hesitate to bring a date or come for a girls-outing! read more

La Mano Pottery - Finished product - Art Schools Near Me - New York, New York

Came for a 2hr beginner class and was fairly disappointed. The instruction is really in the first 25 minutes and was pretty hard to hear what was going on. After that we were kind of on our own, the teacher did walk around and help some people but I don't think anyone got more than a few minutes of attention and myself I didn't get any actual attention or help. Also a bummer you don't get to keep anything yourself. Probably the most annoying part is that with about 20 minutes to go in the session you have to start cleaning everything up. So all in you only get maybe an hour and change of working on the wheel, but you're really just winging it because you don't get much hands on instruction. read more

Took my 1st ever throwing class here and it is definitely a lot harder than it looks. We had Barbara as our instructor and she was super friendly and have really good directions - she kept checking up on everyone's wheels and I kept bugging her when I messed something up and she would always come over to help me try to fix my bowl I was trying to make. Overall, it was a lovely 2 hour class and I had time to play around with 3 mounds of clay. read more

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Has potential but is not run well. Clay, forms and tools in bad shape. Some excellent (Rafa) but several rude employees who have no business in customer service. Just not a relaxing or easy going atmosphere. read more

I don't understand how this place has 3.5 stars. La Mano pottery is simply put, an amazing establishment. I am taking an 8 week course on the wheel and find the instructor to be incredibly helpful. I was able to build two espresso glasses on my second visit. If you're looking to relax and build something with your hands, this is the place! read more

Studio members and class attendees can expect to be treated poorly. This includes being talked down to by the staff and the owners. There are serious communication-skill issues at LaMano from the top down. There are very few options for potters in NYC, so if you are comfortable asking for nothing, acting invisible, and paying a lot--you will fit in fine. read more

I was introduced to La Mano Pottery via a $35 groupon for an introduction to hand building class. I will be honest - my experience was not ideal, the instructor was a bit scatterbrained and smothering at times. But the reason I post this is that, despite a crazy experience with the hand building class, I have had an amazing journey with La Mano as a wheel student - with incredible freedom to be expressive, and competent support from wonderful artists, and friendship with other students. There is a true community there, and you will bond with your peers in ways only frustrated novices trying to center clay can. La Mano has more open studio time than any other pottery studio in the city - as a student you have unlimited open studio time when other classes are not in session, justifying the cost of classes. You pay a $30 firing fee to cover the cost of materials, which goes towards the pieces you make and take home. I make several pieces a session and have yet to go over my $30 allowance (and even if you did, you just have to pay a couple cents per square inch). Give it a try! read more

I went for a 2 hour hand building session. The teacher talked for a least 30 minutes, which left us with just about 1.5 hour to create our things. In the middle of the session, we were all asked to get up and pay - pretty unhandy when you've got your fingers covered in clay. I asked if we could wait until the end of the session, and that was not possible. When the session finished we were told we'd all receive an email when we could come pick up our pieces, however I never got an email. When I after six weeks called them to check on my pottery piece, I was told that my piece had been ready for pick-up for weeks, and that I was lucky it was still there. Although the space is large and nice, it seems pretty unstructured, and the staff is kind of rude too. read more

We had bruising and bad experience with La Mano. After just one session of pottery wheel class the co-owner called to tell me my husband took up "too much attention" and was unable to "master the basic skills." No refund, because we're "welcome" back and to expect "no individualized attention." My husband is gifted designer who did wheel before, and, unlike me, formed something that night. I gave them a head's up about him having some memory loss before the class, which they didn't respond to, and which she used against me. I should have known better before we enrolled. Known what? That they're discrimInatory? Her tone of sad, faux sympathy was nauseating. Their business took a huge financial hit from the pandemic - I know, she told me. They just want the money. Save yours. Don't go there. read more

Took an intro to pottery (hand building) class here because I found a great deal on living social. It was a 2.5 hour class for $35 and if you end up wanting to keep the item you made it's an additional $15 (still not too bad). Originally I was a little disappointed because it would cost me more to take a wheel class ( because I had flashbacks of the pottery scene in the movie Ghost) but I think it worked out for the best! The instructor we had was nice, friendly, encouraging and gave us some great tips and background on pottery making. (and he said it's actually easier to make a piece the first time hand building than using the wheel... Not sure if it's true... But the wheel didn't look easy !) 2.5 hours is actually really fast since there was a lot to introduce in the... Intro class!! :P it would have been nice to get a tiny bit more time to work on our pieces... But I ended up deciding that I wanted to get my first pottery attempt fired. (it took about two and a half weeks before we were ale to pick it up...) If I get another chance... Maybe I'll try an intro wheel class next time! If I had more of a passion for pottery I'd consider signing up for classes because it seems like a nice place to work in, nice atmosphere and nice people. read more

La Mano is an amazing place for artists and students alike - I've been here as a student since January (some people have been students for YEARS, they just keep coming back...!) and from the first class felt instantly accepted by this wonderful community of potters and people who are just in love with all things clay. Classes are reasonably priced, and I think compared to other places in the city you get more bang for your buck. This studio supplies you with pretty much everything you need for the class fee, AND you get to come in for open studio time pretty much whenever you want (as long as other classes aren't going on). How awesome is that? The folks who work here are sweet as pie and the teachers are all great. What's especially nice is how welcoming they are to beginners (all levels, really) - everyone wants to share their knowledge and their joy in working with clay! It's so great. If you like to get dirty and be creative, come play in the mud with us! ^_^ (because, you know, I won't be leaving this place for a good long time...) read more

I got a living social voucher for my intro to hand building class. The website was accessible and the voucher was easy to redeem. The studio is lovely and they give you a small lock for lockers to put away your belongings. Our teacher seemed new to the class. What you pay for is a slab of clay. The instruction shows you one example, this time it was a tray. The your basically on your own. A lot of people just looked around because they weren't sure what to make. We were advised against a mug because of small hole that can be created after the clay hardens and can never be washed. There no guidance or one on one help. I felt like we were in a kids class just playing with clay for an hour. I was happy with my piece and decided to pay the extra $15 and keep it. I'm happy I paid 29 for this and not the original 75. I was looking to join a 8 session course but I'll try somewhere else. read more

I've taken the wheel class and it was fun playing with the clay. The only downside is that they didn't let me take my first clay pot I've ever made. read more

I bought my mother a living social coupon for a 2hr intro workshop. She got there early she was told to leave and come back 5minutes before the start time of the class. When she arrived for the class, the instructor did one demonstration of how to place the clay on the wheel. The instructor did not help her when she needed help she just demonstrated again how she should do it and walked away. I am very disappointed I myself have taken pottery before and had a great instructor in a different school, will definitely never go to this place again. If it's an intro class the purpose is to have someone guide you not to let you figure it out on your own. If I would have paid the full price for this I would be furious. read more

Have been taking both wheal and hand building classes here for about 4 months now and I must say I love it! The class cost 300$ and then there is a 30$ firing fee but for that money you get (except for the teacher lead classes once a week, 2h each for 8 weeks) to work and practice at the studio for free at studio hours witch are really generous (mon-Thursday 12-6 Friday 12-9 Saturday-Sunday 12-4) you can make as much stuff that you want to and the studio provides clay and tools. It's an awesome deal and I have not found a studio in the city that offers that kind of hours to practice and unlimited clay even outside class. Had so much fun at la Mano! Everyone's friendly and I love how they have both students and studio potters, you get to see som awesome potters in work! Nonna that was teaching in the hb class was awesome. A really good potter that also took the time to show and explain how to do everything the right way! read more

I'm grossed out and mad about my experience here. Will definitely not return. I have a bit of experience from 10+ years ago in making pottery on the wheel and was REALLY looking forward to coming back to it for fun. I took a short class here as an interesting date night. It started out well but it turned into a dreadful time and I really regret my decision to come to this studio. Huge note of caution that this studios air quality is a very serious health issue. The arrival was fine. They have a coat and bag room and a nice greeting staff who were informative and swift to direct us to where the class would be taking place. I used the bathroom before class and it was big and spacious but had really hot and sticky air in there. When I made my way back to the class area it became apparent that there was no AC on and this is August!! There were lots of fans blowing but the new students probably didn't realize that this is a huge health hazard in a pottery studio. Fans stir up clay dust and when that is circulated in the air it gets stuck in your lungs FOREVER and can cause massive breathing problems over time. Look up silicosis- it's really serious and there is no cure (literally can cause asthma and heart disease). I should have left then but stayed for some stupid reason. There were 17 out of the 18 wheels being used for my class that were placed as close as possible to each other and I was literally touching knees to the people next to me. An apron, one towel, and very simple tools were provided for each person. All of the students were early and set up before class but still the instructor waited until exactly the start time to begin the actual lesson. It was hard to hear because there was another big class happening right nearby so we were told to stand up and gather around her to watch. The instruction the teacher Kimberley gave was good and attentive. The initial solo demo lasted ~25 mins before she did another step by step run through with us sitting down and following in real time (still hard to hear). By this point the indoor temp had risen so much that everyone was dripping sweat and grumpy and my bf was sweating through his shirt. It must have been at least 85 degrees in there. The teacher was walking around helping people and visibly had sweat all over her. We learned a lot but were really eager to get outside asap. Unfortunately we all had to clean up our whole work space and everyone else was in such a rush to do this too that there was a bottleneck to get to the wash-up sinks. You can't keep what you make in the wheel class but you do get a discount code if you want to sign on for the 8 week class. Nobody in this class would ever sign up because outside we were talking about how gross and hot it was in the place. Such a shame to have this experience and have to pay for it too. read more

I took an 8-week wheel class here and thought it was a good learning experience. The studio is well-organized, you can practice as much as you want during open studio time, and the vibe is relaxing and as social as you want it to be. I met some cool people with more wheel experience and they'd teach me a thing or two. Other times, it was nice to go to the studio after a long day of work and not talk to anyone. That being said, I think I would have learned more from a different teacher, and I recommend taking classes with David if you can. I went to open studio a few times during his class and he seemed very dedicated to his students' progress. read more

I've taken two classes at La Mano and both were amazing. The teachers are helpful, informative and sweet. Everyone in the studio has a wonderful sense of humor and a positive attitude. Going to class was seriously the perfect way to get rid of stress after a long day of work. read more

Had such a fun time here for their intro to wheel 2 hour class. The class was limited to 8 people which was really great allowing plenty of time for help from our instructor Matthew. You don't get to keep anything you make which I was absolutely fine with since it takes multiple classes to finish one piece and also since nothing I made was that amazing since it was my first time ever. Matthew was a really great instructor, very encouraging and funny, he demonstrated the whole process two separate times and also stopped by to help each person throughout the entire class. My mom, my sister and I had a lot of fun taking this class! Make sure you wear old clothes - you will def get dirty!! read more

La Mano Pottery - Our finished pieces! - Art Schools Near Me - New York, New York

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I'm not actually a potter..but my boyfriend is and I've been able to stop by a few times. The space is much bigger than it looks from the street and there are always people in there working at the wheels, or hand-building. You can sign up for classes or just rent studio space. Sounds like it's a great little place to take classes or hone your skills! read more