Nestled on the first floor of one of Maumee's iconic uptown buildings ~ with wonderfully creaky old…read morewooden floors ~ Sunshine Studios advances the inclusion of artists with developmental disabilities through art and strengthens community by providing a supportive studio for artists of all abilities. You'll find seasonal decorative and functional items ~ like ornaments, jewelry, pottery, and textiles ~ that make perfect gifts. And you can take a myriad of art classes. This studio is a real gem in the heart of Maumee. Maybe it IS the heart of Maumee.

I was disappointed in the customer service at first. We arrived with a Groupon and the staff seemed…read moreannoyed until we all purchased a more expensive item to do. Even though the shop was clearly going to make money because the Groupon was for 12 and 5 people used it. After we chose our items the staff was annoyed at our questions but after we got upset she was kinder. A nice experience with friends and crafts but definitely could have been better.

As a first time visitor from Texas, I was excited to have fun and get creative. As we walked in for…read moreour appointment, The owner disclosed to us that we were not allowed to touch anything, just look and pick. Once we made a decision, picked our products and sat down to start painting, we noticed l a party came in and those children touched everything! She never told them it was not allowed. My friend had a 1 1/2 year old and the owner was obviously annoyed that we even brought a small child, but I did not see any age limits on the site. So when my friend called to let her know how she felt, the owner apologized and expressed that it wasn't Chuck-e-Cheese. Seriously???? Anyway, Long story short...You paint pottery, and you have to wash and clean up all of your brushes, pallets, and the table. And when your stuff is ready, they set the stuff outside for you to pick up. (Who does that?) If you just want to go somewhere that is unsociable. Lol then here is the place to go!

My kids and I have been to Clayful Art multiple times, both for birthday parties and independent…read moreprojects. The owner is helpful and friendly, and does great with kids. I love the huge variety of items that you can choose from to paint.

I booked a class for a friend on a Saturday afternoon. We…read morearrived early, checked in and sat at the tables waiting for the class to start. The building is huge and they had tons of classes and items to paint separately. There were quite a few people signed up for the class and they had a few teachers helping out. We were given an overview and an example of what we needed to do and we were off. The class included one of our creations to be glazed and colored. It was such a fun class and the 2.5 hours went very quick! Awesome thing to do and super fun!

Took a try it class here and I loved it! I made a very ugly and lump little bowl and then a less…read moreugly and lumpy bowel. All of the staff was friendly and my instructor was helpful. There were several members there and they were just as friendly and welcoming. When I move here permanently in the fall I plan to take more classes. Don't be intimidated - this is the place if you have always wanted to give this hobby a try.

This was so much fun you got to play bingo. You get to be with your friends and family and also was…read moreable to make something to take home..This was the first time I've ever painted pottery.. and it was just so easy to do so well instructed by everyone there and I ended up with something that I'm kind of proud of it's not perfect but I did it and I really really thought this was great and I would definitely go back ..highly recommend this place.

Very creative and stressfree environment !!! Not too crowded. Lots of examples to inspire…read morecreativity.

I've been taking handbuilding pottery classes at another space in town but I wanted to try out…read morewheel throwing before committing to a full semester. My hand/eye coordination is not great (which is why I tend to gravitate towards sculpture and more controlled building) but wheel throwing is such an amazing artform I wanted to give it a shot, but I knew if I didn't enjoy it right off the bat that I didn't want to be stuck for weeks doing it. Luckily, Yourist offers a "try it out" wheel throwing session once a month and I was able to sign up for the May session along with my husband, cousin, and aunt. It was so fun to do this experience together with my family and I surprisingly took to the wheel pretty easily. During this session you're given a tutorial on the equipment then a demo with explanation of how to throw your own bowl, including posture, hand positioning, and tips for success. Then you're given three balls of wedged clay and are let loose to practice on your own as they instructors work the room to help you if you're struggling and cheer you on if you're doing well. You're then welcome to keep any three of the bowls you make and they'll fire and glaze them (based on your choice of glaze for each piece) for you for pick up a month later. First piece is $10 with every additional piece $5. I'm proud to say that I made 2 very nice bowls and one bowl that turned into more of a sake cup after I got too ambitious and the top of my bowl collapsed. But they all looked nice in their own way so I decided to keep all three. The glazes they have are really lovely, too, and make any piece, no matter how wonky (like my sad sake cup) look beautiful. I also found I loved the experience so much that for my next class I signed up for a hybrid wheel throwing and handbuilding class so I could get better at both. I also really enjoyed my time at this studio and have bookmarked several classes I'd like to take there in the future, including day workshops focused on specific topics. Once I feel confident enough in my foundational education I hope to also join the community workspace where, for a monthly fee, you have access to their studio to work independently. It's such a welcoming environment, I highly recommend checking it out!

This is a cool little studio. I was actually just stopping in at the convenience store that's in…read morethe same little strip mall and thought I'd stop in to see what Yourist was about. They have a tiny one-room gallery, but it's full of nifty pottery. Some of the items are mostly decorative, but the display also included useful items, like an olive oil/garlic plate, a soap holder, mugs and so on. There were many items for sale under $20 and even several under $10, and this would be a good place to pick up unique gift items for the artsy friend on your Christmas list. The other half of the Yourist building is a studio/art school. They offer classes for beginners and more advanced students, ranging from a beginner's class in throwing pottery on the wheel to a class in learning to glaze and paint the pottery you've already created. In addition to several classes for adults, they offer after-school kids clay classes as well, at pretty reasonable rates.