Studio Rules & Policies

• Only clay purchased from CCS is allowed to be used in the studio. It covers the cost of glaze and materials and also ensures a level of quality control. Unauthorized clay can lead to temperature mismatches and cause serious damage to the kiln and other people's work.

• Label all clay and greenware with your name, on a piece of paper or green tape.

• Make sure to sign the bottoms of your pieces before bisque. Item description

• Pots are to be thrown and stored on appropriate bats. Throw on the plastic, not the wooden bats. Remove when ready and move to a wooden bat to continue drying.

• Do not store your pots on the dirty girls or multi-bat systems. They should remain available for rotation.

• All items are to be removed when skipping a session, including bisque ware and clay. If items are not picked up a storage fee of $40 will be charged.

• Any belongings that are not picked up after 30 days will become the property of Creative Clay Studio.

• The no-name shelf will be cleared at the end of each class session.

• If you intend to take work in progress home, please transport it using your own method, all boards, and tools are not to be borrowed from the studio.

• You are more than welcome to bring your own tools but you will need to transport them back and forth with you. To prevent any confusion or misplacement we recommend you label your tools. We are not responsible if anything goes missing.

• Open studio, class and pass memberships are booked at a maximum of 8 people.

• There are no capacity limits on how many people are allowed inside the space at any given time.

• Wheels and workspaces are spread apart.

We have two Air Purifiers that remain on unless the front door is open on a nice summer day.

• Wearing a face mask or face covering is not mandatory as of March 1 2022.

• Respect the decision of the individual who chooses to wear or not wear a mask.

• Hand sanitizer will be made available at the entrance and by each sink.

• Fill your own bucket of water for hand rinsing and for cleaning the studio tools and equipment.

• We have paper towels, reusable gloves, and communal aprons, but you may choose to bring back and forth your own hand towel, apron, and pair of gloves.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19

Stay home and self-isolate until all of the following apply:

• your symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if you had nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea)

• you do not have a fever

• you have not developed additional symptoms

Learn how to properly self-isolate when you have COVID-19

You are responsible to know what to do if you are exposed. Call Toronto Public health at 416-338-7600 or take the COVID-19 self-assessment tool to determine appropriate steps. https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/

• Ensure the session and dates you choose works for your schedule.

• There are no make ups, trades or credits for missed dates after a session starts. A maximum of two missed dates per person, may be rescheduled prior to a session start if space allows.

• Payments for memberships are non refundable unless canceled with two weeks notice prior to the start date.

• Should you have symptoms or be exposed to covid, please follow current covid-19 isolation rules.

• Currently registered members have priority to continue into subsequent sessions, but spots are not guaranteed when skipping a session, except for the summer. New summer registrants are not guaranteed spots in the fall but are placed next on the waitlist for any openings.

Our class and pass memberships are for 16 years and up. Open Studio members are 18 and up. Kids workshops are for ages 8 to 12.

• Due to the nature of ceramics mishaps, mistakes and defects can occur. The studio is not responsible for any damages or imperfect results.

Tips on Drying

• Pieces will stay wet for weeks when wrapped tightly in plastic and left in the greenware cupboards.

• Thrown pieces should be tented and not wrapped too tightly. They generally take two weeks to be at the right drying stage for trimming.

• Wet pieces left unwrapped for 16 to 24 hrs will be ready for trimming.

• It is difficult to predict exactly when your greenware and glazed pieces will be bisqued or glazed fired. There needs to be a sufficient drying time and then a number of pieces with varying heights are required in order to properly load the kiln.

• Firings occur three times a week, once over the weekend and twice during the week.

• Generally for every bisque there are two glaze firings. What happens and in what order depends on what arrives on the shelves first.

• Pieces may take up to four weeks to be returned. Especially flat, or tall pieces

• Smaller pieces are processed within 1- 3 weeks.

• Larger platters and tall pieces can take 2 to 4 weeks.

• We are unable to accommodate high-volume production work. For example, more than 25 large mug-sized pieces per month are considered production.

• All spills should be sponged or mopped immediately.

• There is no sweeping or sanding allowed in the studio. Cleaning is to be done with a wet mop or sponge.

• Do not blow dry clay or glaze into the air.

• Wet down or dampen dirty aprons with a sponge and rinse out into a clay bucket in the sink. Hang it to dry in the kiln room.

• When using the grinding stones, and dremel tool, bisque ware should be dampened first to eliminate dust.

• Always wear eye protection and tie your hair back when using the grinding wheel or the Dremel tool.