Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Pottery Instructor

🎯 Role Definition

A Pottery Instructor is a unique blend of artist, educator, and community facilitator. This role is dedicated to guiding students of all ages and skill levels through the tactile and transformative art of ceramics. The instructor is responsible for creating a supportive, safe, and inspiring studio environment where creativity can flourish. Beyond demonstrating techniques like wheel throwing and hand-building, they act as mentors, sharing their passion for clay, fostering artistic development, and managing the technical aspects of a working ceramics studio, from mixing glazes to firing kilns. This position is pivotal in building a vibrant community centered around the shared love of pottery.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Ceramic Artist: An active artist with a strong personal practice looking to share their knowledge.
Studio Assistant/Technician: Individuals with hands-on experience in studio maintenance and operations.
Art Education Graduate: Recent graduates with a BFA or MFA in Ceramics or Art Education.

Advancement To:

Lead Instructor / Department Head: Overseeing other instructors and curriculum development.
Studio Manager: Taking on full operational and administrative responsibility for the studio.
Art Program Director: Managing a broader range of arts programming for an organization.

Lateral Moves:

K-12 Art Teacher: Applying ceramic skills in a formal school setting.
Independent Workshop Facilitator: Traveling to different venues to teach specialized workshops.
Art Therapist: Pursuing further certification to use ceramics in a therapeutic context.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design and deliver engaging, skill-building pottery classes and workshops for a diverse range of students, from absolute beginners to advanced practitioners.
Provide dynamic, hands-on instruction and live demonstrations of core ceramic techniques, including centering clay, pulling, shaping, trimming, and a variety of hand-building methods (pinch, coil, slab).
Foster a safe, welcoming, and inclusive studio environment that encourages creative exploration, experimentation, and community among students of all ages and backgrounds.
Offer individualized guidance, constructive feedback, and troubleshooting assistance to students, helping them develop their personal style and overcome technical challenges.
Manage the entire firing process, including carefully loading and unloading bisque and glaze kilns, programming firing schedules, and performing routine kiln maintenance and inspection.
Maintain the studio's operational excellence by ensuring cleanliness, organization, and safety standards are consistently met, including the regular cleaning of wheels, tables, and shared tools.
Oversee the inventory of studio materials, including anticipating needs, ordering clay, glazes, and tools, and communicating supply status to the studio manager to prevent shortages.
Prepare studio materials for class use, which involves essential tasks like reclaiming and pugging scrap clay to ensure its reusability and minimize waste.
Educate all students on studio policies, safety procedures (including dust management), and the proper use and care of all studio equipment, tools, and materials.
Mix glazes from raw materials according to specific recipes, maintain the quality and consistency of studio glazes, and teach students proper glazing application techniques for optimal results.
Lead and supervise open studio sessions, providing support and ensuring a productive and safe environment for members and students working on independent projects.
Plan and organize student art shows, sales, or exhibitions to showcase their work, celebrate their progress, and engage the wider community.
Handle administrative tasks related to class management, such as taking attendance, communicating with students about class schedules or cancellations, and tracking student progress.
Stay current with contemporary ceramic art, new techniques, and emerging trends in the field to continuously enrich the curriculum and inspire students.
Act as a primary and knowledgeable point of contact for prospective and current students, answering questions about class offerings, studio memberships, and the ceramic process.

Secondary Functions

Assist in marketing and promoting classes and workshops through social media, community outreach, and creating engaging content that highlights student work and studio life.
Perform basic repairs and maintenance on studio equipment, such as pottery wheels, slab rollers, and extruders, to ensure they remain in good working order.
Contribute to the development of new and innovative class or workshop ideas to expand the studio's offerings and attract a broader audience.
Document student work and class activities through high-quality photography for use in promotional materials, social media content, and studio archives.
Participate actively in staff meetings and professional development opportunities to collaborate with colleagues, refine teaching methods, and contribute to the studio's vision.
Support the management of studio memberships, which includes orienting new members to the space, policies, and procedures to ensure a smooth integration into the community.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced Wheel-Throwing: Demonstrated proficiency in centering large amounts of clay, throwing a variety of complex and consistent forms, and finishing with precise trimming.
Comprehensive Hand-Building: Expertise in a wide array of hand-building techniques, including slab construction, coiling, pinching, and creating sculptural forms.
Kiln Operation and Management: Deep knowledge of loading, programming, and firing electric kilns for both bisque and glaze cycles, along with basic maintenance and troubleshooting.
Glaze Technology: In-depth understanding of glaze chemistry and application, with hands-on experience mixing glazes from raw materials and resolving common glaze defects.
Clay Reclamation: Proficiency in all steps of the clay reclamation process, including slaking down, drying to the correct consistency, wedging, and pugging clay to maintain studio resources.
Curriculum Development: The ability to design and structure educational curricula, creating progressive lesson plans that scaffold skills effectively for students at different levels.
Studio Safety Protocols: Strong knowledge of studio health and safety standards, particularly the safe handling of ceramic materials (e.g., silica dust) and proper equipment operation.
Equipment Maintenance: The ability to perform basic maintenance and repairs on common studio equipment, including pottery wheels, kilns, and slab rollers.
Surface Decoration Techniques: Familiarity with a wide range of decorative methods, such as underglazing, sgraffito, mishima, wax resist, and using slips and stains.
Ceramic Science: A strong foundational understanding of the complete ceramic process, from the properties of greenware to the science of firing, including heatwork and drying.

Soft Skills

Exceptional Communication: The ability to clearly articulate complex techniques, provide constructive, encouraging feedback, and foster an open and communicative classroom environment.
Patience and Empathy: A genuine passion for teaching and mentoring, with the capacity to patiently guide students through challenges and celebrate their successes.
Organizational Prowess: Strong organizational and time-management skills to effectively juggle class preparation, instruction, student support, and studio maintenance duties.
Creative Problem-Solving: A proactive and resourceful approach to addressing student difficulties, equipment malfunctions, and unexpected studio situations as they arise.
Community Builder: A collaborative and welcoming mindset, dedicated to creating a positive, supportive, and inclusive atmosphere for all students and studio members.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent, supplemented by significant, demonstrable experience in ceramics.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or Master of Fine Arts (MFA) with a concentration in Ceramics.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Fine Arts
Ceramics
Art Education
Studio Art

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2-5+ years of dedicated personal ceramic practice combined with demonstrable experience in teaching, tutoring, or a studio assistant role.

Preferred:

3+ years of experience specifically teaching multi-level pottery classes to adults and/or children in a community studio, arts center, or academic setting. A portfolio of personal work and examples of student work is highly valued.