Finding engaging and creative activities for children in the lively city of Haarlem can be a rewarding challenge. At ArtStart we offer Kids' Pottery Classes designed to provide young artists with a fun and educational experience. Our classes focus on hand-building techniques, allowing children to explore their creativity in a supportive and inspiring environment.

Each lesson we explore different techniques like coiling, slabbing and pinching, as well as decorating our creations with underglaze and glaze. In this way children will try the whole cycle of ceramics creation from a shapeless piece of clay to the final glazed artwork. They will discover the magical world of glazes and see their transformation before and after firing in our kiln.

We offer two groups: Thursday and Saturday.

• Each lesson lasts 1,5 hour.

• The Thursday group is designed for children aged 7 and older, with a minimum commitment of one half-term (6-8 consecutive lessons), the cost of each lesson is €25 per person. The maximum class size of the group is 8 children.

• The Saturday group is for children aged 3 and up. Children under 7 must be accompanied by a parent during the session, while children aged 7+ can participate independently or with a parent. For children aged under 4, we also offer the option to book a spot for both the child and a parent to work on a project together. The maximum class size on Saturday family group is 12 people.

• The Saturday group allows you to book a single session for €35 per person and complete a simple project of your choice or a package of 4 sessions for €100 per person where you can create and glaze a few projects. Package lessons can be booked for any available dates. Please note that completing a project in one session is not guaranteed, and you may need to attend additional sessions to finish your creation.

• You can always request a trial lesson, the cost of the trial lesson in both groups is €35.

Items from each session need to be fired in our kiln so pieces will be received by our students within 4 weeks after the class. Please note we can only store pots for 4 weeks once they are ready.​

We have created a pottery course that will be a true immersion into the world of ceramics. We are offering 5 levels courses which can be booked individually or as one extended course. The courses are designed to be progressively more challenging, so you can only book the next course after successfully completing the previous one. Each course is 4 weeks long.

Beginners course, level 1. On this course you will learn the basics at the potter's wheel and learn how to make bowls, plates and mugs. You will also learn how to add texture, underglaze and glaze your creations. At the end of the course you will have 3 items ready to use.

Similiar objects course, level 2. This course will teach you how to create a set of 4 tableware, for example 2 bowls and 2 mugs. This course will also introduce you to trimming of the created objects. At the end of the course you will receive 4 ready for use pieces.

Lidded jars course, level 3. This course will teach you how to create jars with two different types of lids and will refine your trimming skills. At the end of the course you will receive 2 ready for use jars with lids.

Tea pot course, level 4. You will advance your skills on the potter's wheel and learn how to make a teapot. Create more complex shapes from a bigger amount of clay. You will be able to make a functional object to use. At the end of the course you will have 1 finished teapot ready to use.

Donut course (toriod), level 5. This course will teach you how to make double-walled donut pieces as well as advanced decorating techniques. Find out how to transform your simple thrown shapes into unique ceramic art.

Throughout the pottery course pupils will be supported by an experienced master potter.

Items from each course need to be fired in our kiln and will be ready for collection within 4 weeks after the course.

When you book an extended course, you’ll receive a discount. Please note that the course must be paid for in no more than two installments.

If you have long dreamed of a creative hobby and wanted to learn how to work with clay with your hands, then this course is for you! In this course you will learn the basic techniques of working with clay without using a potter's wheel. Modeling with your hands gives you a lot of freedom and creativity and allows you to create a playful shape.

We are offering 2 levels courses which can be booked individually or as one extended course. The courses are designed to be progressively more challenging, so you can only book the next course after successfully completing the previous one. Each course is 4 weeks long.

Beginners course, level 1. Gain a basic understanding of hand-building, glazing and decoration techniques. Explore your creative ideas whilst learning the exciting possibilities of working with clay. In this course you will learn how to create objects using coil, pinch and slab techniques. These techniques allow you to make items such as a plate, vase, mug, flower pot and much more. You are welcomed to come with your own ideas or simply follow along and let your creativity blossom during the mindful 2 hours of making. At the end of the course you will have 2-3 items ready to use.

Intermediate course, level 2. This course is tailor made for those who have finished a beginners course with us or at another studio and are looking for more taught practice to refine their handbuilding skills. Our experienced teacher will help you improve your techniques and correct your mistakes, and learn to build larger more complex forms. We will be making functional and non-functional objects. At the end of the course you will have 2-3 items ready to use.

Throughout the pottery course pupils will be supported by an experienced master potter.

Items from each course need to be fired in our kiln and will be ready for collection within 4 weeks after the course.

When you book an extended course, you’ll receive a discount. Please note that the course must be paid for in no more than two instalments.

One day intensive workshop focused on mastering the fundamental techniques of wheel throwing. Develop muscle memory for clay centering and pulling up tall cylinders.

Who is this workshop for?

This workshop is for you if you have already tried working on the pottery wheel and can handle a minimum of 500g of clay. It does not matter how confident you are with centering — that is exactly what this day is built around. If you want to move past the struggle and develop a technique that actually works, this is where to start. Centering is the foundation of every form you will ever throw: without it, nothing else comes together.

The workshop will be led by professional ceramist Daria Platova from Yourceramics studio, who has over 10 years of experience in pottery.

Students learn to work with a minimum of 1kg of clay per attempt; confident students progress to larger amounts. Cylinder is the basic shape that allow you to move to more complicated shapes as bowls and vases.

Capacity: 10 participants maximum

Schedule for the day:

9:45-10:00 — Arrival
10:00–10:15 — Clay wedging theory
10:15–11:00 — Technical explanation from the teacher: centering technique, cylinder pulling fundamentals.
11:00–13:00 — First practice session
13:00–13:30 — Lunch break (included)
13:30–15:30 — Second practice session
15:30–16:00 — Closing and cleanup

The goal of this intensive workshop is to acquire and solidify centering technique with a minimum of 1kg of clay and cylinder-pulling through repetitive practice.

What is included:

• Using of clay and throwing wheels;
• Bisque firing of one pottery piece wheel time;
• Help with preparing and wedging the clay;
• Lunch.

Volunteers will prepare clay throughout the day to maximize your time at the wheel. One finished piece may be retained for bisque firing. Glaze your bisque-fired piece at extra cost using studio membership, or glaze it at home and use our kiln firing service.

Basic pottery experience required. This workshop is for students who have already completed introductory pottery sessions.

This course is designed for students who have already completed at least one pottery wheel course — at ArtStart or at another studio.

The dark body fundamentally changes how glazes look: colours that appear one way on white clay shift on black. Any unglazed surface — particularly the foot ring and bottom — becomes a design element rather than a neutral base, which is why polishing and burnishing the foot matters with black clay in a way it rarely does with white. Over three lessons you will work through the full cycle from throwing to finished and glazed objects.

Lesson 1 — Throw. You will work with black stoneware clay on the wheel, creating objects according to your current level. Beginners will focus on a set of mugs or plates; more advanced students can work toward a vase or larger forms. The lesson covers the particular properties of black clay and how to adapt your throwing technique accordingly.

Lesson 2 — Trim. In this lesson you will trim your leather-hard pieces and learn how to polish and burnish the bottom — a technique that enhances the natural depth of the black clay surface.

Lesson 3 — Glaze. You will learn how stoneware glazes interact with black clay — which glazes complement it, which create contrast, and how application thickness affects the final result. You will glaze your bisque fired pieces, which will then be glaze fired in our kiln.

Finished work will be ready for collection within 4 weeks after the final lesson. Prerequisites: minimum one completed wheel throwing course at ArtStart or another studio.

A small group of 6 students.