Weekly on Sundays

With additional days throughout the summer holidays

10.15am - 11.15am, 11.45am - 12.45pm, 1.45pm - 2.45pm or 3.15 - 4.15pm

Every Sunday, join our Watts ceramicist for Clay Club! As a family, get hands-on and messy with clay to wedge, carve, mould, roll, sculpt and create clay masterpieces.

Themes will change fortnightly, inspired by Watts Gallery's rich heritage of pottery, current exhibitions and contemporary influence, (as well as lots of fun and imagination). Take part in a one-off workshop or build Clay Club in as a regular part of your families' creative time together.

22 June – Mythical creatures
Inspired De Morgan's collection of mythical creatures, create your own fun creature - will you make a phoenix, griffin, unicorn - or make up your own special creature?

29 June – Pottery painting and glazing
Whilst we love the colour and texture of terracotta clay, it can be great fun to add colour through coloured slips and glazes on to ceramics. Join us for this day to paint onto pre-made pieces or bring back works you have made with us before in Clay Club to add some colours and extra decorations.
*If you do not have anything to bring back, we will have some pre-made ceramic pieces available to decorate.
**All works for glazing must have been fired clay (not air-dry clay) and will need to be left with us to fire again following glazing. It will take around 4 weeks, when we will contact you to return and collect.

6 and 13 July - Leaf impressions: nature on clay
Celebrate the textures of nature by pressing real leaves into soft clay to create beautiful, nature-inspired ceramic plates.

20 and 27 July - Tile designs with press moulds
Use our collection of press moulds to design and create your own decorative tiles.

3 and 10 August - Origami-folded bowls
Inspired by the elegance of origami, participants will hand-build a set of bowls using folding and slab techniques.

17 and 24 August - Coil pots: building with spirals
Learn the timeless art of coiling to build your own clay pot. Whether you choose a classic form or something sculptural, this technique invites exploration of shape, rhythm, and texture.

31 and 7 September - Under the sea: ocean-inspired clay scenes
Create a whimsical underwater world using a range of sea creature templates. This session invites imagination and storytelling as participants build a lively ceramic scene from beneath the waves.

Clay options

Your family will have the option to choose from air-dry clay (to take home with you on the day) or terracotta clay (that will need to be fired in our kiln). If you choose terracotta clay for firing, we will contact you when the works are ready for collection. This will take around 4 weeks, weather and other factors depending.