Montclair Mud Clay Studio has officially opened its doors to the public, bringing the art of pottery to the downtown area. Located at 370 Bloomfield Avenue in the Wellmont Arts Plaza, Montclair Mud Clay Studio has something for every crafty heart in the Essex County region. The studio has memberships, a variety of comprehensive courses with 24-hour access to the studio, one-time BYOB pottery wheel events, and more. Read on to learn more about Montclair Mud Clay Studio.
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About Mud Clay Studio
Founder Melanie Tomaszewski has been working with clay for 30 years. Her passion for pottery started in college, where she first discovered the magic of turning a lump of clay into a beautiful piece of art. After honing her skills and perfecting her craft, she decided to share her love for pottery with the world and founded Mud Clay Studio.
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Montclair joins Boonton and Madison as part of Mud Clay’s family of studios. Melanie immediately fell in love with Montclair when she delivered clay kits in town during the pandemic. She’s originally from New York, and it felt like home to her.
(Photo credit: Montclair Mud Clay Studio)
“I’m so excited to finally open the doors to Montclair Mud Clay Studio,” Melanie said. “I’ve been working towards this literally for years, and I can’t wait to watch this new welcoming, clay community grow in this amazing town.”
The new studio is located in the heart of Montclair, and as a nod to the town’s artistic reputation, Melanie chose the new Wellmont Arts Plaza as its home. The studio is equipped with 25 pottery wheels, two production kilns, and all the tools and equipment needed for all types of clay artists.
Classes + Programming
The studio provides memberships to those who wish to work independently and have a flexible schedule. Experienced potters and hand builders can register for either eight or four-week memberships to utilize the studio during open studio hours. The space is large enough to host several workshops while not interfering with members enjoying open studio time.
For those who need a little more guidance, the comprehensive 8-week courses cover everything from basic pottery techniques to advanced sculpting. Courses include adult wheel classes, adult hand-building classes, teen mixed ceramics classes, and kids hand-building classes. Adults who are enrolled in a course have 24-hour access to the studio to work on their projects in between classes. There are shortened four-week courses kicking off in May, and full eight-week courses — plus kid + teen camps — will start up for summer.
(Photo credit: Montclair Mud Clay Studio)
The studio also encourages people to come in during the day and experiment with using only their hands. They welcome walk-ins for Hand Building sessions at any time from 12PM to 5PM, or spots can be reserved online. Since the wheel isn’t used, this is a great one-time activity to do with kids ages seven and above.
“Pottery is more than just a hobby,” said Melanie. “It’s a form of therapy, a way to express yourself, accept failures, be in the moment, and a chance to create something beautiful with your hands. I’m especially excited about our BYOB pottery wheel events.”
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BYOB events that are hosted by the studio and held regularly include Creative Clay Nights, Couples Nights, and Ladies Nights. Classes begin with a quick introduction to hand-building with clay, then move to the potter’s wheel for the creation phase, and end with folks picking their glaze colors for the final product.
Montclair Mud Clay Studio is open daily from 12PM to 6PM. Keep up with class schedules, events, programs, and more on the website.
