Frequently Asked Questions

We are located at 46 Park St. Framingham, MA. Once you enter the parking lot, turn left at the bottom of the driveway and left again to face the building. You will see large lettering on the building that says “Pearl St. Cupboard” and occasionally a bus that says “Pop Up Pantry.” Our door is to the left of these landmarks. You may park anywhere in the lot to access our door, parking is always free.

If the outside door is locked, ring the buzzer for the 3rd floor. The door will be locked automatically on weekends, nights after 7PM and Pearl St. Cupboard Holidays. In the event that we are open, but the Pearl St. Cupboard is closed, the door will remain locked.

Current students, please see our "Open Studio Hours" tab under "Classes" to view open studio hours. 

If you are picking up work from an event or workshop, please view your email for more details about pickup. We are not a storefront location, so please contact the office at communitykiln@smoc.org to coordinate entering our space. 

The average class size at Community Kiln is 11 students. This allows for more individualized attention from the instructor. 

Over-enrollment in classes is up to the discretion of the teacher and is not guaranteed. 

The average class cost at Community Kiln is $505 for 10 weeks of instruction. Tuition also includes 25 lbs. of clay (1 bag), glazing, firing, and any open studio times. To view all open studio times please visit the "Open Studio Hours" page on this website.

The process for the waitlist for classes at Community Kiln is as follows:

When you enroll in the waitlist, no payment is taken or charged to your account; The waitlist is a holding spot for you. Once a space becomes available, you will be contacted about the class opening and be asked to confirm whether or not you are still interested. If you are interested, then your class fee will be added to your account and a payment will be made.

At Community Kiln we believe in pottery being accessible to ALL. If you or someone you know needs assistance in paying for a class, please email us at communitykiln@smoc.org to discuss further. 

Please note that financial aid is given out on an income basis and only specific people may be eligible to receive financial help. Visit our financial aid page for more information

Unfortunately, students under 18 are not allowed to join into adult classes. We ask that all youth students remain in one of our two class options for students under 18; The content in those classes are leveled to be personalized to each student's ability. We want to create a welcoming environment for all students and we are able to achieve this by giving youth a space to meet people the same age as them! 

If you are concerned about the content of youth classes not being rigorous enough for your student, please inform your teacher of your concerns and/or email communitykiln@smoc.org to discuss how we can cater our teaching to your student's needs.

We do not host walk-in times for un-enrolled students. In order to access our studio you must be enrolled in a class. Please do not bring guests or visitors to the studio. Children and Teens are not allowed to be at open studio.

No, we do not offer a kiln share option for those not attending our studio. We are a teaching pottery studio and do not have the capacity to take on extra firings. 

No, we do not sell clay and pottery tools to outside people; We are not a pottery supply store. Tools and clay are available only for enrolled students to purchase. 

Yes! Community Kiln is pleased to offer a selection of commercial glazes that are permitted to be in our kilns. All rules and regulations must be followed or your pieces will remain unfired. Any breaking of our rules and regulations will result in an immediate cease of firing your glazed pieces and you will not be permitted to use commercial glazes any further. 

Community Kiln reserves the right to change our rules and regulations on commercial glazes as we see fit to ensure the safety of our kilns and the work of students within the studio. Follow the link below to view the spreadsheet

Approved Cone 6 Glazes

Students are asked to remove their items if they are not currently enrolled in a class. We do not have the capacity to store your items, and students should not ask their instructors to store items either.

If you have forgotten to clean out your space, your items will be removed by our STAFF. All greenware will be recycled immediately and additional items (tools, clay, bisqueware) will be stored for three weeks, at which point they will be donated to the studio. Bisqueware and glazeware dated older than three months will be disposed of. Community Kiln is not responsible for lost, stolen or broken items.  

Exploding pottery is RARE, and the person's work that is impacted is always notified. Greenware is frequently moved around by staff members to collect all bone dry pieces. Bisqueware and Glazeware is stacked on our shelves when waiting to be reunited with its owner so make sure to lift and sort through all pieces. Sometimes items are still inside of the kilns cooling so please check our board listing the kiln unloading dates.

In the case that you did have something explode, you are encouraged to remake it with some free clay given to you by a CK staff member. We always are extremely apologetic about any pieces that did not make it through the kiln.