pottery studio
one of the largest and longstanding community pottery studios in the region.
SCAA’s Pottery Studio is by far our busiest studio. It has served our community for decades. As a hive of activity with 200 students and 77 pottery studio members who use the studio to create and learn.
In conjunction with classes and studio memberships, we host an clay annual exhibit—Earthworks now in its 53rd year. Which draws participation from many of the region’s best ceramicists.
meet our pottery studio manager
Todd Kenney has been the go to person in our busy pottery studio since 2010. He is an experienced ceramicist and somehow manages to find time to create his functional pieces at his studio ‘Ramshead Pottery’ in Richmond, Rhode Island. You can read more about Todd in his maker monday Interview.
Todd is on campus most days, or you can email him with questions.
a year in the studio
9 tons of clay • 323 kiln firings • 4 wood & raku firings
I really enjoyed teaching in this new space. The team at South County is so welcoming and supportive, and the students made me feel right at home.
The studio is so thoughtfully set up, so much good stuff crammed into a school house built is 1729! It’s super clean and organized, they offer four different clay bodies to work with, and so many glazes to choose from. Such a great space to learn, experiment, and make!–Alison Purwinis
latest news and updates
wood fire
Wood fire sessions are offered as 2 day workshops several times a year.
Browse our class schedule for the next available dates.
explore our pottery class schedule
raku fire
Raku firing is offered as an 8 week class in the spring. Studio members can arrange adhoc firings through our studio manager.
Browse our class schedule for the details of the next available raku class.
When I took my first pottery class. It opened up a new world of doing art rather than observing it and it really changed a lot in my life.
—Dorrie McCaffrey
Earthworks Clay Annual
For the past 52 years, we’ve invited established ceramic artists to visit and jury our Annual Earthworks Exhibition. This unique exhibition begins with a public jurying, where potters receive feedback from the juror, and is accompanied by a masterclass workshop.
We carry on this tradition, celebrating a shared love of pottery and the passing down of knowledge which makes this exhibit so special.
53rd Earthworks | Open Juried Clay Annual
April 23 – May 16
Juror Suzanne Hill
Open to all artists. Annual exhibit of works in clay.
Accepting Artwork
April 11-12 & April 15-17
Public Jurying
April 18 starting at 10am
Earthworks
special programs
We offer two special programs that accompany the Earthworks Clay Annual exhibit and take advantage of the juror’s expertise and knowledge.
Live jurying
This event provides an opportunity for artists to hear the juror’s feedback on submissions. This is a very insightful learning experience.
Masterclass workshop
Each year’s juror shares their expertise in a one-day workshop giving our pottery students an opportunity to expand their skillset.
pottery studio FAQs
here are a few common questions you may have before taking a pottery class.
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If you are new to working in clay don’t worry, we understand you may not have any tools!
If you do not have your own tools, you can purchase a beginner’s set when you purchase your class for a small fee.
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Registering for a class comes with one free bag of clay, a $50 value which includes glazes and firings.
Each person may purchase up to 2 bags of clay/month. If any of your pieces exceed 14” in any direction, you may fire only one such piece per month.
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Clay that is fired in our kilns must be purchased from the SCAA Pottery Studio. Students and members are assigned a storage ‘cubby’ to store clay, tools and related class materials.
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No, our classes are open to the public. However, members do receive discounts on classes. See our membership page for a full list of benefits.
general class FAQ’s
You may have a lot of other questions if you are looking to take a class with us.
Browse our general class FAQ’s.
new to the studio? Our studio guide & policies page includes essential information for all pottery students and studio members.
I enjoy the community. The staff and volunteers create a welcoming and supportive environment, and I so appreciate their dedication and hard work. Over the years that I’ve been a member I’ve seen the staff do an amazing job accommodating SCAA’s growth; the courses and programs are continuously expanding and there have been so many important improvements and upgrades to the buildings and facilities.
–Linda Covington 2024
meet a few of our pottery instructors
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Alison Purwinis
Alison holds a BFA in Ceramics from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford and completed a year of post-baccalaureate study at the University of Colorado Boulder. She teaches at Anyhow Studio in Providence, where she is also a member, and is skilled in wheel throwing, handbuilding, and mold making. Alison’s work explores both functional forms and whimsical, mixed-media sculpture.
A roller derby retiree, she has called Providence home for over a decade now and lives with her partner and 3 cats. She is an avid plant lover, thrifter, and all-around crafter. -
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Kris Greco
Kris is a self-taught ceramic artist who shares more than 40 years of experience in wheel throwing and hand building with her students. She worked for a ceramic production company in Los Angeles for several years, taught high school ceramics for 11 years and is currently teaching wheel throwing and handbuilding at South County Art Association and Newport Art Museum. Kris’ work is mainly functional ware, both wheel thrown and handbuilt. She presently works out of her home studio in Narragansett, Rhode Island and sells her work at South County Art Association, Casey Farm Market.
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Lee Segal
Lee is a lifetime studio Potter with a love of clay, glass, and fire. He received a BA degree in Ceramics and Art History in 1975. Since then he has had ceramic studios and galleries where he has made a lot of pots. For the past 30 years, Lee and his wife Irene have run “All Fired Up Pottery“ in Newport. Lee loves teaching and talking about art making.
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Corrinn Jusell
Corrinn grew up on the beautiful peninsula of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She attended UMass, Dartmouth where she received a BFA in Art and Design with a ceramic focus. Jusell completed an assistantship at Peters Valley School for Craft in New Jersey and a residency at Arch Contemporary Ceramics in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Jusell continued on at Arch, working as a studio and gallery assistant until moving on to work as a production potter for ceramic designers, Jill Rosenwald and Lawrence McRae based in Boston, MA. Additionally, Jusell has taught ceramics at the New Bedford Art Museum, Falmouth Art Center, Truro Center for the Arts and Meetinghouse Clay Center. SInce 2020, Jusell has worked as a full-time ceramicist in her studio in New Bedford, MA.
