With the goal of being a sanctuary for all kinds of ceramic artists, the nonprofit Clay Studio in the Goleta foothills has a wide array of offerings, from memberships giving people unlimited access to the studio to adult education classes for beginners.
The 24,000-square-foot studio, located at 1351 Holiday Hill Road, has “all the equipment anyone could ever imagine” to create ceramic art, executive director Matt Mitros told Noozhawk, listing about 36 potter’s wheels, six electric kilns, five gas kilns, equipment for staff to mix and reconstitute scrap clay, and more coming in the new year.
One of the new programs Mitros plans to introduce to the studio in 2024 is a digital fabrication initiative — allowing people to 3D print clay or plastic to create molds.
“We’re trying to create an opportunity so that the footprint of this building represents the nexus or the intersection of historic ceramics and the future of ceramics, and so I believe there’s room at the table for all makers,” he said.
Clay pieces are ready to be put into the kiln at Clay Studio. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
Clay Studio executive director Matt Mitros with a collection of ceramic cups made by local artists. “We’re trying to create an opportunity so that the footprint of this building represents the nexus or the intersection of historic ceramics and the future of ceramics,” he says. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
Clay that has just been mixed dries on a table. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
Clay Studio’s gallery, showcases art made by studio members. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
Pottery wheels at Clay Studio. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
Clay Studio members’ ceramic pieces on display in the gallery. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
Recycled clay at Clay Studio that is being mixed into new, reclaimed clay. (Serena Guentz) 
Ceramic pieces created by Clay Studio members are on display in the studio’s gallery. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
A machine part of Clay Studio’s partnership with MIT that prints “programmable mud,” using earth materials. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
Shelves of ceramic work from out of the kiln await glazing. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
Ceramic work that has been glazed sits on shelves. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo) 
The Clay Studio library contains books on art and is a place for members to relax. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo)
“We’re trying to be as expansive and welcoming for all different types of makers. We want to be as welcoming as we can, and we’re never going to have everything right away, but it’s all part of our strategic plans just incrementally to chip away at our goals.”
Clay Studio offers memberships for individuals to have full, unlimited access to the facility and its equipment during open hours.
For those wanting to try out the craft or work with less commitment, day passes, “clay dates” and classes are available.
Nonmembers can also rent space to use the studio’s kilns.
Mitros said the studio currently has about 50 to 60 members and about 100 to 150 students attending classes and workshops.
Courses offered at the studio include wheel throwing classes, hand building classes, sculpting classes and more, with eight-week classes that meet for three hours each week.
“There’s been a shift — fewer members and more students — and it’s a model moving forward that’s going to bode well for this organization because the membership model has a ceiling and there’s only so many members we can support,” Mitros said.
Because students are just onsite for a few hours a week, the studio can provide more opportunities to “influence people with the wonderful things of art in a different way.”
Other amenities at the studio include a library and reading or lounging area, a full kitchen, an outdoor gathering area, lecture space and conference rooms, and an onsite gallery open to the community.
Mitros said the gallery is an important part of Clay Studio, providing a space for artists to exhibit their work and for guest artists from around the world to visit and exhibit work.
“I’m really committed to providing opportunities for our members and students to show and possibly sell their work and balance that with educational programming,” Mitros said.
He added that television shows and social media demonstrating support for ceramic arts is important.
“Social media — Facebook and Instagram — have really created an enhanced form of literacy for the ceramic arts,” Mitros said.
“It’s creating a way for people to think of the handmade object in a different way and I think that’s really critical.”
Currently, Clay Studio has two sales showcasing members’ work each year — a holiday sale in December and a summer sale in June. The studio is also looking into adding a third sale in the spring.
In April, the studio will hold its first high school art exhibition, with teachers able to nominate two juniors and two seniors from each school to display their work.
Laguna Blanca School and San Marcos and Santa Barbara high schools have signed up so far.
Mitros said the studio is hoping to select two seniors from the exhibition for merit awards with free summer memberships.
“I want to celebrate youth,” he said. “I was a high school art teacher for four years in Seattle and I just know how wonderful it is for the students to be made to feel appreciated by exhibiting their work.
“There’s so few opportunities to show off high schoolers’ work, so if that can be part of our nonprofit ecosystem — what we give back to our community, in some cases, is opportunities for children to exhibit their work here.”
He added that he wants to make the student exhibition a permanent feature.
Another future goal is to fundraise to create a “clay mobile,” which will be either a trailer or a van to visit schools.
“Imagine a fully stocked miniature version of what we have here, and we travel to schools and we show different children who don’t have all this wonderful equipment what can happen if you pursue the arts,” Mitros exclaimed.
Click here for more information about Clay Studio and its classes, events and other offerings.