The Mud Club

The Mug Club is more than a membership—it’s your creative home base. A place to grow, connect, and create with confidence.

Finished an 8-week class? This is your next step — more clay, a supportive community, and a schedule that finally works for you.

For those 18+ or mature teen with parent approval. 

You'll feel right at home in The Mud Club if...

You're self-motivated. Curious. Ready to challenge yourself and grow in your craft, one skill at a time. You don't need someone breathing down your neck to push you forward—you're already moving. And you're looking for a place that supports that momentum, with a clear next step waiting each month, if you want it.

You know your way around a wheel or slab roller. Maybe not a master (yet), but confident enough to prep, make, and clean up without someone reminding you.

You love the idea of being surrounded by a supportive community of artists in small classes—people who are there to learn, not to impress. But truthfully, you're just as happy in your own little world at the wheel, letting your hands and the clay have a quiet conversation.

You want a clay space outside your house—where you don't have to clear dinner off the table before wedging clay. Somewhere with practice time built in and a schedule simple enough to actually use. It's for those craving a soft place to land, a retreat from the usual rush, where creative energy flows freely and learning happens without pressure.

The Mud Club…

Helps potters thrive—in clay, in friendships, and in life.

Think of membership as productive rest. It's space to let your brain breathe, to reset, to simply exist in the now without a thousand notifications pulling you out of your moment. You choose what to make, when to make it, and how fast you want to move—with practice time built in for whenever the pull hits. It's clay, your way.

There's no ego here. This is not the space for production potters or self-declared pottery gurus who take up all the room and energy. This is a small, supportive community of joyful learners, where everyone's excited to share what they're discovering, laugh about what flopped, and cheer each other on through breakthroughs big and small.

This isn't about cranking out pots or filling shelves. This is about you—your skills sharpening along a clear path, your voice in clay, and your need for a place that feels like home.

Within a month, you'll start settling into a rhythm that feels like yours. You'll find your favorite shelf, your go-to tools, your quiet little corner. Your skills will sharpen without force, one clear step at a time. Your confidence will grow naturally. You'll realize you're not just making pottery—you're making space for yourself. It's simple, really: you show up, the rest takes care of itself.

 

The moment you join, this becomes your space too:

• Four Classes, Your Call — Pick wheel, hand building, or this month's special skills class. Switch it up whenever you want. Clear skills progression, no two months alike.
• Studio Access — Unlimited studio time for glazing, carving, and hand building, plus 10 hours of wheel practice time every month, available during retail hours. Simple as that—just walk in.
• This Month's Thing — A studio-wide project drops each month if you want the inspiration (and the company). Skip it if you've already got your own plan—no side-eye either way.
• A New Tool, Every Month — Matched to whatever skill you're building. Yours to keep.
• Your Own Shelf — A dedicated spot for your work, so nothing's getting bumped, borrowed, or broken.
• Pottery Family — A small, supportive community who'll cheer you on and laugh-cry with you over glaze disasters.
• Wall of Fame — Stick with it for a year and your star goes up on the wall, stamped with your own maker's mark. Official, permanent, yours.
• Dedicated Studio Space — Wheels, tools, supplies, and zero clay in your kitchen sink.
• Creative Sanctuary — A place to breathe, recharge, and center yourself—on or off the wheel.
• Real-Time Help — Real teachers who genuinely love pouring into you, plus experienced potters happy to share tips and advice, right there when you need it.
• Studio Glazes Included — Grab and go. One less thing to think about.
• Limited Edition Mud Club Shirt — Because you're official now.
• Easy Auto-Pay — Simple, set-it-and-forget-it, so your focus stays on the clay.

Applying is just 3 Simple, Easy Steps

How to Join:

1. Take a pottery class and feel confident working independently in the studio.

2. Submit a Mud Club Application here.

3. Schedule a one-on-one meeting and tour with the studio manager. The tour will be set up after your application is reviewed.

The Mud Club is Simple. Easy. Convenient.

If you’re ready to go deeper with your practice and belong to a creative, supportive community, the door is open.

 

Fort Wayne Clay is conveniently located at Georgetown Square between Blueberry Pancake and the Bowling Alley.

Memberships start at $225/month 

Open Studio and Retail Hours

Mondays - Thursdays         12 - 8 pm

Fridays            12 - 4 pm

Saturdays            10 am - 2 pm

Closed Sundays

 

" The learning environment and community around the studio have been phenomenal. I immediately felt welcomed and supported." 

- Andy

FAQs

I've never touched the pottery wheel or clay before. Is this membership right for me?

The Mud Club is designed for potters who already feel confident working independently in a studio—folks who are familiar with the wheel or handbuilding and know their way around basic tools and processes.

If you're just getting started or haven't taken a class yet, we’d love to welcome you into our Foundations class first. It’s the perfect place to learn the basics, build confidence, and get ready for everything The Mud Club has to offer down the road.

I've been doing wheel — can I switch to a handbuilding class, or try this month's specialty class instead?

Absolutely, and you don't need permission to do it. Every month, your four classes are yours to choose fresh — wheel, hand building, or whatever specialty class is up that month, whether that's glazing, surface decoration, colored clay, or whatever else is on deck. Bored of the wheel this month? Go hand building instead. Curious about a technique you've never touched? That's exactly what the specialty class is for. You're not locked into a lane just because that's where you started.

What's the minimum amount of time I can be a member?

Three months. That's the minimum, and here's the honest reason why: pottery skills don't click in a single class—your hands need to throw the same form a handful of different ways before something actually sticks. Three months is enough time to move through a real stretch of classes, settle into your own rhythm at the studio, and feel the difference in your work. Your card is charged automatically each month, so there's nothing to manage. After the first three months, you're free to continue month-to-month for as long as you'd like—no re-signing, no hoops, cancel whenever it's time.

I'm wanting to have some time to practice skills I've learned in my first class before jumping into another class, but I don't want to jump into a membership. What are my options?

Honestly? This is perfect for you. Nobody says you have to learn something new every month in the Mud Club — each month you can jump into that month's group focus project if you're feeling it, or just use your classes and practice time to keep working the skill you already have until it's second nature. No pressure to move faster than feels right. Some of the best growth happens in the repeats, not the next new thing.

Can I switch between class types week to week — hand building one week, wheel the next, specialty after that?

Not quite. Each month you pick one class type — wheel, hand building, or that month's specialty — and stick with it for all four sessions that month. That consistency is what actually builds a skill instead of just sampling it. The upside: next month, you pick again, completely fresh. Over a year you're still moving through wheel, hand building, and every specialty that comes up — just four weeks at a time instead of bouncing around within the same month.

I'm taking a hand building class — can I use the wheel during my practice time?

Yes, as long as you've completed Wheel Foundations. If you have, your practice time is yours to use however you'd like — hand building, wheel, or both. If you haven't taken Wheel Foundations yet, wheel practice time isn't available until you do — it's not one to skip.

I've only taken hand building classes — can I jump into wheel classes, or do I need Foundations for the wheel first?

You'll need Wheel Foundations first. Hand building and throwing use completely different skills — centering, pulling, and trimming on the wheel take their own foundation, and skipping straight to a wheel class usually means spending the whole session wrestling the basics instead of building on them. Once you've got Wheel Foundations done, wheel classes and wheel practice time are wide open.

What happens if I can't make it to the studio for a month?

No need to cancel or pause anything — just let the studio know, and your membership keeps rolling right along. When you're back, you'll get a bonus 10 hours of wheel practice time that month, on top of your usual 10, so there's extra room to catch back up and settle back into your rhythm.

You can reach out in person or email nicole@fortwayneclay.com. Life happens—and we’re here to make this simple, easy, and convenient for you.

" The biggest benefits I experienced as a member were unlimited time in the studio, being around and learning from other creatives, and keeping the mess out of my house. 🤣 "

- Mindy

Become a Mud Club Member Today!

 

P.S. If you want to find out if a membership is perfect for you or have more specific questions, email Nicole@fortwayneclay.com and we'll figure things out together.

*Milestone moments only go into effect if months have been continuous*