Pottery Instructors in Denver

Emili Kaiman

Emili has been happily covered in clay since her days at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she earned her BA with an emphasis in ceramics.

She loves finding out what clay will let her get away with. Some days that means folding it into origami cranes or handbuilding structural pieces that play with gravity. Most days, though, you'll find her at the wheel making mugs and bowls meant to be used and loved every day.

Emili has taught all kinds of people, from those touching clay for the first time to seasoned throwers. She wants students to experiment, learn something new, and leave with something they're proud of. Most of all, she loves sharing her passion and getting other people hooked on clay.

Cat Cherubin

Cat is an interdisciplinary artist and self-identified nerd. Her love of creating and skill-building led her to sign up for her first ceramics class, where she discovered the wonders of wheel throwing.

Her teaching interests lie in demystifying the skill of practiced hands, leading students to develop their skills through a scientific understanding of the forces at play, and an intuitive focus on the body as they wield earth into form.

Her personal interests have led her to work with mostly porcelain and high-grog stoneware to develop translucent light-holding vessels and earthy living sculptures. She has worked in ceramics for four years as an instructor and studio tech, and ran her own practice studio in Miami.

Caitlin Ming

Caitlin Ming is a Denver-based multidisciplinary artist who began working with clay in 2022. Her work explores color, pattern, and optical illusion, and she hopes her functional ceramics bring a sense of exuberance to everyday life. Her work in fibers and graphic design influences her ceramic sensibilities, shown best in her consideration of color and texture. Her pieces are primarily wheel-thrown porcelain, and most of her surface decoration is created with tape resist techniques and vibrant underglazes.

As an instructor, Caitlin creates a fun and supportive environment where students can play with mud and explore creativity through clay. She loves talking through big ideas with students and helping bring them to life.

See more of her work at @ming.makingthings.

Ethan Billings

Ethan Billings is a full-time ceramic artist in Denver. He received his BFA in Ceramic Art from Alfred University, where he also interned as a studio technician, and moved to Denver in 2024.

His work combines wheel throwing and handbuilding to make both functional ware and sculpture. He lives in Five Points, just up the road from the studio.

See more of his work at linktr.ee/ethanbillings.

Jesse Semel

Jesse Semel, a Connecticut native, has been immersed in the world of art since childhood, influenced by his father's artistic talents. He found his true calling in ceramics, a medium he has explored since his high school years. Jesse's artistic journey has been defined by his pursuit of challenging preconceived notions about art tools and functionality, bridging the gap between pottery and artistic expression.

He minored in ceramics at the University of Colorado Boulder, a program that honed his technical skills and shaped his style. A potter at heart, he was pushed to work beyond the symmetry of the wheel, and in a fight to keep throwing he began making thrown and altered pieces, throwing all the components of a sculpture and then dissecting and reassembling them.

Jesse has been teaching ceramics since 2023, from beginner through advanced.

See more of their work at @jessesemelceramics.

Kate Barry

Kate Barry fell for ceramics in the second grade and took every clay class she could get into after that. She studied at the Art Student League of Denver and now works out of Denver under the name Passion Taught.

Her work is thrown and handbuilt, then hand-painted with underglaze and carved. She is best known for her button mugs and functional tableware, pieces meant to look considered while quietly reminding you to slow down and notice where you are.

Kate teaches beginner wheel throwing, handbuilding, and one-night workshops, and she is a Claya member.

See more of her work at passiontaught.com or @passiontaught.

Mary Chambers

Mary leads Monday evening Intro to Wheel Throwing (6–8:30 PM) and Monday daytime All Levels Wheel Throwing (12–2:30 PM): six weeks of centering, pulling, trimming, and glaze day with a small, friendly group here in RiNo. Warm coaching for absolute beginners and anyone coming back to clay.

Mike Ewers

Mike Ewers started in ceramics in Santa Fe, where he learned both handbuilding and wheel throwing in high school. His teacher, Maia Sampson Michael, encouraged him to experiment, and that still shapes how he works. He is drawn to wheel-thrown bowls and torus (donut-shaped) forms, both functional and sculptural, and to the small glaze experiments that make each piece a little different.

A formative early project was Empty Bowls, making and selling handmade bowls to raise money for food charities. That taught him ceramics as a communal craft, not just a technical one. He also learned Raku firing, working through the full process and the unpredictability that comes with it. After several years as a software engineer, he came back to the studio to get his hands in clay again.

As an instructor, Mike wants class to feel approachable and curious. He is comfortable demonstrating the basics of wheel throwing and helping beginners find their footing.

Rick Anderson

Rick brings extensive teaching experience to every session, coaching beginners through Try the Pottery Wheel sessions, centering, pulling, and shaping with a small group right beside you. When he is not teaching, he is usually trying to throw something even larger than the last one. His aim for every class is the same: accessible, enjoyable, and wonderful for people of all experience levels.

Sami Foster

Sami Foster is a functional ceramic artist based in Denver, Colorado. She began working with clay in 2023, first taking a wheel-throwing class before being selected as a ceramics apprentice at the Art Students League of Denver, where she developed her technical skills and her body of work.

Her work draws on nostalgic imagery rooted in childhood, expressed through bright, whimsical designs. She primarily works with colored porcelain and custom glazes, using both hand-building and wheel-throwing techniques. Before transitioning to ceramics, she worked as a research scientist in molecular biology and brings a thoughtful, experimental approach to her studio practice, particularly in developing new glazes.

Sami began teaching in 2024 and aims to create a supportive space where students can explore ideas through clay and develop their own creative voice.

Tess Chatfield

Tess Chatfield is a Denver ceramic artist who has been teaching handbuilding in Denver and the Bay Area for three years. Coil, slab, and texture. She keeps one-night workshops approachable and hands-on.