Artist Residency Program
June to August
About The Studio
Wheelhouse Clay is a WOC artist owned and operated studio that offers classes and memberships to the community. Located in Lower Pacific Heights in San Francisco, our studio is easily accessible by bus and is a few blocks away from Fillmore Street and Japantown. Our studio core values are mindfulness, reciprocity, sustainability and community. We nurture true understanding that clay is a valuable, finite resource from the earth and honor quality as a way to explore while treating this magical medium with respect. Please see our Studio Rules & Etiquette page for more information about studio functions.
About the Residency
Our residency program runs during the summer season from June to August. Our program is designed to foster creative growth and connections between our resident artists and the local community through artist-taught classes and workshops. We strongly encourage community engagement with our members through social gatherings or simply through conversations and knowledge-sharing. We want our community to get to know you and vice versa! Our residency's purpose is to give artists a safe space where they can explore their creativity and artistic voice through mindful clay usage. We are not looking for production potters. We highly encourage POCs and/or local Bay Area artists to apply!
Residency Duration: 1-3 months between June to August. Duration is dependent on artist’s work proposal.
Studio Access & Amenities
- Semi-private workspace with an access code that may be shared with 1-2 other artists. Each artist has their own designated work table and shelves. Throwing wheels are available for use in the main studio room.
- Studio access hours are Monday to Sunday, 8am-11pm. Resident artists are given a studio access code for studio admittance during staff off-hours.
- Studio amenities include slab roller, plaster and wood wedging tables, pottery wheels, work tables, extruder, microwave and electric kettle and resource books in our library room.
- Staff is available during working hours to answer any questions about the studio and equipment, discuss materials and processes, and coordinate kiln firings. We have Skutt 1027 and 1227 electric kilns available for firings and will only fire up to cone 6.
- We maybe able to provide free recycled clay (which is a dream to work with on the wheel or handbuilding) depending on availability.
Residency Requirements & Expectations
- Artist-in-Residence (AIR) must teach a 4 to 6 week class + one specialty workshop coordinated with the Head of Education.
- In-person Artist Talk during the residency. Mostly for our students and members but could open it to the public if preferred.
- Community Engagement! This means participation in at least one in-person social gathering with our studio members (Throwing Circle, Board Game night, etc.) and occasional engagement through our online Discord channel.
- Studio function requirements:
Must purchase clay from Wheelhouse– we do not allow clay purchased from anywhere else to enter the studio. If you have specific clay bodies you want us to order ahead of your start date, we would be happy to do so! Otherwise, we offer a wide range of regularly stocked midfire clay bodies that are available for purchase on a regular basis. Clay purchase includes our firing fee. Note: We do not allow paper clay in our studio.
Must be responsible for personal clay recycling. Our studio emphasis on the importance of sustainability and mindfulness means that as a collective we never throw away recyclable clay into the trash and we expect you to uphold our studio values when you step through our doors.
Must use personal glazes and discuss the use of specialty glazes with staff (if applicable).
Must load your own work in our electric kilns, though large work can be loaded with assistance from staff if needed. Firing scheduling and kiln shelf maintenance (if applicable) must be coordinated with the Head of Education. In accordance with our sustainability value, we always aim to fire a full kiln load and so we will add member and/or student work to the artist’s kiln load if there is empty space to conserve electricity.
Financial Information & Lodging
- No application or residency fees!
- Artists get paid a certain percentage for teaching classes and workshops. To be discussed in further detail if accepted into the program.
- Artists are responsible for finding their own lodging (if applicable), though we will do our best to assist if needed.
Application Information
Who is eligible to apply?
- Must be 21 years of age or older to apply.
- Any ceramic artist that can work independently and autonomously. Formal instruction is not provided though we encourage informal critiques and discussion of ideas with experienced staff. We're happy to listen and guide you!
- Artist must have kiln loading/firing experience and be familiar with the clay recycling process.
- Teaching experience is a plus but exceptions may be made in particular situations. Multimedia artists who work with non-toxic materials are also welcome to apply but must have ceramics as their primary medium.
How to Apply:
- Applications must be submitted via the Google Form here: TBD! We will announce call for submissions for Summer 2026 via our newsletter soon so make sure you are in our email list!
We will need the following:
Full Name and Contact information
CV or written description of your experience related to your ceramic practice. Artist statement is optional.
A brief proposal of what you plan to create/achieve during your residency and expected start and end dates. If unsure of specific dates, state how many months you’d like to be in residence (minimum of one month).
A brief proposal of any specialty 4-6 week classes and/or 1-2 day workshops you are able to teach (no intro wheel or intro handbuilding). Syllabus for potential classes with further details is encouraged but not required during application.
At least 4 digital images of your work via website and/or instagram info with visual documentation of your work.
- Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and if considered for the program, we will send an email to set up a video or in-person interview and discuss further details if chosen to proceed.
For any questions, please email our Head of Education: leslie@wheelhouseclaysf.com. Thanks for your interest!