FAQs
General
For Birthday Parties, Scout Workshops, or company activities, field trips or workshops click here. To schedule a tour of the facility, contact us at 512-666-9003.
There is street parking on Talbot St. and Third Street closest to the alley entrance for the studio. There is additional limited street parking available on Main Street in front of the McCrory Timmerman building.
The main entrance for Art Off Center is located on Potter’s Alley, between 2nd and 3rd Streets on the alley side of the McCrory Timmerman building. Enter through the double doors and head downstairs. The AOC logo is painted on the building closest to our hanging “Open” flag. Our facility is down a flight of stairs in the basement space, with our neighbors the 2nd Street Commercial Kitchen right above us on the first floor.
No, unfortunately Art Off Center is not handicapped accessible, private classes can be arranged for students in a convenient location. Please contact 512-666-9003 for more info.
We do not.
Yes, pieces can be fired at Art Off Center for a fee. Please see our Services page for more information.
Education
Teens must be at least 13+ to do hand building (depending on class type) and approximately 14+ for wheel throwing.
Not at this time.
Visit our calendar page for scheduled Open Studio time or our Facebook page for additional Open Studio times.
Yes, we have slots for two to three studio artists to work at Art Off Center via our monthly studio rental program. With a monthly fee, independent artists get a shelf, access during operating hours and shared classroom space. The monthly fee includes 12 half shelves or 2 full kiln loads of work. Participation is limited, please contact us for availability.
Open Studio is available to current students/artists that have taken a multi-week class at Art Off Center or have had some prior clay experience (depending on experience, this is subject to approval by owner). There are regularly scheduled days and various times throughout the week, check the calendar for the most updated Open Studio times.
We do however offer a number of classes designed for every level of experience, from beginners to advanced. If you are a ceramic artist looking for a private or group studio space, find out how to become an AOC Artist.
Students may make-up a maximum of 2 classes during full session classes and 1 class for shorter sessions. Classes cannot be made up in the last week of classes. For a full rundown of policies, go here.
You can register online via the Class Registration page. Spots are sold on a first come, first serve basis. Please plan on arriving 15 minutes early to register in person.
Not at this time.
Artwork is generally available for pickup 1-2 weeks after class is completed unless otherwise noted, students/artists are required to fill out a firing form for firing bisque or glaze items. Artists will be notified via text when items are ready for pickup. All items can be picked up or dropped off during scheduled Open Studio times. Please check the calendar page for these dates and times.
Firing
There is a lot of student/artist work to look through, and more often than not your piece is either still in the kiln or behind other pots. We put the AOC firing form under all finished pieces on the racks in the kiln room when they are complete. Artists must pay all clay and firing fees when picking up work.
Work over 3 months old is discarded or added to our donated items. If you cannot find your piece you should notify your teacher first, and then they will notify a staff member if it still cannot be found. We recommend that you take pictures of all the pieces that you make, or use a pottery app (like “Pottery Notes”) to help you keep track of your work, in addition, make use of the firing form to sketch the work quickly before firing starts. Pots transform so much in a glaze firing that it may sometimes be hard to recognize as yours.
If a clay piece breaks due to unforeseen causes (kiln malfunction, mishandling, etc.) AOC will document the piece and hold it for inspection after the firing. AOC does not reimburse students for work that did not come out as expected, due to glazing or other issues. If a student wants to refire a piece, they must pay for another glaze firing.
We generally like to bisque work as soon as we have a kiln load of work to fire however, sometimes, there will be fluctuations. We will load student work into bisque and glaze kilns on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, as long as there is enough work to fill the kiln.