Who is The Clay Teacher?

Be assured, we are a locally owned Edmonton family business, we are not a franchise. Our knowledge of clay comes from over 50 combined years of hands on experience. It seems to us that if you want to hire a clay teacher, experience with clay should be of the utmost importance. That's why it is important to look closely at a person's qualifications. Here is a bit of history.

Cindy Clarke, The Clay Teacher, has potted all her life, first as a child with clay from her mother's garden in Dawson Creek British Columbia, then in elementary and high schools and finally as a profession. Cindy and her husband Jim Willett own and operate Out of the Fire Studio. Out of the Fire Studio is licensed as a major home based business by the City of Edmonton and is listed as a vendor by The Edmonton Public School Board. Insurance coverage and police checks are current and as required by the School Board.	Cindy Clarke and Jim Willett, "Mrs. and Mr. Clay"	Cindy has taught pottery making to students at all age and proficiency levels and has a special bond with school age children. As The Clay Teacher she teaches to elementary class rooms in the school system with demonstrations of wheel throwing on a real potter's wheel and then supplies direction in hand building curriculum based projects. She also is available for workshops to demonstrate wheel throwing and hand building for personal development days and in secondary classroom situations.
Jim Willett accompanies Cindy and as a team the couple present an energetic, fun filled, informative workshop enjoyed by all ages! As well as over 15 years of clay experience, Jim has over thirty years of instrumentation and electrical experience in industry and is available for electric kiln evaluation and repair.(Jim also has four grandchildren who now range from eleven to nineteen, so he has a few years of experience with children!) Cindy and Jim can assist you in getting your old kiln running and teach you how to fire it.

Re-located in August of 2001 from Edson to Edmonton,Alberta, Canada, the studio is the home of  all types of wheel thrown and hand built pottery items. Cindy is featured in a video for beginning potters called "A Down to Earth Look at How We Make Pottery"   and it is available for sale here.

In June of 2011 The Clay Teacher released a six DVD set of project building lessons in workshop form. Over 25 of our most requested workshops are presented in easy step by step format. More information is available on our Clay for Schools website.

The Clay Teacher -

• Brings the clay workshop to your classroom!
• Is knowledgeable in clay with over 50 combined years of experience.
• Is an Edmonton based, family run, home business. We are NOT a franchise and we do not use any one else's proprietary materials. Cindy has never taught pottery instruction in Edmonton for anyone other than The City of Edmonton or her own Out of the Fire Studio.
• Is fully licensed, insured, and a registered vendor with the Edmonton School Board and recognized as a vendor by the Catholic School Board.
• Can provide both hand building sculpture workshop projects for elementary programs as well as pottery wheel throwing workshops for older students and groups.
• Offers a comprehensive list of projects of our own design to choose from, using the methods of construction specified in the Alberta Education elementary school curriculum. Currently we offer over 100 projects with more being added all the time, and will always create a new project upon request within a few hours.
• Will provide students with background for curriculum projects.
• Gives you no field trip transportation or insurance concerns.
• Offers convenient booking online, by fax, email or phone
• Assures all projects are hand-built by the students.
• Each workshop is 90 minutes in duration and begins with a real pottery wheel demonstration if desired. Cindy and Jim guide and support the class in making their own hand-built piece while encouraging individual creativity.
• Pricing for projects is as follows:$7.50 air dry or $9.00 kiln fired per student with a minimum charge of $130 or $160 per session.(Plus GST), based on the finishing method used. If you have fewer than 18 students, you may combine with another class or grade level to reduce the costs. Outside a 35 kilometer radius of Edmonton we will bill round trip travel at 25 cents per km of travel. Other companies charge fifty five cents per km! and then because they insist on firing your projects needlessly, they will bill you the same again to deliver your projects! If overnight lodging is required that will be factored in, just to cover our expenses.
• Delivers all kiln fired projects at no extra cost within 35 km of Edmonton.
• Fun with clay for kids of all ages!

See Cindy throwing on the wheel on YouTube!

and visit HowToMakePottery.com for more pottery making information and videos!

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Email Out of the Fire Studio

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