Photo courtesy of Artful Giraffe.

This week, treat yourself to a different type of art experience than what you might be used to, a more engaging, immersive one – take a pottery class at The Artful Giraffe. The gallery, gift shop, and studio space features a litany of hands-on art classes for all skill levels, the most enticing of which includes their Pottery On the Wheel class. The class is open to beginners and allows for participants to create up to three pieces of their own before leaving their work to dry in the kiln and return in 2-3 weeks to glaze their pottery free of charge.

“Pottery On the Wheel is definitely our most popular class and a really, really fun one at that. It’s a beginner class, so what happens is you get a demonstration from the instructor and then you make three pieces of your own,” says Gina Fortino from Artful Giraffe. “They learn the basic technique of throwing and can make cups, bowls, plates – anything that can be made on the wheel. Then they return in a couple of weeks to glaze them after they’ve been in the kiln.”

Although throwing clay on the spinning pottery wheel might sound intimidating, it’s actually a lot more approachable than it may seem. “Generally, people do get the hang of it very quickly. We’re making smaller bowls that are a little more beginner friendly,” ensures Fortino. “The class is anywhere from an hour to two hours, so depending on the person and what they’re skill level is – even if they’re new to it – everybody walks away with three pieces.”

At the end of the day, the class offers an opportunity to have a truly rewarding and different art experience. “I think people are really proud of themselves when they leave, because at the beginning it’s going to be difficult but once they figure out that they can do it, they walk away really proud of themselves and happy with what they’ve made,” says Fortino. “That’s always the goal here.”

Pottery On the Wheel Classes: ($95) for 1 Student ($195) for 2 Students. 1861 Fruitville Rd, Sarasota. 941-388-3700. https://artfulgiraffe.com/classes%7Cevents%7Cparties.

Photo courtesy of Artful Giraffe.