Glaze-your-own Raku Pumpkin Firing Event 
2021 Fall Dates - TBD 

Come join us for a live raku firing!! It's a great learning experience for the whole family, no experience is necessary and all ages are welcome. If you can brush glaze on a pumpkin, then you'll do great! This event was very popular last year and had everyone amazed at how thier pumpkin turned out. Here's how it works: You pre-order any size pumpkin(s) that you'd like to glaze. Once you arrive you pick your pumpkin out of my handmade ceramic pumpkin patch and glaze away. I will then put your pumpkin(s) into the kiln and fire it for about 45 minutes. During this time you are free to browse the studio gallery or just enjoy watching the firing process. I will then put your pumpkin into the reduction chamber where it does its thing with the fire and in a few minutes it will come out ready to be squelched in cold water, dried and sealed. Best part is that you then take it with you! I strongly encourage you to have fun and to experiment with the glazes. Who knows, pehaps you'll come up with the winning glaze combo of the day! The entire event is outdoors under tents. Please plan to wear a mask when in buildings or near other customers. 

Raku: a process in which work is removed from the kiln at bright red heat and subjected to post-firing reduction (or smoking) by being placed in containers of combustible materials, which blackens raw clay and causes crazing in the glazing process.


Women's Fall Bead Making   

Dates for 2021 - TBD  

YES it's back  ......and this year we're taking it to the beautiful OUTDOORS!  This year due to Covid 19 we will be offering the ever popular beading event outside under tents complete with a cozy fire pit in various sessions to cut down on the amount of customers on the property.  Invite a friend or family member and come relax and enjoy being creative while you work towards making a clay beaded bracelet.  NEW this year, we are offering 2 different options:


1. Roll your own beading event - $20 Customers who would like a more hands on creative experience will come learn from potter Carrie Althouse how to make 1 clay beaded bracelet.  You will choose from many different glaze colors to customize and paint (glaze) your beads then leave it to Carrie to fire in her kiln.  Then return to Althouse Pottery on one of the dates listed below to come string your fired beads with findings and elastic cording

2. Glaze your own handmade premade beads- $30 This option is for the customer who wants a more laid back, relaxing, stress free experience.  We will fit you with the correct amount of handmade premade beads to fit your wrist then you choose from a variety of glaze colors to glaze your beads.  Carrie will fire them and you then return to Althouse Pottery on one of the dates listed below to come string it with findings and elastic cording. 
During each event, Althouse Pottery Gallery will be open for sales!!  Supporting local businesses has never been more critical than this year, so give the gift of one of a kind unique art that can potentially last thousands of years.  
Please plan to wear a mask inside the gallery and outdoors when in close proximity to others not in your party. 
   
STRINGING DATES
Please stop by Althouse Pottery during one of the following open gallery times to string and take home your finished beaded bracelet.  No registration required for this step.  Just pick a day that I'm open and come in to string them.

Open gallery days and times
TBD

Glaze-your-own Raku Pumpkin Firing Event for KIDS (ages 9 - 18)

Dates for 2021 - TBD
Cost - $30 per student
Event includes a small (3.5") handmade pumpkin by Carrie Althouse, a small studio tour of her working pottery studio, explanation of what a raku firing is, instructions on how to glaze your small pumpkin and the outdoor firing of your pumpkin. 

There will be 2 sessions a day with a max of 8 students per session.  4 students will glaze while the other 4 take a studio tour and then will flip.  This will help cut down on the number of people together in the gallery and glazing area due to covid 19.  Once all pumpkins are glazed, they will be put in the outside raku kiln to fire for up to 45 minutes.  During this time Students will learn about the process and can ask questions.  After the pumpkins are fired they will be washed by the students and taken home.  Althouse Pottery gallery will be open for any sales at the end of the firing.  A more detailed email will be sent out before the firing.  Please look for that and read it before you arrive.  This is NOT a drop your child off event!  Unless your child drove themselves here, please plan to stay with your child(ren) for safety reasons ...as exemplified in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory  :) haha!  There's just too many things that can break or burn.  Younger siblings are advised to stay at home if possible.  Please plan to wear a mask when inside buildings or around others not in your party.

CLICK HERE to register your child / children for the event.

Glaze-Your-Own Raku Bowl
Spring Date - TBD
Come out and be a part of a live raku firing by glazing your own raku bowl and watch it get fired! This event is open to the public of ALL AGES for participation or just to observe. Family friendly however small children must be closely supervised around the kiln viewing area! No experience necessary. Preregister below then come to Althouse Pottery on your scheduled date and time to glaze your handmade bowl made by Carrie with a variety of glaze colors. When you're done sit back and watch the firing process (about 45 minutes long) from loading into the kiln, firing to temperature, and reducing into flames in a metal trashcan of sawdust and paper. You will get a chance to scrub any black soot off, dry it and seal it and then take it home. Please allow approx. 2 hours for the total process.

Raku: a process in which work is removed from the kiln at bright red heat and subjected to post-firing reduction (or smoking) by being placed in containers of combustible materials, which blackens raw clay and causes crazing in the glazing process

Raku pottery is NOT FOOD SAFE and is NOT WATERTIGHT. Consider it like terra cotta. They are great for planting plants that take little water such as succulents, or for holding things such as desk supplies, candles, wrapped candies, etc. or simply just for decoration.

Glaze-Your-Own Raku Bowl ​KIDS ONLY
​
Spring date - TBD
Hey kids!!! Come out and be a part of a live raku firing by glazing your own raku bowl and watching it get fired in the kiln! This event includes a raku bowl and a mini raku lesson and is geared towards kids 5 - 16 years of age (no experience necessary). Since there are limited spots in the kiln, we ask that parents only purchase bowls for KIDS, not for themselves. Due to the dangers of the kiln viewing area there MUST be a parent or guardian present. If you'd like to bring a group of older kids (9-16 yrs old), please provide 1 parent or guardian for every 4 children. Young kids (5-8 yrs old) will most likely need parent supervision so parents please plan to stay with your child. Preregister below then come to Althouse Pottery on your scheduled date and time to glaze a handmade bowl made by Carrie with a variety of glaze colors. When finished, students will watch the firing process (about 45 minutes long) from loading into the kiln, firing to temperature, and reducing into flames in a metal trashcan of sawdust and paper. Students will then get a chance to scrub any black soot off, dry and seal it and then take it home. Please allow approx. 2 hours for the total process.
**Raku pottery is NOT FOOD SAFE and is NOT WATERTIGHT. Consider it like terra cotta. They are great for planting plants that take little water such as succulents, or for holding things such as desk supplies, candles, wrapped candies, etc. or simply just use for decoration.