Artist-Rae Mahaffey

The Hoffman Clay Studio

We are fortunate to have a clay space packed with gear for creating ceramics works at the Hoffman. Two electric kilns, five wheels, two slab rollers, an extruder, special glazing room, staging shelves, worktables, and plethora of tools. Although it is tiny, at just under 1,000 square feet, it has a lot to offer potters at a reasonable cost.

Unfortunately, the studio’s tiny size and compact layout has made keeping the studio open during Covid times impossible.  In an effort to support potters who are working in clay at home, we began offering kiln firings as a service in August of 2020.  Each Wednesday a volunteer host is at the studio from 10 a.m.-12 noon so that people can drop off their creations to be fired. Kiln masters, who are also volunteers, then fire the works each week.

Many potters are taking advantage of this service. One of the locals is Rae Mahaffey. According to Rae, who is also a visual artist, “…these (Covid) times have fed my compulsion to make these little clay guys I call my mud-babies. I’m building up such a collection of them that I’ve taken to sending them out to good friends. They are meant to act as stand-ins for myself in these times when we aren’t traveling or getting together.”

Click here for facts about the clay program and kiln firing service.