2k 
The Art Department
location_on Newcastle
local_activity classes: Clay Sculpture and Hand Building • Wheel Throwing • Pottery
4.8 (205)Led by professional pottery teachers, relax, get messy, and connect with others while learning fun techniques. All you need is your imagination and creative spirit, whether you're a beginner or a pro.
Classes
6 to 12 years
Reviews
(205)
Kirra Pryor • Apr 2024
We had the best time for my birthday! Highly recommend, friendly staff, cannot wait to pick up our pieces
Reace Milgate • Apr 2024
We went to the Art Department for my MILs birthday. Our teacher was so knowledgeable and kind. She made sure we were able to create exactly what we wanted and looked after anything we needed. The materials we used were super easy to work with and we all learnt something about what we were creating. I would definitely recommend The Art Department to friends.
Rhee Ross • Apr 2024
The staff were fantastic. Lovely, accommodating and helpful. We had a great time!
Thank you so much!
Jennifer Armstrong • Apr 2024
Lyn our teacher was lovely and was more than happy to answer our many questions on what to do next as we had never done a pottery class before.
Michelle Eckersley • Apr 2024
This class was so much fun Great class to learn your foundational skills for wheel throwing. Would definitely to this again and bring along some friends :)
Tania Carson • Apr 2024
Fantastic way to spend a morning with my best friend.
Always wanted to try Wheel pottery, the instructors were great and so talented, made it look easy. Thanks for all the tips!
Claire Harvey • Mar 2024
Partner and I went for our anniversary. It was a lovely, relaxing afternoon. The teacher was very helpful and patient, and the venue was set up very nicely.
It was super fun to make your own pieces and learn about the different techniques. We hope to go again and do the wheel spinning class!
Kaitlyn Hambilton • Mar 2024
Such a fun supportive and cool class, lots of different tools, the teacher was really sweet and cool, i learned lots of things and got to make some cool items, i liked the clay the most
Cheryl Ambrose • Feb 2024
Experience Christmas gift for my daughter and grandchildren. Saffron was awesome - demonstrated techniques and then provided great guidance along the way as our creations emerged. Venue was great - easy to find, parking nearby and plenty of space to create. Loved the clay product - so easy to work with and clean up was a breeze but definitely wear old clothes/shoes. Good value for money but don’t forget to include the cost of glazing in your booking. Loved spending time with my family letting our creativity flow together XX
Emma Murrell • Feb 2024
Great wheel throwing class!
We had so much fun in this class! With the opportunity to make multiple pieces and each one turned out unique and amazing. Would highly recommend for something new and different.
Samantha Scollard • Feb 2024
What a fabulous night - together with a few friends, enjoying a wine or two, grazing platter and getting creative.
The class was spot on - the teacher taught us techniques and was there to offer support and guidance where required, but also encouraged us to get creative and experiment.
Would highly recommend
Ashley Crossan • Jan 2024
It was an amazing class. We had Cameron, very good teach and very helpful. lots of fun. :)
Sharon Maree Genge • Jan 2024
The teachers were both so passionate about what they were teaching which made the experience more enjoyable.
Katrina Mentis • Jan 2024
Great class! We had fun creating our pieces with help and guidance and a great range of tools. Can't wait to see the final products once they are fired/glazed.
Would do again:)
Cody Fenton • Jan 2024
Great for beginners like my self! Excellent helpers and good fun to be around. Highly recommend we will be back!
Kylie Webb • Jan 2024
Really enjoyed the class. The teacher was lovely, informative and the atmosphere was casual and relaxing.
Susan Farrell • Dec 2023
Teacher v helpful
As a beginner it was a little hard but we all created pieces that looked good
Stephanie Parkinson • Dec 2023
Class was great! Teacher was super helpful and it was a great experience to have with my closest friends
Ashlee Peet • Dec 2023
I loved the class! I had such a fun time and enjoyed that we were taught multiple techniques for sculpting with clay, it’s a medium I’ve always had trouble using. I love my piece and I’ll recommend this class to everyone, it was a great experience.
Jackie Spiteri • Dec 2023
Great class and a fantastic studio! We will definitely be back again in the future
Leanne Ingram • Dec 2023
We had a fabulous time for our Christmas party at the clay and sip class. 2 of us had never worked with clay before, but the teachers and facilities had us confidently experimenting with our own creations.
We would absolutely do this again!
Karen Culbert • Dec 2023
Holly was our teacher and she was great. Explained the differnt techniques to use for our Team Day of 11 people. Everything we needed was provided. Any assistance we needed to create our "Master" pieces was available.
Fiona Kershaw • Nov 2023
I had a wonderful time tonight in my throwing class, my teacher was amazing and very patient with me. I found the class relaxing and surprisingly I wasn't horrible at it thanks to the support I received throughout the class. I can't wait to cime back and collect my finished pieces.
Sandra Hedin • Nov 2023
The class was really good, we did it as a Hens Party activity. The teacher was very kind and patient with us.
The material was great, we got enough clay to create 3 smaller pieces, or 1-2 larger ones.
I just wish the class was 30min longer, as I didn't have time to finish my 2 pieces.
Megan Thomas • Nov 2023
Loved this taster of wheel throwing and our gentle and encouraging teacher Mahalia. Perfect to have a few hours of creativity.
Gabrielle Horn • Oct 2023
Mahalia was a great instructor, lots of laughs and encouragement for my first time wheel throwing! So much fun, will definitely be back again.
Ashleigh Wode • Oct 2023
Experience was wonderful, beautiful staff. Great communication, and an amazing platter Will be coming back
Lisa Hellyer • Oct 2023
I enjoyed the class and would definitely come back again. The teacher was great, the materials was provided. Quite proud of what I made after a few goes. I really enjoyed the experience and look forward to coming back again. Well worth the money.
Lisa Hellyer • Oct 2023
I really enjoyed the whole experience. They provided all the materials. The teacher was great, and I think I did well after a few goes. Would love to come back and try and improve with what I made. Overall a good experience.
James Wrightson • Oct 2023
We did the sip and clay. The teacher was great, very helpful and informative. Me and my wife will definitely be back to try our hands at the spinning wheel class. I honestly can fault last night's experience.
Chloe Simpkin • Oct 2023
This was so fun! The instructor was awesome and helped us along the way. We could make whatever we liked and it was a great atmosphere. Would absolutely recommend to anyone who wants to try something new and creative.
Leo and Tatty • Oct 2023
I really enjoyed my workshop at The Art Department. I loved the way the clay felt in my hands - it was all squishy and very relaxing. The teachers were really friendly and helped me out whenever I needed it. I can’t wait to do another class when I visit Newcastle. - Leo (10 yrs old)
Aleisha Larsen • Sep 2023
Such a wonderful experience. The teacher was so beautiful and helpful. Would definitely recommend to anyone of any age.
Bonnie Young • Sep 2023
Loved our session at the art department. Great environment and teacher very patient! Would come back with more friends.
Archana Gayen • Sep 2023
Loved the class! Wish we had known about them sooner. We will be back for sure!
Kylie Marshall • Sep 2023
Do not order the mezze board for 10 it was a rip off $150 and worth about $50
Teacher's response
Hello Kylie,
The grazing boxes are ordered and delivered to our studio by another company. I have however, made contact with the catering company, the medium sized grazing box caterers for up to 10 people, and all of the produce is of the highest quality within the Newcatle & Hunter region and everything in the grazing box adds up for $150.
The boxes are meant to be for grazing not meal replacements.
Thank you for your review.
Felicia Bridge • Sep 2023
Great vibe! Awesome support from the teachers to learn and sculpt clay. Delicious charcuterie and wine. We loved it fro start to finish. We highly recommend this to everyone.
Jackie Sterling • Sep 2023
Mara, our teacher was lovely and she explained the techniques very well and was supportive of efforts throughout the evening. All the materials were provided.
It waa great fun and there was adequate time to improve from my first effort on the wheel to my last!
Genevieve Tempest • Sep 2023
Our teacher was friendly and approachable, gave wonderful guidance and was supportive in our own individual artistic expression. Highly recommend!
Carly Bush • Sep 2023
We had a hilarious and fun afternoon with the soo and clay, we can’t wait to display or work in the home.
Rebecca Buzzell • Aug 2023
Fantastic We booked at The Art Department to start Hen's Party celebrations for my sister. The location is spot on, the two ladies that hosted us were very lovely and the venue is perfect to have drinks and nibbles while you participate in the activity. I would definitely book again, whether it was for a group event or a date night with my husband. Brilliant!
Kim Thompson • Aug 2023
The staff were lovely, very helpful and provided lots of tips
The studio was great and they were very organised. Class was great size allowing everyone to good adequate attention
Christine Churchward • Jul 2023
My children enjoyed this holiday experience. It encouraged creativity and they had something they made to bring him at the end of the session. Teachers were lovely and welcoming. I loved that the kids did a hands on craft activity with no mess for me to clean up !
Camille Pulanco • Jul 2023
A wonderful and creative new studio in town! I did the 5 week course and absolutely loved every minute!
Mahalia was a lovely and supportive teacher, and the students got to be creative and lean new skills on the wheel. She was happy to improve technique and suggest new ideas to help us over the weeks!
Love the Art Department and the space that has been so lovingly created!
Kimberley Harvey • Jul 2023
Teacher was great, had loads of fun, only dropped a star due to the complimentary wine quality…. thank you for a fun afternoon with friends.
Teacher's response
Thank you, Kimberley, for your wonderful review! It's fantastic to hear that you had an amazing time with your friends during the afternoon. Our teacher was excellent, and we're glad you had loads of fun. We apologize for the quality of the complimentary wine and appreciate your valuable feedback. We look forward to welcoming you back soon for another enjoyable experience!
Candice Appleby • Jun 2023
Had a totally fun morning throwing and spinning clay. Very surprised at how darn good I am at it! .
The instructor (Michalia) was very knowledgeable and the small geoup ment we all got plenty of guidance.
Bel Ramos • Jun 2023
I had so much fun in the class! The teacher was great and did a really good job of explaining the basics. I’ll definitely be back!
Dave Williams • Jun 2023
Good value for money and a worthwhile activity. The teacher was helpful and informative. Turning was new to me and I enjoyed it. Try it.
Maddy Ortiger • Jun 2023
Great time, great people, great instructions. Surprised myself by actually making something!
Shout out to Amara!
Karen Groening • May 2023
The teacher was there and very helpful if you needed her.
Loved the venue space all equipment you needed was available
Really enjoyed the whole experience
