The Studio
The Carwile-Dodson Studio for Pottery Instruction, LLC, opened in April 2004, is located in a renovated mill building next door to Mud Dabbers Pottery & Crafts. Both buildings were built in 1922. The studio is equipped with nine electric wheels, one being a handicap-accessible wheel. Hand-building equipment includes a slab roller and two extruders. Stoneware clay will be used in the classes; it will be fired in an electric oxidation kiln to cone 6.
3621 Greenville Hwy
(Next to Mud Dabbers Pottery)
PO Box 1162
Brevard, NC 28712
(828) 884-5771 or
(828) 884-5131
Summer Classes
Please register by noon, the Friday before the class is offered.
Family Clay Day
Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Learn the basics and have some fun! All ages and experience levels welcome. Cost: $40 per person. ALL CHILDREN MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT.
June 2 – Egyptian Wonder – make hieroglyphs, sphinx, mummies and pyramids
June 9 – Fairy Houses
June 16 – Whistles & Rattles
June 23 – Ahoy Matey – make pirates, pirate ships, buried treasure and treasure maps
June 30 – Pinch Pot Possibilities
July 7 – Ants in your Pants – create crazy insects
July 14 – Personalized Mugs & Bowls
July 21 – Garden Art
July 28 – Harry Potter Magic – make wands, owls and magical creatures
August 4 – Sea Life – make magical merpeople and sealife
August 11 – Animal Sculptures
August 18 – Totally Awesome Totem Poles – make Native American-inspired totem poles
Try Pottery for a Night
Saturdays, 6-8 pm. Adults only. $40/person. Learn the basics and have some fun playing in the mud!
June 2 – Wheel Throwing
June 9 – Hand Building
June 16 – Wheel Throwing
June 23 – Hand Building
June 30 – Wheel Throwing
July 7 – Hand Building
July 14 – Wheel Throwing
July 21 – Hand Building
July 28 – Wheel Throwing
August 4 – Hand Building
August 11 – Wheel Throwing
August 18 – Hand Building
Pottery created during the One-Time Classes will be available for pick up in three weeks. The cost of these classes includes clay, glazing, firing, and processing. We do our best to take care of pottery as it goes through its journey. However, even experienced potters lose pieces in the process.
Shipping is available for one-time classes for an additional cost. There is a $5 handling fee (per participant) plus the cost of shipping.
Private and Group Instruction
Hold a pottery party, organize a fun family outing or gather a group of friends at our studio. We will provide an instructor and all the materials. You provide the theme, celebration and the participants. We can customize classes to meet your specific needs and interests. Time, date and cost (depending on number of participants, type of project(s), and length of time) to be arranged. Fun for children and adults alike! Call for details.
Please notify the studio at least a week in advance so arrangements can be made;
There is a two-hour minimum per session or party.
Private Instruction Rates:
1 to 2 people- $35 per hour (each).
3 to 4 people- $30 per hour (each).
5 or more- $25 per hour (each).
A 50% registration fee is required to reserve a space in all extended classes and workshops.
Cancellation Policies
50% deposit will be forfeited with less than one week’s notice by participant.
Please make all checks payable to Carwile-Dodson Studio.
Children’s Pottery Camps, sponsored by Mountain Roots, will be held at the Transylvania Community Art Council July 9-13 and July 16-20. For more information call TCarts at (828) 884-2787 or Ali at (828) 884-5494.
Instructors
Denise Byrd is a potter/artist and studio apprentice. She majored in art and lives life creatively.
John E. Dodson is a second generation potter whose work ethic and style have been influenced by his father, John O. Dodson and Georgia traditional potter, D.X. Gordy. He has taken classes at Arrowmont School of Crafts, Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts and John C. Campbell Folk School, where he teaches regularly.
Wendy Elwell has bachelor degrees in sculpture and ceramics, with minors in drawing and design from Western Michigan University, and a master in education with an emphasis in ceramics and art history from Illinois State University and WMU. She has taught high school arts and crafts and has operated BernWell Pottery with husband, Dennis Bern, in Etowah. Wendy, now retired, enjoys teaching workshops and classes.
Ali Holroyd Lien is a studio apprentice and has been playing in the clay for over four years. She has a Masters Degree in Education from Prescott University and teaches Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education at Brevard College.
Mary W. Murray has been a production potter in Transylvania County since 1978. She studied art at Brevard College, attended the Atlanta School of Art, and has taken classes at Arrowmont School of Crafts. Mary also has taught pottery at Brevard College.
Kim Skeen has a BS from Appalachian State in Experiential Education and has been working with children for over a decade.