Registration Information
Please refer to class listings for tuition and fees. Unless otherwise noted, fees for adult classes include instruction, open studio time, 25 lbs. of clay, basic glaze materials, and a firing allowance. Tuition may not be pro-rated. Some students may incur additional expenses if they choose unusual glaze materials or if their work occupies a large volume of kiln space. Tool kits and additional clay may be purchased at NCC.
General Policies
Register with cash or any major credit card. NCC accepts registration online at http://www.northernclaycenter.org, in the gallery, or by telephone at 612.339.8007. Member discounts are available online.
Due to the high demand for classes, we require full payment with your registration to reserve your spot in class.
NCC will send confirmation of registration. If there is insufficient enrollment, we will cancel class, notify registered students, and refund all payments without penalty. Decisions are made approximately one week before classes begin. Please register early or you might find that your favorite class is full, or canceled because of low enrollment.
Weather
As a general rule, NCC will remain open during inclement weather. We take our cues from local colleges and universities for canceling or rescheduling classes during particularly hazardous conditions. When in doubt, feel free to call us at 612.339.8007, and please be safe!
Special Needs
Signed interpretation is available for any camp. Please call the Center to request an interpreter at least three weeks in advance. NCC’s building is wheelchair accessible and is equipped with a wheelchair accessible potter’s wheel. The information in this brochure is available in large-print format upon request. To contact us via the Minnesota Relay Service, please call 1.800.627.3529.
Adult Education Information
Education Access Scholarships
To address and help bridge financial barriers to ceramic education, NCC is implementing new scholarship options for our education programming. This will open access to the ceramic arts and welcome all who wish to learn, grow as an artist, and participate in the ceramic arts community.
We offer two scholarship options:
- a half-tuition scholarship open to artists and learners with financial need
- a full-tuition scholarship open to artists and learners who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color
Scholarships are limited and will be available on a first come, first serve basis to adult students only. Students are eligible to receive only one scholarship per session. We will do our best to offer students one of their top three choices of class or workshop. Once enrolled, all scholarships are non-refundable and non-transferable. Scholarship students are committed to their selected class, and the scholarship cannot be applied to a different class or term. Should a selected class cancel due to low enrollment, students will have the option to transfer classes. Previous recipients can apply multiple times per year, though priority will be given to new applicants.
Within a week of your application, you will be notified of the status of your application and will be aided in registration from there should you receive the scholarship. A full set of second-hand tools will be provided for all scholarship recipients.
For any questions regarding NCC’s scholarship program, please contact education@northernclaycenter.org
Policies
Tools
Standard tool kits for introductory classes are available in NCC’s Sales Gallery and during class check-ins. Other specialty tools are available as well.
Open Studio
The tuition for regular adult classes includes access to open studio time. On average, adult students enrolled in a qualifying class will have access to our studios between 9 am and 9 pm Wednesday through Sunday, 4:30 to 9 pm on Mondays, and 9 am to midnight on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (subject to other NCC events and programming). Browse our open studio schedule online to check the most up-to-date listing of available studios. NCC reserves the right to close studios for special classes or workshops.
Minimum Age Restrictions
Only students ages 18 and up are eligible to register for NCC’s adult classes and workshops.
Continuing Education Credits
If you are a teacher in need of CEUs, contact the Education department to learn how NCC’s classes and workshops can be taken for continuing education credit.
Tuition, Fees, & Refunds
Please refer to class listings for tuition and fees. Unless otherwise noted, fees for adult classes include instruction, open studio time, 25 pounds of clay (up to $25), basic glaze materials, and a firing allowance. Tuition may not be prorated. Some students may incur additional expenses if they choose unusual glaze materials or if their work occupies a large volume of kiln space.
Shop Pay Installments
Any purchases made through NCC (including classes, workshops, camps, gallery items, and more) using Shop Pay Installments are non-refundable. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Classes
100% of tuition (less a $25 processing fee) will be refunded if a student elects to drop or transfer a class no later than two weeks (14 days) before the day of the first class meeting.
50% of tuition will be refunded if a student drops or transfers a class between 1 and 2 weeks (7 and 14 days) prior to the first class meeting.
Within 1 week (7 days) of the first class meeting (and after the class has begun), if a student elects to drop a class, tuition and fees will NOT be refunded for any reason except documented medical emergencies.
There are no other exceptions to this policy.
Workshops
100% of tuition (less a $25 processing fee) will be refunded if a student elects to drop or transfer a workshop for any reason at least one week (7 days) prior to the workshop. Students can also transfer their registration to another similar offered workshop within the same term, or to another individual, for no fee.
No refunds will be given with less than one week’s notice, except in the case of documented medical emergencies. There are no exceptions to this policy.
If you find you need to cancel your enrollment, email education@northernclaycenter.org.
Kids Camp & Class Information
Age and Ability Restrictions
We work closely with instructors to develop optimal age ranges and ability levels for each class. At the time their camp begins, children must have reached the minimum age and ability level indicated. In order to ensure the success of our classes, we ask that you observe these restrictions when registering your children for camps. Northern Clay Center makes NO exceptions to the ages or ability levels indicated in the descriptions.
If you register your child for an age group they have not met, the registration will be canceled, and we will contact you via email or phone to find an appropriate option. If you have questions regarding the age ranges for a camp, please call NCC at 612.339.8007.
Logistical Information
Drop-off / Pick-up
Check-in will take place in the Teaching Studios on the first day of camp. Please enter through the Teaching Studios door located on the west side of the building. Drop-offs and pick-ups will also take place through this entrance each day. Please be punctual with all drop-offs and pick-ups; do not drop off campers more than 5 minutes before the start of their camp. NCC does not provide daycare or supervision before or after camps. There is free parking on the west side of our building. A parent, guardian, or pre-approved adult must be present to pick up a camper at the end of each day. At no time will any camper be permitted to leave NCC without supervision.
Lunch
Caregivers must provide supervision from noon to 1 pm for children registered in separate morning and afternoon camps or pay a $25.00 fee for NCC to provide supervision during the lunch hour. This option is available only to children registered for both morning and afternoon camps during the same week. Caregivers must provide campers with their lunch. NCC will provide supervision during lunch for full-day classes at no additional cost.
Snack Break
Campers take a short break every day, so please pack a snack for your child and label the bag with their name. Caregivers need to supply lunches and snacks for children in full-day classes. Please note: NCC’s facility is NOT peanut-free. Please notify us three weeks in advance if your child has special dietary issues that would affect the other campers, and we will do our best to notify other parents of the issue. Campers may visit Merwyn Triangle Park on their snack breaks as a class with adult supervision.
What to Wear and Bring
Kids may get messy, so make sure your child wears appropriate clothing and footwear (sneakers are best; no open-toed shoes.) For all camps, kids must bring a reusable bag to hold finished projects.
We recommend canvas or nylon, roughly the size of a grocery bag. For wheel classes, we suggest (but do not require) a one-quart bucket and an old towel.
Camper Projects
Students can expect to make new work Monday through Thursday, and spend Friday glazing. By the very nature of the material, and the short duration of these camps, some projects will not be glaze-fired but “once-fired” instead, rendering them decorative in nature and not for use to consume food or beverages. Class periods will include time for cleanup, an integral part of the process. Class descriptions are subject to change depending on the ability levels of participating students.
Please note: due to the nature of clay and the firing process, NCC cannot be responsible for any damage to work caused by construction technique or the firing or glazing processes.
Product Output Expectations
Your children will be encouraged to create several pieces of clay art during class. You can anticipate your child having at least four completed works. Please make note: not all camps result in the same number of objects for campers to take home. Several camps are focused on ideas of production, while others are more experiential in nature, or require a longer investment of time and energy into more complicated wares and objects. Regardless of output, ALL of our camps aim to create a positive and memorable experience for your camper.
Completed Projects
Completed projects may be picked up one week after your camp ends; we will NOT call you when they are ready. We strongly recommend that you bring your child with you to help identify what they made. Projects left more than four weeks after the camp ends will be discarded. If you cannot pick up your child’s projects by this date, please make arrangements for someone else to pick them up.
Registration Information
Tuition must be paid in full to hold your reservation. NCC will make absolutely no exceptions to age ranges indicated in camp descriptions.
To Register
Register for your child’s class online; or call or visit NCC during business hours, Monday through Friday, 10 am – 5 pm, at 612.339.8007. Payment may be made by cash, check, or any major credit card.
NCC will send confirmation of registration two weeks prior to the start of camp. If there is insufficient enrollment, we will cancel the camp, notify registered students, and refund all payments. This cancellation may occur at the last minute.
Refunds
100% of tuition (less a $25 processing fee) will be refunded if a parent/guardian elects to drop or transfer a camp for any reason no later than two weeks (14 days) prior to the first camp meeting. A $25 processing fee will be charged if a student transfers from one camp to another. No refunds or transfers will be given with less than two week’s (14 days) notice. Tuition is not prorated. There are no make-up sessions.
Shop Pay Installments
Any purchases made through NCC (including classes, workshops, camps, gallery items, and more) using Shop Pay Installments are non-refundable. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Other Information
Scholarships
NCC has a small number of partial scholarships for children, awarded on a need basis.
Special Needs
Signed interpretation is available for any camp. Please call NCC to request an interpreter at least three weeks in advance. Our building is wheelchair accessible and is equipped with a wheelchair accessible potter’s wheel. The information in this brochure is available in large-print format upon request. To contact us via the Minnesota Relay Service, please call 1.800.627.3529.