School and Youth Group Field Trips
Bring your class to the Clay Studio of Missoula
to see the unique workings of our nonprofit studio and gallery!
An Educational Ceramics Art Experience!
This special option for classes and youth groups includes an educational tour of the studio and gallery, and concludes with a small handbuilt clay project! The two activities combined take between 90 minutes and 2 hours.
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Options available for curated field trip projects available are on the menu below. There is some flexibility for students with special needs, which can be discussed with Education Coordinator Kelly Seitz. An up-charge for additional preparation may be necessary in some cases.
Please note, projects created must be fired and thus cannot be taken home the same day. Works will be processed in about one month. The classroom teacher or group lead will be notified by email when firing is complete, and they or another member of institution staff must pick up the projects to distribute to the class.
Pricing and Details
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Field Trip Base Fee: $50, to be paid as a deposit at the time of official booking. This option is unique in that the overall fee depends on group size. A fee of $10 for each project participant is due the day of the trip, which can be paid by the host organization, by each participant, or a combination. Chaperones are welcome to participate, but must also pay the project fee to join. Group minimum of 5, maximum 20 per group.
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Example: Field trip for a 5 student group, $50 + 5($10) = $100 total.
These fees cover materials, and firing of works made during the project phase. Instruction is provided by our Education Coordinator to accommodate the special reduced rate.
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Please see our refund policy here. Additionally, you can opt to reschedule up to 3 days prior to the experience for no charge.
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These trips are ideal for groups that would benefit from the educational portion of the tour, or small groups for which private bookings may be out of financial accessibility. The additional project fee can be paid by the hosting school or organization, or by students individually.
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These sessions are specially hosted by the Education Coordinator, and are only available on weekdays when the studio is open and core staff are available.
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Because these sessions are taught by a crucial member of core staff, only one group session may be booked in a day.
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Teachers/Group Leaders must provide the name and phone number of the institution they work for to qualify for this special option.
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At least one responsible adult chaperone is expected to accompany each visiting group to help manage students.
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Field trips must be scheduled one month in advance. We cannot guarantee availability, months will vary based on classes and events. Occasionally we can fit in a closer booking: not guaranteed.
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Field trip group leaders must choose from one of the field trip accessible projects at the bottom of the page. These lessons are specially tailored to suit the shorter time available and keep field trips at an accessible cost.
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Eligible Groups: public schools, school-based clubs, private schools, homeschool groups, youth serving organizations.
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Please familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct, and prepare your students to follow the studio rules HERE.
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Groups can call to book a standalone tour only for free. Tours must be within public open hours when studio staff are on hand, and take roughly 30-45 minutes. Standalone tours must be booked at least two weeks in advance.
Project Menu
Field trip projects utilize limited scope and materials to keep these sessions at an accessible price point. Each group will be taught the adult group leader's choice of one of the three fun, customizable projects below.
If time is available, we will add some color to the sculptures using colored slip. Projects will be dipped in clear glaze after their first firing by the Education Coordinator so they will be sealed and shiny.
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Slab Cups
Small cups made with stamped slabs and decorated with colored slip! These cups may not be water-tight depending on student building ability, but they make great vessels for pencils or even snacks!
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Snack Bowls
Learn about the different parts of pottery, and make a pinch-based snack bowl that will be decorated with colored slip. (High School groups can choose to do more challenging origami slab snack bowls - ask with a follow-up email - but this method is too challenging for younger students to build with available time)
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Pinchpot Monsters or Creatures (2nd Grade Minimum)
Create a pinch-pot body and learn the vital importance of "scratch and attach" when building in clay to add sculpted details. Older kids will make more advanced forms. This project takes longer to sculpt, and will be glazed with clear, colored slip if enough time is available.
For monsters students will make features like eyes, teeth, tongues, tentacles, etc. with the pinchpot as the "mouth" of the monster. For creatures/animals, the pinchpot forms a stylized body to which we will add a head, legs, and decorations; can be a vessel or a sculpture depending on student choice.