Members Handbook 2026

Our Story

The Clay Hub was founded by Cathi Jeﬀerson, Franziska Ditter and Hilary Huntley based on a desire to develop and bring together a community of potters in the Cowichan Valley.

We have grown considerably since then and now have 120 members and an extensive waitlist to join.

Our Responsibilities to You

We work diligently to maintain your health and safety while in the studio we do this by; Limiting the number of people allowed in the studio at any one time to eight Ensuring shelves are not over ﬁlled with pottery Cleaning on a session by session and monthly basis Ensuring no children under the age of 6 are allowed in the studio and that all children between the ages of 6 and 16 years must be directly supervised by their parent or guardian. Not permitting pets in the studio

Your Responsibilities as a Member

Because the Clay Hub collective is a Non-Proﬁt Society that is 100% operated by volunteers, we rely on our Members and Students to enjoy their time with us while respecting the rules that are required to keep this studio a safe, clean, and functonal space for everyone. We therefore expect every member to volunteer for two (2) hours each year. Safety equipment is not the responsibility of the Clay Hub Collective. If a member requires safety equipment, she/he/they/them, must provide that equipment. You provide your own apron and towel. You are welcome to bring in your own tools and supplies other than clay which must be purchased at the Clay Hub Studio drop-in information: Clay: M340, M370 are the main clays we sell for studio use. There are 8 spots in the studio at a time. You are allowed to sign up for one spot in advance but MUST call the studio if you have to cancel for any reason. You may call the studio 24 hours in advance to sign up for empty spots at open studio. Cell phones: We are a cell phone-free zone. If you need to take a call, please leave the studio, Texting is okay as long as your phone is on mute. Signing In / Out: We require everyone to sign in and out of the studio for insurance and safety reasons, in case of an emergency. Plus, it helps us keep track of how many open studio times are full and if we need to add more. Time Management: The volunteer monitor on duty is there to open the studio and help you purchase clay and other duties. It is up to you to make sure you manage your time so that everyone is out of the studio before closing time. i.e., Start cleaning your space 20 minutes before closing. Help where needed. We are all managing the running of the studio together. Please feel free to make suggestions in the box provided in the studio or by e-mail. They are all then taken to the Board for discussion. Clay tools are available, but please bring your own apron and hand towels for cleaning up. If you can't make your reservation on time, please call the studio indicating you are late or not coming in. If you don't call in or are late more than 20mins.you might forfeit your spot. There is no Clay Hub voicemail. Phone to reserve a spot. If an open studio is full keep trying as cancellations happen regularly. Phone # is 250 597 – 8894

Clean up is everyone's responsibility!

Many hands make light work. It is everyone's duty to clean their work area before leaving the studio. All tools need to be washed and returned to their proper spots in the red totes. The table area needs to be cleaned and ﬂoor needs to be mopped. Recycling or Garbage: We have 2 bins by the sink for recycling and garbage i.e., paper, cardboard, Tim Hortons cups (empty), etc. are recycled. Garbage is for plastic, soiled items, broken pottery, etc. These are for the curb side pickup. Organic waste such as banana peels, apple cores, food, etc. must be taken home Clay recycling: There is a large black garbage can in the studio with a screen on it. This is where you put your slurry from throwing on the wheel. Thin, watery slurry goes in smaller pails located nearby. Trimmings and small bits of clay are to be pressed through the screen on the large grey bucket. If you are unsure ask the Monitor Hard clay: If you have dried clay and don’t want to recycle it for yourself, we have boxes at the back of the studio by the slab roller, under the reclaim rack. This is where to put it for crushing. NO bisque ware is allowed in this area. We use reclaimed clay for our kid's classes and workshops

Membership Provides you with.....

Access to Open Studio sessions which are booked in advance Storage in the amount of one ‘Plainsman’ clay box Use of all studio tools and equipment Drying facilities for greenware Bisque firing of items made in the studio (items made at home are not permitted) Use of all slips, stains and glazes available in the studio Glaze firing The ability to be part of an amazing community of novice, intermediate and professional potters!

Open Studio Times

Membership Details

Members must be 16 years or older on January 1st of the current membership year (Exceptions can be made at the discretion of the board) Yearly individual Memberships can be purchased in early January each year. Family memberships can also be purchased these are deﬁned as “immediate family” a parent and children ages 6 -16. Bring in one child at a time to the studio. (1 parent ,1 child). A family membership is not a couple. Each person needs to purchase a membership with diﬀerent membership number. Membership fees are non-refundable, and the Board reserves the right to remove membership as necessary. Current members will be invited to sign up for a 2026 membership during the ﬁrst 2 weeks of January 2026. Currently there are 72 open studio spots per week. The total number of members is capped at 120. After 19th January 2026 we will call people on the current wait list with those who have been waiting longest being called ﬁrst. As we close the 2025 year there are in excess of 120 people currently on the wait list so it is highly unlikely there will be enough spots for everyone to join. If we are able to oﬀer you a membership you will receive a membership card with your member number which you will need to record each time you sign in to Open Studio. Membership forms are not available online.

Membership Fees

Yearly Memberships (Jan to Dec) one adult $ 75.00 Family memberships 1 adult plus child/(ren)$100.00 Open studio 3 hour time slots $12 +GST Open Studio Tokens per token $12 +GST

FAMILY is defined as; “immediate family” a parent and children ages 6 -16. 'FAMILY' is not a couple.
Bring in one child at a time to the studio. (1 parent ,1 child)

Open Studio

Access to open studio is available for 3 hour time slots. Sign in when you arrive, and the monitor will collect your token or payment. Please use a pencil to sign up for open studio, much easier to correct. All clay used at the studio must be purchased at or provided by The Clay Hub. All items must be made in the studio space. Masks are optional but if you feel unwell or are in recovery please stay at home or wear a mask This is not a production studio. The weekly quantity of workspace is 2- 12”x 12” (30cm x 30cm) ware boards at any time. This is a small studio so please be mindful of the amount of space you use when the studio is busy.

STUDIO ETIQUETTE

Please be respectful of other members while you share this common space.
Cell phones must be on silent and calls taken away from the work area.
Never run the tap water or pour anything down the sink
Please clean all areas of your workstation, clean tools, and the ﬂoor around your work space once you have ﬁnished your work, return tools and equipment where they belong. It is important to give yourself enough time to do this eﬃciently.
Ensure you are familiar with the practice of the glaze area by reviewing the glaze manual. The monitor can support you with information if needed.
Do not touch other people’s work. If you need to make room on drying or glaze shelves, please request the assistance of the monitor.
Due to limited space all green ware has a 1-month limit on the open studio shelf.
All bisque and glazed items have a 2-month limit on the shelf. They will be discarded if not picked up. (If you think you are going to be longer, we encourage you to take your bisque pieces and clay home to store.)

All studio questions or issues can be asked of the Monitor on duty at the Open Studio.
You may also contact the Board of Directors at theclayhubcollective@gmail.com

Glaze Information click here

Cookies are ALWAYS to be provided by the member whenever using approved outside glazes. Should your outside glaze ruin a kiln shelf you will be asked to pay for a replacement shelf

The Gas Kiln ( Donated by Peter Flanagan in December 2023 and stored until 2025 at Caroline’s home for which we are very grateful. Development of the site at the rear of the HUB required planning consent and engineers reports before work could start in July 2025. By the summer of 2026, we started to use the gas kiln. We anticipate before the end of year it will be ready to serve potters at the Clay Hub and further afield. The Clay Hub and the HUB will receive income from the Gas Kilns use.

The Settling Tank Everyone who attends the Clay Hub is aware of the immense steps we take to ensure clay is not transferred into the wastewater system. In 2026 the Clay Hub Board worked diligently to instal the settling tank for our studio (just in front of the Totum Pole). The settling tank, allows suspended solids to settle out of water. The water conservation process' in the studio will remain unchanged but waste water can now be emptied much nearer to be studio, making the process safer for our Monitors and Instructors.

The CHCS Board

As a registered non proﬁt Society we have a Board to manage the ﬁnances, operations etc., of the Clay Hub Collective. All Board members are volunteers. Each of us is required to comply with the BC Societies Act. To make sure we all know what our roles and responsibilities are we have developed 'Role Responsibility' proﬁles, which are available to read in the documents section below. We also have a number of committees made up of board members, monitors, and members who take on extra responsibilities such as running the kilns and maintaining them, mixing glazes, monthly studio clean up and recycling clay.

Board Meeting Minutes

Annual General Meetings

Are held on an annual basis in March each year. All members are welcome to attend. Look out for the poster and check the studio notice board for the date and time.

AGM 2026

AGM 2025