Pottery Studio Assistant

Providence of Maryland Inc. • Arnold, MD

291d

About The Position

The Pottery Studio Assistant is responsible for making wheelthown, slipcast and slab formed pottery, finishing pottery to meet quality standards, and assisting with other studio tasks. The ideal candidate will be detail oriented and work in a clean and organized manner. Pottery Studio Assistants also assist the Pottery Program in fulfillment of wholesale orders and optimization of pottery making processes. Studio Assistants complete daily tasks relating to fulfillment of orders, and other duties common to the production of functional ceramics. Additionally, Pottery Studio Assistants provide exceptional customer service to event attendees, students and walk-in customers, demonstrating good working practices and the dedication to craftsmanship required to be a successful studio potter. Must be available to work some evenings and weekends.

Requirements

• 1-2 years of ceramics studio experience required.
• Bachelor’s degree in ceramics preferred.
• Basic computer knowledge such as Microsoft Word, Internet Research and E-mail.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Pottery Studio in the fulfillment of wholesale orders according to the production schedule.
• Produce wheel-thrown, slip-cast, and slab-formed pottery.
• Daily glazing of production ware, kiln loading, unloading, basic kiln maintenance.
• Clay making and recycling, including mixing and pugging clay to keep clay level adequate for daily slab production and monitoring of casting slip.
• Produce standard production items, including both slab-formed and slip-cast pieces, according to the production schedule determined by the Production Manager.
• Assist production manager with throwing preparation (i.e. weighing and wedging balls of clay) and finishing thrown pieces (i.e. stamping and signing pots, attaching handles, etc.).
• Mixing and sieving glazes for studio use, keeping glaze levels high for production and classroom.
• Complete basic ceramics studio maintenance such as cleaning and organizing of work areas, tools, and equipment.
• Monitor clay levels in studio and greenhouse and pug/mix batches of clay as needed.
• Refine and implement processes under the direction of the Production Manager.
• Provide positive customer service to walk-in customers and monitor open studio hours.
• Complete weekly inventory count and help pack outgoing wholesale orders.
• Work efficiently, pay attention to detail and perform duties in a clean manner.
• Other duties as needed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree