The Mud Room in Grand Rapids offers great fun for the entire family!

This exciting art studio offers pottery painting, glass fusing and clay & potter wheels. In addition, Camp Mud Classes are offered at various times throughout the year in the areas of Paint Techniques, Glass Fusing, Potters Wheel and Clay Sculpture (the Potters Wheel class is 1.5 hours long and the other classes are 1.25 hours in length). Unique special events also take place at the Mud Room, such as Family and Friends nights and PJ Parties where guests wear their pajamas to the studio. The studio is open at various hours, but reservations are available outside of normal operating hours.

The Mud Room pottery painting, glass fusing, and clay & potters wheels provide excellent opportunities for a fun day of activities. For pottery painting, artists begin by selecting an item from the Mud Room’s large selection of pottery. At that point, the item is designed and decorated using books, samples and tools to guide the way. This part of the project normally takes approximately one hour, but it may take less time for younger children. Upon completion, the artist leaves the item with the Mud Room where it will be glazed with a non-toxic clear glaze and fired within a kiln. After one week, the artist can return to the Mud Room to pick up their finished work.

The glass fusing activity begins by selecting a size and shape from various samples on display. The artist is provided with a flat glass tile where they glue on small pieces of colored glass to create their design (the Mud Room has plenty of pre-cut glass shapes to simplify the process). Upon completion, the item is fused and shaped in the Mud Room’s kiln and is ready to be picked up within one week.

Finally, the clay & potters wheels are delightful activities where artists can spin their ball of clay to create bowls, cups and dishes. Artists can also use their hands to mold the clay into an assortment of different shapes. The Mud Room has unique under glazes that can be applied to the wet clay so that the projects can be painted the same day. Once the project is complete, the Mud Room fires it in the kiln and it is ready to be picked up within two weeks.