Mud Sweat & Tears Pottery

Surprise Birthday Pottery Class! This shop has been in HK for 30 yrs and the owners were super nice. They have a Friday night class every week but we’re gonna cxl due to low attendance. I told them it was Gregs bday and they held it just for us. We need more local businesses like these in Manhattan. If u get a chance go check them out and make some pottery!

A crafty friend and I wanted to try something new, and we settled on this fantastic pottery experience. The instructors were witty and incredibly patient, breaking everything down step by step and coming around to assist each student.
The only reason I cannot give it a fifth star is that their website says that should you be willing to pay an extra $ 15, they will fire and glaze your piece. As someone who has no grandiose notion that I am an expert potter, I came in with the expectation that I would be able to take home whatever I managed to conjure up during this class. Unfortunately that is no longer the policy, as too many others have left their pieces, despite paying in advance, so everything gets scrapped. I would have happily left a deposit on top of the $ 15, just to be able to have a momento of my time in the class.

We dropped in on a snowy Saturday and had the most pleasant experience I could have asked for from the staff. We were told at first that there was no space left to work and to come back in an hour. Prob slightly less than an hour later we returned and they still had no space but the staff shifted things around a bit to make some room. Since I’m not very artistically inclined, I messed up my clay and needed to start fresh with a new ball three times but everyone who helped was very patient about helping me get started again. The two women who helped me listened to what I wanted to make and advised me on the best way to get it done. We ended up paying $ 75 for both of our projects to get fired up and will go back in a few weeks to paint. It might seem steep to some but worth every penny to us.

Came here for a couples class through HowAboutWe and had an enjoyable evening. Nice teachers, attentive instruction. We had a chance to make two bowls each. The only disappointing thing was they glaze the bowls for you later which theoretically would be fine, but when I came to pick them up the glazing job was very uneven– very heavy in some areas and barely visible in others which kind of ruined the final effect. Also, colors did not seem to match what we had picked. Oh well.

I highly recommend stopping in here for either a class or hosting a party!
I held a birthday party here for my girlfriend and all the women in here family. it was a total of 10 people. we had a GREAT time at the Cybil show and really made some decvent pottery too.
it was BYOB and they bought pizza for us.

They refused to refund ($ 112) or reschedule my appointment after I needed to push it two times.
Beware — they will try to steal your money and are not customer service friendly at all. They really need to work on this aspect of their business.
Luckily PayPal could help get my money back from these scam artists.
If you do decide to go, please use PayPal.
— David

This is a great place to get your hand dirty. I went to their Friday night out last year and had a great time. Everyone is very nice and helpful. They give you tips on how to work the clay and basic instructions.

Wow! This place is awesome.
As a fan of the «artistic activity and wine drinking» events, I was excited when my girlfriend got me this as a gift. The Friday Night Out session is a great opportunity to pretend like you’re back in middle school and play around for a few hours.
The session starts with a quick tutorial and those taking the class are spread throughout the studio at seats with the tools you need. The lesson is done in less than 20 minutes, and as soon as it’s over you have a chance to wander the studio and get inspiration from the other work that’s around before setting out on your own.
What stuck out to me most was the free form nature of the program, and the encouraging staff that works here. You can make literally anything you want (as long as it’s by hand, no wheel use in this class), however you want to make it. I didn’t see anyone get restricted on how much clay they were allowed and some people were making some pretty wild things. We made a set of bowls and mugs, and I found there’s something innately exciting about making it myself.
The only thing to call out here in the interest of transparency is about the glazing. Your creation will take 3 – 4 weeks to get fired after which time you’re invited back to glaze. Just know, when you come in to paint it’s considered another session and you will be charged accordingly. You also have the option of letting the staff glaze for you in a color of your choice for $ 5. We chose this option not only for quality and cost savings but because it seemed simpler.
I have my fingers crossed that our creations survive the firing process, and I can’t wait to go back in a few weeks to pick everything up. In summary, if you want a fun date for a few hours this is a great choice.

We had a wonderful time at this longstanding establishment on Tenth Avenue. An Avenue where I choose to spend an extremely limited amount of time by choice, so all that is good must stand out in its place. The Friday night BYOB experience is a lot of fun for a couple or a couple of couples. Be sure to get your creative hat on and bring your soft-​adult beverage of choice — beer or wine because I’m not so sure you want to go hard when trying to be artistic, then again who am I to say? I saw someone a little loopy off of a couple glasses of wine alone. They provide several nice small bite snacks as well.
There are a ton of friendly and knowledgeable people working/​helping out so don’t be afraid that you won’t know what to do, its not that hard to build something beyond your own perceived skill set. The staff does a wonderful job of pushing your creativity with suggestions towards unique designs. For example, I made a serving platter, while others crafted mugs and sculptures. It’s a solid 2+ hours that go by quickly.
The only catch, and I wouldn’t say this is a negative, just something to be mindful of in advance, is that you’ve got to pay for another session in order to paint your piece. Otherwise you can just let them glaze it for you, but what is the fun in that if you’ve already come this far? So it means another fun night at Mud Sweat & Tears — as a matter of fact I liked painting and detailing my piece the same, if not more than building it. I’ll definitely be back to design something new one of these days as I was quite thrilled by the concept and found the overall experience enjoyable and relaxing. Yes very relaxing, sometimes its very nice to deviate from a typical Friday night with something new.

I went to Thu/​Fri night one-​time class. These classes are hand-​built only (no wheels), and they do firing for you. You can go to the other class to finish coloring+ or they do for you to pick up for only $ 5. It was like high-​school pottery class again with lots of fun. Time was enough to build one artwork. Great for date, group hangout, or to meet some new friends. Very welcoming environment, don’t shy to try out!

This place may be creative, but I believe there’s a lack of heart here and whole lot of focus on profit making. Walked in at 2:30 on a Saturday for their drop in session ($ 40 for 2 hours). Was told it was busy and to return around 3:30. That’s fine, but they did not also inform me that if I started at 3:30 I would not be getting the full 2 hours. When I returned they were fully prepared to take my full $ 40 however. That may be their policy, but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, nor does it encourage me to return here.

My first review on Unilocal because i had such a great experience. I came here for a class with my girlfriend and had such an awesome time. The three women who taught the class, Lyda, Ashley, and Jill were extremely patient and helpful throughout the whole class. The class was about three hours long and in that time we were able to make about three bowls each. Its a ton of fun and they also have times that seem like itd be a lot of fun for kids too. Will definitely return sometime. Cant wait to pick up our pieces!

What fun! One of the best date nights EVER! My boyfriend and I took a beginner group class organized by
and really had a blast! Our instructors Lyda, Patrcia (Holly), and Pati were beyond friendly, patient, caring, and so helpful! I would highly recommend classes here and might be back myself to take a full semester. I can’t wait to pick up my ice cream bowl and vase that I made. Very good instruction for beginners and such a lighthearted good people kind of place. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun artsy hobby or just a few classes to try something new!

OH MY GOD MOST FUN EVER.
I’ve been once now (and will be returning) for CrackPot Thursdays, featuring Sybil Bruncheon — so basically, drag queen pottery. It’s amazing. You can bring wine and there are some snacky things.
Sybil will instruct you for an hour-​ish on the basics of what to even do, and then you’re set loose! Note: this class doesn’t include anything on the wheel — it’s all handbuilding. But there’s still so much you can do! People on my class made mugs, bowls, platters, intricate little house-​y structures. Everyone, instructors and class members alike, was kind and warm and lovely.
I’m going back in about two weeks and two friends and I have planned to make this a monthly thing.

This is a fantastic pottery studio for everyone regardless of experience! My husband and I spent an afternoon at the studio as a Saturday walk-​in and had such a fun time! Everyone one there was lovely and so helpful and kind! We will definitely be coming back to enjoy some more time in the studio.

This place is a total waste of money. The staff does not have any respect for the customers, especially the studio manager. I would not advise that you waste your time or money here. There are other pottery studios that are far better.

After taking a 6 year break from potting, I joined the Mud, Sweat and Tears family 3 years ago. I decided to take the beginner class to review my basics, boy am I glad I did! I like to say that I didn’t know how to throw until I came to MST, they taught me how, and more!
Classes are well organized, instructors and studio monitors are friendly, and supportive. The exchange of ideas and feedback from classmates, studiomates and instructors is an integral part of any creative design process. At MST there is always someone to bounce an idea off of, or ask a question, advice is given freely, and without judgment. What is more important is the feeling of community and family. I have met some great people here that I am proud to call my friends.
It’s a place to nurture your creative side, a haven in the crazy city to take some time to feed your need to just breathe, while creating something beautiful.
Come join us, and get your hands dirty!

I came in as a beginner learning to throw pottery on the wheel. I signed up for the 10 week beginners class, and I have loved every minute of it! The studio space is cozy and kept very clean/​organized. The instructors are all patient and supportive. The atmosphere is collaborative and zero intimidating, everyone shares what they’re doing and love helping you come up with ideas. It’s such a great haven for art and creativity in the city. If you’re looking for a place to sit down, unplug and just let the rest of the world drift away, and allow your creativity to just flow, I highly recommend giving this place a try.

We came in here for a class organized by Surprise Industries. Our instructor Kerith was awesome. The studio was great and we had such a wonderful time. I can’t wait to get back my bowl and cups I made. Even my boyfriend (who I was hesitant about doing anything artistic) really enjoyed himself. I feel like we learned something new and had fun. I would totally try classes here.

Wonderful pottery studio/​store! I took a variety of classes here, and then became a studio potter for awhile until time and money forced us to part ways. The classes are great– all of the instructors are very nice and helpful, and, most importantly, PATIENT. In fact, pretty much everyone at the studio is really nice and helpful– it is a close community of very supportive amateur and professional potters.
Almost everything for sale in the store is made by the potters who belong to the studio– even the earrings they sell are made by one of their own! The studio/​shop is a true labor of love for the owner, who is one of the studio potters and instructors himself.
Go check out some of the pieces made by some former students, and you might be inspired to hit the wheel yourself!