Pottery: Beginners Hand Building

An inspiring evening class for anyone who would like to try pottery. No experience is necessary and tutor Dee will teach you all you need to know about the hand building processes and decorative techniques.

This 10-week course is suitable for absolute beginners and those with a little experience of pottery but who’d like a refresher and to try new things! If you have a little more experience than this, then you probably need our Intermediate Hand Building course on Tuesday afternoons.

For the first four weeks we will cover the main hand building techniques – pinching, slabbing and coiling. You will also learn how to apply slips and decorate your work with the colourful variety of underglazes we have in stock. Every few weeks your work will be fired ready to take home.

During the final four weeks of the course you’ll be encouraged to create your own piece(s), with guidance from tutor Dee as you go.

Tutor and full-time potter Dee Barnes has taught pottery for over 40 years and produces her own distinct ceramics from her home studio in Grantham. She sells her work online, with several independent galleries, and at ceramics fairs up and down the country.

All materials will be provided. Please bring an apron with you if you wish to – pottery can get messy!

This 10-week course will run on Tuesday evenings 5pm – 8pm, beginning on Tuesday 6 May and ending on 15 July 2025.

Please note: no session on Tuesday 17 June 2025.

Participants must be aged 16+. Under 18s must be accompanied by a paying adult at all times.

Please ensure that you agree to our updated Terms & Conditions before booking as courses/workshops are non-refundable in some circumstances.

We aim to make all our sessions as accessible as possible and carers/PAs are very welcome – just remember to book their free place when you book your session. If you'd like to talk to us in advance of booking or attending your sessions to discuss your access needs, our Box Office team is here to help! Email arts-centre@le.ac.uk, pop in or call 0116 252 2455, open 7 days a week.

We have four blue badge parking spaces outside Attenborough Arts Centre, plus double yellow line roadside parking very close to the building for blue badge holders for up to three hours if our parking spaces are occupied.

Free parking for all customers is available after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends in the University of Leicester car park next door to Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road. The closest public car park for parking at all other times is Victoria Park, 5-10 minutes walk from us (near De Montfort Hall).