Clay Lounge is a fun environment where all are welcome to come experience clay. Whether you are beginning your journey into pottery or are an experienced ceramicist, Clay Lounge will ignite your creativity.
Located in the South End of Boston in SoWa Arts District, Clay Lounge was built to make pottery accessible to the urban resident. Created to help people unplug and relax, this is a friendly space where experimentation and artistic growth is encouraged.
SoWa Arts+Design District
Clay Lounge is located in the heart of the bustling SoWa Arts + Design district in the South End of Boston.
This community of contemporary galleries, accomplished artists, and chic shops is the creative center of Boston and home to a weekly Sunday Farmer’s Market and monthly Gallery Opening.
Plan your trip and explore your creative side at SoWa.
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Parking Info: Here
Jesse Golden
Teacher, Artist, Owner
Jesse, the artist behind J.G Clay, opened Clay Lounge to build a community where people could connect over pottery.
Jesse has been a student of the craft for over a decade. In 2019 he was living in Los Angeles and tired of working a corporate career while moonlighting as a potter. He decided to leave his job and coordinate a 5 month ‘Ceramic Sabbatical’ across Asia where he participated in artist residencies, studio visits, and home stays throughout China, Taiwan, S. Korea, and Japan.
Returning to his home city, Jesse sought to coalesce these styles to help inspire others with his art.
Kaila Braley
Studio Manager, Teacher, Artist
Kaila has been making functional pottery for the last six years. She has taught wheel-throwing at Fuller Craft Museum and loves introducing people to the joy of making pots. There's nothing quite like the excitement of throwing a piece that makes you proud.
Kaila is drawn to pottery because she loves the idea that you can make objects that add a bit of magic, whimsy, beauty, and human connection to an ordinary activity such as making a cup of coffee.
Kaila also works full-time as a Studio and Gallery Manager at Local Pottery Studio and Gallery in Norwell.
Nate Shipley
Teacher, Artist
Nate has been making pottery for the better part of 15 years. He went to Alfred university originally intending to study glass blowing but was drawn to clay by the accessibility and community that comes with the medium. He graduated with his BFA in ceramics in 2012
Nate loves introducing people to clay, and has been inspiring pottery makers around Boston for the last few years. He Is happy to find himself at the clay lounge!
Caitlyn Chwatek
Teacher, Artist
Caitlyn Chwatek was born and raised in New Jersey before moving to Boston where she recently graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She completed a BFA in both Painting and Ceramics.
Her paintings are primarily genre scenes done in oil, while her ceramic work is comprised of functional vessels. Her studio practice is mainly inspired by history, current events, and psychology.
Sarah Mennell
Teacher, Artist
After taking her first pottery class in college, Sarah was completely hooked and sought out every opportunity to study ceramics. After a few years away from a pottery studio, found her way to Clay Lounge when she moved to Boston in 2021.
Sarah’s work reflects the joy she finds in pottery and she loves the way something as simple as a mug can bring such bright energy into everyday routines.
She is beyond happy to be teaching at Clay Lounge and loves having the opportunity to introduce others to clay and the excitement of making pottery.
Ben Provo
Teacher, Artist
A native of California and long time New Yorker, Benjamin is a self-taught artist working in ceramics, painting, and mixed media. He began exploring with clay ten years ago as an extension of his painting practice, but it quickly took prominence in his life and work.
Benjamin’s ceramics bridge the deep past to the present moment, employing the forms of ancient vessels as an armature for modern modes of abstract mark making. Informed by a close study of archaic Greek and Judaic pottery, his vessel forms combine the deep-time familiarity of archeological objects with the ephemeral jolt of the expressionistic gesture, rooted always in the places that inspire him most: the Southwest, the Mediterranean, and the urban landscapes of American cities.
Benjamin is thrilled to be a part of the teaching team a Clay Lounge, offering his skills and techniques to beginner and advanced students alike.
