Elemental Studios is hiring a Part-Time Ceramics Instructor! We’re looking for an experienced ceramic artist and thoughtful teacher to lead classes and workshops for teens and adults, from beginners through advanced students. Candidates should have experience with wheel throwing, handbuilding, surface design, studio safety and etiquette, and creating welcoming learning environments. This W-2 position starts at approximately 12 hours/week at $26–$28/hour, with paid time off and opportunities for additional hours as we expand our Flex Classes program. We’re especially interested in someone who connects with our mission of using creativity, ceramics, wellness, self-care, and community to create meaningful experiences. The instructor will also collaborate with the founder on developing new classes and refining existing offerings. Apply with a resume, cover letter, ceramic portfolio (8–12 images), and three references. Applications will be accepted for two weeks, with interviews and teaching demonstrations planned for mid-to-late September. Read more below for all the details and info on how to apply!
Ceramics Instructor
Elemental Studios | Portland, Oregon
Position: Part-Time Ceramics Instructor
Location: Elemental Studios, Portland, OR
Schedule: 12 hours per week to start; primarily evenings and/or weekends
Compensation: $25 to $27 per hour depending on experience + PTO
Hours: This position will begin at approximately 12 hours per week, with the potential for additional hours as Elemental Studios expands and implements its Flex Classes program. Hours may increase based on enrollment, class offerings, and the instructor's availability and areas of expertise.
About Elemental Studios
Elemental Studios is a wellness-centered ceramics studio in Portland, Oregon. We believe that making things with our hands can create space for creativity, connection, mindfulness, self-expression, and personal growth.
Our studio offers ceramics classes, workshops, memberships, and community programming for teens and adults. We intentionally keep our classes small so that students receive meaningful instruction and have the opportunity to develop both their technical skills and their creative voice.
We are looking for a ceramics instructor who is not only a skilled maker and teacher, but who genuinely connects with our mission of creating a welcoming, supportive, and community-oriented studio environment.
What We Offer
W-2 employment: This is an employee position with Elemental Studios, not an independent contractor (1099) position. As a W-2 employee, you will have payroll taxes withheld and Elemental Studios will contribute the employer portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes on your behalf.
Paid time off: Paid time off is included with the position, allowing you to take time away from the studio without losing all of your income during that time.
Predictable starting hours: The position begins at approximately 12 hours per week, with opportunities for additional hours as our Flex Classes program grows.
Professional growth: Work directly with the founder to develop new classes, refine existing curriculum, and expand your teaching experience.
Creative autonomy: Bring your own ceramic interests, techniques, and areas of expertise into the studio's programming.
A supportive studio environment: Become part of a small team committed to creativity, wellness, connection, and community.
About the Position
The Ceramics Instructor will lead ceramics classes and workshops for teens and adults with a range of experience levels—from complete beginners to intermediate and advanced students.
Our instructors teach more than ceramic techniques. They help students develop confidence, curiosity, creative problem-solving, and a willingness to experiment. We are looking for someone who can balance technical instruction with encouragement, flexibility, and a genuine interest in each student's individual learning process.
Classes may include wheel throwing, handbuilding, surface design and decoration, glazing, sculpture, firing, and other ceramic processes.
In addition to teaching, the instructor will work collaboratively with the founder to develop new classes and workshops and refine existing offerings. We want our curriculum to continually evolve in ways that reflect Elemental's mission while also making room for each instructor's unique ceramic interests, expertise, and creative strengths.
Instructors also play an important role in maintaining the physical and cultural environment of the studio. Cleanliness and shared responsibility are essential parts of a healthy ceramics community. Instructors will model good studio practices, teach students how to clean up properly, and actively cultivate a culture of cleaning and care within every class.
Responsibilities
Teaching & Student Experience
Teach engaging, organized, and inclusive ceramics classes and workshops.
Work comfortably with teens and adults.
Teach students with a wide range of experience levels and learning styles.
Be comfortable teaching a mixed-level class in which beginners, intermediate students, and advanced students may be working alongside one another.
Demonstrate ceramic techniques clearly and provide individualized guidance.
Help students troubleshoot problems and develop their own solutions rather than simply correcting their work.
Encourage experimentation, creativity, curiosity, and self-expression.
Create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, and trying new things.
Teach process and problem-solving rather than presenting ceramics as a series of rigid "right" and "wrong" ways to work.
Adapt instruction when students have different skill levels, goals, or needs.
Maintain appropriate professional boundaries while building positive relationships with students.
Ceramics, Safety & Studio Responsibilities
Demonstrate proficiency with the pottery wheel and handbuilding techniques.
Have experience with ceramic surface design and decorative techniques.
Have a working knowledge of clay bodies, glazes, and basic firing processes.
Understand and model appropriate studio etiquette and shared-space practices.
Maintain and model safe studio practices.
Help students use studio equipment, tools, materials, and chemicals appropriately.
Communicate equipment, material, or safety concerns to studio management.
Follow Elemental Studios policies and procedures regarding clay, glaze, firing, cleanup, and studio use.
Studio Cleanliness & Culture of Care
Cleanliness is an essential part of ceramics safety and an important part of the culture we want to create at Elemental Studios. Instructors are responsible for helping students understand that everyone who uses the studio contributes to maintaining it.
Responsibilities include:
Model excellent studio cleanliness and organization throughout each class.
Build a culture in which students routinely clean their workspaces, equipment, tools, and shared areas.
Teach students appropriate wet-cleaning practices and studio etiquette.
Monitor student cleanup rather than simply assuming it has been completed.
Incorporate cleanup into the rhythm and structure of each class.
Clean and organize the studio during and after assigned classes as needed.
Leave teaching areas, wheels, tables, tools, and shared equipment ready for the next class or studio users.
Identify and communicate recurring cleanliness, maintenance, or equipment issues to studio management.
Help students understand that cleaning is not an interruption to the creative process—it is part of caring for the space and the community that uses it.
Curriculum Development
Collaborate with the founder to develop new classes, workshops, and learning experiences.
Help revise and improve existing classes based on student needs, feedback, and instructor experience.
Identify opportunities to incorporate themes of wellness, creativity, self-expression, mindfulness, connection, and community into ceramic programming.
Bring your own ceramic interests, techniques, and areas of expertise into the development of new offerings.
Help identify emerging or underserved areas of interest within the studio's curriculum.
Develop or adapt lesson plans that balance technical skill-building with creative exploration.
Contribute ideas for special workshops, demonstrations, and community programming.
We are particularly interested in instructors who see curriculum development as a creative process—one that can reflect both the values of Elemental Studios and the individual strengths and passions of the instructor.
Community & Customer Service
Welcome students and contribute to a warm, inclusive studio environment.
Provide excellent customer service and respond professionally to student questions and concerns.
Help create a sense of community among students.
Model respect, patience, curiosity, and care in interactions with students and other staff.
Represent the values and mission of Elemental Studios both inside and outside the classroom.
Required Qualifications
Demonstrated experience working with ceramics.
Proficiency with the pottery wheel and handbuilding.
Experience with ceramic surface design and decorative techniques.
Knowledge of basic ceramic studio safety and etiquette.
Previous teaching or instructional experience.
Experience working with adults and/or teens.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Reliable, organized, and able to manage a class independently.
Ability to create a positive, supportive, and inclusive learning environment.
Ability to teach students with different experience levels and adapt instruction accordingly.
Genuine interest in the mission and values of Elemental Studios, including wellness, self-care, creativity, connection, and community.
Willingness to actively participate in maintaining the cleanliness, organization, and culture of the studio.
Preferred Qualifications
The following are not required, but would be valuable:
Experience with glaze formulation, glaze application, and glaze troubleshooting.
Kiln operation and experience with electric, gas, atmospheric, or alternative firing processes.
Experience working with multiple clay bodies and firing temperatures.
Experience with sculptural or mixed-media ceramic processes.
Specialized knowledge of surface design, illustration, carving, slip work, sgraffito, nerikomi, or other decorative techniques.
Experience teaching beginners as well as intermediate and advanced students.
Experience working with teens in educational, arts, or community settings.
Experience developing or adapting ceramics curriculum.
Art education, ceramics education, studio art, counseling, education, wellness, or a related field.
Experience incorporating mindfulness, creativity, self-expression, or other wellness-oriented approaches into teaching.
A formal degree in ceramics or art education is not required. We are primarily interested in demonstrated ceramic skill, teaching ability, reliability, and alignment with our studio culture and mission.
What Makes a Great Elemental Instructor?
We are looking for someone who:
Loves ceramics and enjoys sharing that enthusiasm with others.
Is a skilled ceramic artist and a thoughtful teacher.
Understands that being a good ceramicist and being a good ceramics instructor are related but different skills.
Can explain a technique without making students feel like there is only one "right" way to do it.
Understands that learning ceramics involves experimentation, mistakes, and unexpected results.
Can work with a beginner who has never touched clay as well as an experienced student looking to refine their skills.
Can comfortably support multiple skill levels within the same class.
Is attentive to safety without creating an overly rigid classroom environment.
Is comfortable teaching both technique and creative process.
Is patient, encouraging, and genuinely curious about students.
Enjoys developing new ideas and contributing to the evolution of a growing studio.
Has ceramic interests or areas of expertise they are excited to share with students.
Understands that a ceramics studio can be a place for connection, reflection, creativity, and renewal—not simply a place to make objects.
Takes pride in maintaining a clean, organized, and welcoming studio.
Understands that maintaining the studio is a shared responsibility and is willing to actively model and teach that expectation.
Is dependable and communicates proactively with the studio team.
Enjoys being part of a small, collaborative team.
Application Requirements
1. Resume
Please include relevant professional, ceramic, teaching, and educational experience.
2. Cover Letter
Please tell us about your interest in teaching at Elemental Studios, how your experience and values align with our mission, and what ceramic skills, techniques, or areas of interest you would be excited to bring to our programming.
3. Ceramic Portfolio
Please submit 8–12 images of your ceramic work. We are interested in seeing a range of your work, techniques, and approaches rather than only a highly curated selection of your strongest or most finished pieces.
Your portfolio may include wheel-thrown, handbuilt, sculptural, surface-designed, functional, or experimental work. We are interested in seeing how you think and work as a ceramic artist.
4. Three References
Please provide three professional references who can speak to your teaching, professional, or ceramic experience.
Background Check
Selected candidates will be required to successfully complete a background check prior to employment.
Interview & Teaching Demonstration
Candidates selected to move forward will be invited to participate in an interview and teaching demonstration.
The teaching demonstration will take place in mid-to-late September.
To make the process equitable, candidates will be given a common teaching prompt:
Teach a 15–20 minute introductory lesson on a basic ceramic technique to a group of students with little or no previous ceramics experience.
The demonstration is not intended to test whether you can perform the most advanced ceramic techniques. Instead, we want to see how you:
Explain and demonstrate a process.
Communicate clearly.
Create a welcoming learning environment.
Engage students.
Respond to questions.
Break a process into understandable steps.
Encourage experimentation and problem-solving.
Balance instruction with student independence.
Make students feel comfortable making mistakes.
Hiring Timeline
The application period will close on September 15th, 2026.
After the application period closes, applications will be reviewed and selected candidates will be invited to participate in an interview and teaching demonstration.
Interviews and teaching demonstrations are anticipated to take place in mid-to-late September.
To Apply
Please submit your resume, cover letter, ceramic portfolio, and three references to info@elementalstudiospdx.com with the subject line:
Ceramics Instructor Application
Elemental Studios is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for students, instructors, staff, and community members. We encourage applicants who are excited by our mission and who bring diverse experiences, perspectives, and approaches to ceramics and teaching.