Health & Safety Protocol

1. If you have had the onset of any symptoms of illness within the past 5 days, please stay home. For viral infections you may be contagious for up to two weeks, please do not come to the studio if you are contagious. You are welcome to come back to the studio once you are cleared by your Doctor as no longer contagious. 
2. Check in at the front door with the Supervisor/Instructor immediately upon arrival. Arrival Time is the 30 minutes prior to the Drop In start time:

• 10-1030am for 1030am Drop In
• 11-1130am for 1130am Drop In
• 2-230pm for 230pm Drop In
• 230-3pm for 3pm Drop In
• 6-630pm for 630pm Drop In
• 9-905pm for the 9pm Drop In

1. Arrival times are noted in the description of the Drop In on the app. In the app, tap the Drop In to read more information.
2. The door is locked at Drop In start time, late arrival is not permitted. If the door is locked, do not knock.
3. We recommend planning to come right at the beginning of the Arrival time to budget for unexpected delays, ie traffic, parking etc.
4. Please do not open doors or provide access for people that are knocking. If someone is disrupting your practice please find your Supervisor and let them know.
5. Parking in the MEMBER spots in the back parking lot is available first come, first served to PLUS & GOLD Members. 
1. Please let the Supervisor know you have parked in the back otherwise you may be towed.
1. After Check In, please wash your hands before touching any work or things throughout the studio.
2. Please thoroughly review Cleaning Procedures.

General Studio Guidelines

1. Clay must be purchased from the Studio, there is a QR code on the shelf by the front entrance. Clay must be checked out from the Supervisor during the Arrival time as mentioned above.
1. Please provide the 4 digit confirmation code of your purchase to the Supervisor for verification.
2. Please purchase Clay only when you need it, do not purchase weeks ahead of time as it affects our inventory/ordering.
2. All items must be made & glazed in Studio, charges apply for items worked on outside of the studio.
3. You may request to bring in outside materials via email; permission must be granted prior to bringing it items. Outside materials are considered on a case by case basis.
4. Each member shares half a shelf with another member. Please keep your clay, tools and Wareboards on your side. 
1. There is enough space for you to have 2 Wareboards, and then share the middle with your partner to store tools & clay.
5. We have a communal tool shelf with Wareboards, tools, throwing bowls, sponges, plastic and a bin for your old clay bags. 
1. Please do not touch items on any other shelf in the studio, as they belong to someone else.
6. Entry into the kiln is prohibited.
7. Please avoid talking to Staff while we are making glazes and loading the kilns. These are precarious tasks and require our full attention to avoid mistakes and/or accidents. Obviously if there is an emergency let us know.
8.  We recycle clay! Please read the signs on the buckets near the sink and put your reject pots & trimmings in the appropriate bucket.
9. Absolutely no sanding is permitted in the Studio. Sanding is typically unnecessary if you’ve sponged down your work. It may be done outside the back door, and you should wear a mask.
1. Please ensure you clean up after yourself after sanding. Sweep and mop any dust.
10. No food garbage may be left in Studio, this includes beverage containers, wrappers, utensils and anything that's touched food. There are rodents around, but we do not have a problem and want to keep it that way.
11. We recycle paper, please put the wet paper towel in the paper products recycling bins. Paper Towel with clay on it can not be recycled.
12. All clay bags and soft plastics are reused or recycled. There are labeled recycling bins on the bottom shelf of the studio tool shelf.
1. Please lay used clay bags flat into the bin; balls make it fill up faster and it becomes a mess.
13. The Pick Up Schedule is  times you are able to stop by the Studio to [un]cover your work, and move items to the shelf to be fired. It may change weekly, so please check before you come to the studio.
14. You must exit the Studio by the Drop In end time (ie. 1pm, 5pm, 9pm.) Please use the washroom (if you need to); get your belongings etc; and check out with the Instructor before the end time. If you are late there may be a late fee charged on your Mindbody account, and repeated lateness may put your Studio access under review.

Firing

1. A Wareboard is 9" x 18" x 3". If you need clarification on how to understand the Wareboard, please email me :)
   1. Small cookies are not considered toward your Member firing allotment. Larger cookies are, as they change the way we load the kiln.
   2. Items may be stacked, but please be cautious as it may cause damage to your work.
2. BISQUED items must be thrown in the garbage and cannot be recycled. If Bisqued items end up in the reclaim it may injure us and/or break the machine. We have to throw out the entire bucket if bisque gets into the recycle buckets, so please notify the Instructor if you've had an accident.
3. Please break down reject pots or clumps of clay. We can not recycle clumps larger than a toonie, they must be torn apart or smashed with the hammer.
   1. Clumps of clay used to secure your items to the wheel during trimming go into the reject pot bucket. If clumps get in, we will have softer/wetter batches of recycled clay.
   2. White Clays- White Salmon, M370, Speckled Buff, M340S, Lynx
   3. Brown Clays- Cinnamon, Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Dark Granite, Coloured Clays, Mink
4. Once work is bone dry, items may be placed on the Member Bisque Shelf for firing

1. To ensure that items are bone dry, leave them uncovered on your Wareboard for a few days. It’s ready to be fired when the items no longer feel cool/wet to the touch. 
2. If your items are put on the shelf when they are too wet or too thick, they will be rejected. If you are unsure you may ask the Supervisor during Arrival Time.
3. If we don't catch that your items are wet and they explode in the kiln you will be charged a $50 kiln vacuuming fee.

Tip: make sure you wipe your pieces down with a sponge prior to firing, and you will never need to sand your work!

Glazing

1. Glazing may be done in Glazing Workshops.
2. We have another option to Glaze unsupervised (Glaze Time on the app), and you will need to Check Out to receive permission. If you would like to check out, please ask your Instructor at the beginning of the Glaze Workshop upon arrival.
   1. Technically able to glaze your own work;
   2. Are familiar with the glazing area and demonstrate safe material handling;
   3. Exhibit good decision making;
   4. Follow Studio Protocol;
   5. And are in good standing with the Studio.
1. You are ready to be checked out if you are:
2. We recognize that as your work progresses you may need extra assistance with glazing large or more complex items. We expect that as your practice develops you will revisit Glazing Workshops as necessary.
3. More information on Glazing Workshops may be found here.

Booking Policies

Mindbody Account Set Up

Membership Booking Instructions may be found here.

Membership

1. Your contract will automatically renew on the first of the month.
2. Credits may be used within the current billing cycle, ie July credits may be booked July 1-31.
1. Next month’s credits will be available for booking on the 1st of the month
3. All Memberships are 3 month minimum commitment.
4. Membership may be paused:
1. Please email us prior to the 15th of the month to initiate a pause for the following month. Ie- email May 14th for a pause beginning June 13.
2. Membership Pause costs $50 and you may keep your shelf.
5. To cancel your Membership we require a month's notice, please email us to request cancellation.
1. Your shelf must be cleared off by the end of the day of your last Membership Month.
2. Additional charges may apply if your items are on the shelf on the first day of the next month ie. email to cancel April 18 for May 31 termination, but your items are still on your shelf on or after June 1.
3. We reserve the right to toss or donate any items on your shelf past your end date.
4. Cancellation will be effective the day prior to the next renewal date- ie. cancellation effective 12:01am March 31 and you will not be able to after that time.
6. Membership updates will be notified via email.
7. You are required to stay up to date on Studio Policies and Membership/Course emails.
8. We do not offer refunds, no exceptions. If you encounter an emergency you are welcome to email us and request if anything may be done, and we will try our best within operational feasibility. Any changes are subject to a $10-75 admin fee.
1. The Studio is not run for profit, and is reliant on Membership being self sufficient. We have a budget for 8 admin hours per week. If you are requiring additional assistance, Membership may not be the best choice: we'd love to support you in Courses & Workshops :)
9. Any person(s) who does not treat other person(s) with kindness and respect will be asked to leave the premises. Discrimination, racism, bullying, and disrespectful behaviour are not permitted, no exceptions. You will not be reimbursed for any purchases in the event that you are asked to leave the studio.
10. The Drop-in Schedule is generally running 7 days a week, in the morning, mid-afternoon and evening. The schedule may vary according to operational feasibility and unforeseen circumstances.
11. Please note that Community Clay Inc. is under no obligation to compensate you in any way or refund part, or all of class if you can not, or do not attend.
12. Community Clay Inc. and it's affiliates reserves the right to refuse service to person(s) who do not comply with studio guidelines.
13. By attending a class or open studio, you hereby agree to all terms & conditions.
14. By attending Classes and Drop In[’s] you agree and understand that in connection with your participation in any event or activity, you may be exposed to a variety of hazards and risks, foreseen or unforeseen, which may or not be inherent to those activities and events. The risks include, but are not limited to the dangers of personal injury, property damage, property loss, and death. COMMUNITY CLAY INC. has not tried to contradict or minimise your understanding of these risks. By entering into the studio, you agree and understand that injuries and damages can occur by natural causes, or by the acts of other persons or third parties, either as an act of negligence or because of other reasons. You are personally responsible for all costs and/or risks associated with any public or private event or activity. Notwithstanding anything herein, to the fullest extent allowed by law, you agree to waive, discharge claims, release from all liability and indemnify and hold harmless COMMUNITY CLAY INC., its organisers, hosts, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers. agents, volunteers, and other partners and employees, from any and all liability on account of, or in any way resulting from injuries and damages in any way connected to events and activities. You agree and understand that this waiver and release will be binding upon your heirs, executors, agents, administrators, and assigns, and will include any minors accompanying users at the events. Your participation in this private event & affiliated activities is at your sole and exclusive risk. COMMUNITY CLAY INC. may refuse admittance, may charge the admission fee, or ask you to leave at any time for any reason.

As a Member you are agreeing to use the Studio independently; as an Artist Run Space we have allocated a limited budget to Admin time in order to keep pricing accessible. We try our best to support people at every income level, skill set and intended use. Your journey with Membership is self directed, if you require technical assistance or advice please register for a Workshop or Course. We are always looking for feedback to help develop the space, I encourage you to send an email! Although we have spent a lot of time thoughtfully developing on Studio Protocol, sometimes there is wiggle room to policy. You are welcome to submit a request for exception to Policy via email, additional charges may apply.

Some helpful links:

Follow us on instagram tag us in your posts and stories to win $75 towards Membership! Also I love seeing works in progress, it inspires me and reminds me why I love my job :D

Purchasing Clay & Studio tools

Booking Drop In

Managing your Account

Glaze Workshop

Pickup Schedule