The Hive St Pete

We booked a Date Night and were very excited to try pottery. Teachers are amazing, friendly and very helpful, however 2 hours are not enough. As new students we found there was no instruction, timeline, guidance, technique, etc. There were no even rulers to measure the clay to cut it into a shape.
One hour is not enough to finish one project as a new person and none of our 4 projects didn't come up well. Should be at least 1,5 hour for each project.
Overall, it's a great place! Teachers are great, again.

While I have given The Hive a 5-star review, I do so with a few caveats that I will explain below. First, the context:

Our group decided to take a ceramics class at The Hive in order to support a mutual friend that wanted to rekindle their high school ceramics experience. I visited 5 Ceramic studios in the area before finally deciding on The Hive, and so we came as a group of 4, with 3 of us having no experience at all in working with ceramics, clay, or glazing. Consequently, the "instruction" part of the course was not only important to us, but paramount in achieving any level of "success."

We choose a Thursday evening for our class. Our instructor "Mike" was extremely talented, creative, full of energy, and a delight to be around. However, our unfamiliarity with ceramics in general, and working with clay specifically, left us all a bit confused as to what an appropriate project might be in terms of timing. Think forming the clay, allowing it time to dry, first bisque firing, glazing, and final glaze firing. Ceramics is a process, not an event, and so takes time. Timing is important. We got the sense of this toward the end of our course.

I would strongly recommend that budding artists have a few projects in mind before arriving for their first class so that a trajectory need not be formulated during "instructional" time. This will make it easier for the instructor to facilitate learning, and for you to finish your project within the time allotted for the class.

My thoughts on the experience are as follows:

1) While 4 instructional sessions may be sufficient for a beginner to get started, studio time needs to extend beyond the 4-week period to allow one time to digest the process and decided whether they would like to pursue the craft before spending another $200. A compressed timeline is counterproductive, and left a few from my group unhappy and dissatisfied with the overall experience.
2) As a budding artist, do some reading or watch some YouTube videos to get a sense of what "Ceramics" is about, noting timelines for potential projects, and the basics of working with clay. At The Hive, there is an expectation of very basic knowledge, and if you are unprepared, you may not enjoy the experience.

My thoughts on the Studio and Artists are as follows:

1) The studio is well arranged, seems to have plenty of tools if you don't have your own, has clay readily available and is accommodating and comfortable and there is always a place for everyone at the table.
2) The artists that work here are awesome! They are friendly, helpful, engaging, creative, and fun. They are a wonderful group of people!
3) The teachers here are talented, creative, helpful, and full of energy. The Hive has a great "vibe" and everyone will make you feel welcomed.
4) Shelf space is available, but wish it was a bit more.

If you go, make it a point to meet "Heather." She is affable, skilled, knowledgeable, and helpful.

If you are interested in Ceramics, this is the place to be. The Hive is welcoming, comfortable, well arranged, centrally located, and fun. I plan to take a few months to learn a bit more, then return as a member.

Highly recommended with the caveats noted above.

We turned date night into girls night and had a ball! The atmosphere was nice!

This was such a phenomenal experience and I am so happy to have a space like this so close to home. Teachers were great---informative and patient. You are given ample time, supplies, and support to create a fun project. Will definitely be back.

Quaint studio with very friendly teachers and students. We felt very comfortable here as everyone was so welcoming. It seems like a great place if you are familiar with clay. Very peaceful and seems to be a great space for many people who want to work on their projects. My husband and I were very excited to take a clay class here as we loved the teacher's whimsical work. On the first day, we arrived to find a different teacher was doing the class, I even double checked to be sure it was not my mistake. There was no notification or option to change, but we figured it would be fine. Our teacher was very kind and had a calm presence. However, as new students we found there was no instruction, timeline, guidance, technique, etc. We spent most of the time watching videos to figure out what to do. We were not sure where to find tools, and what tools we were given to us were so few you were constantly asking other students to borrow something. It was a super frustrating experience for me, I did not end up finishing my project. My husband did finish his and it came out pretty cool. However, he was equally as frustrated and attributed his success to students and other teachers who answered questions during studio time. I think this is a great studio if you have experience and your own supplies. If you are new, it may not be a good fit depending on the instructor. I wish we would have had the chance to take the class we had originally signed up for:(

Great time at Date Night. It was our first time ever doing something like this and we would highly recommend it. Awesome staff, and you get to make a couple items on the wheel and by hand, then choose your favorite two to keep. We are interested in coming back and spending more time on the wheel.

Date night pottery class was a cool experience. The studio is spacious and inviting. Emmett was a wonderful teacher, and I appreciated his enthusiasm and energy. I had not done any art whatsoever in over 15 years. As beginners, it felt good to learn new things and play creatively. My husband enjoyed the class too. I would totally come back in the future for a 4 week painting or drawing class.

The Hive is a wonderful inclusive pottery studio. The instructors are knowledgeable and supportive and it’s well supplies with materials, clay & glazes. Also you can join the studio and work there freely on your own. Great community!