To learn.
Exceptional instruction and high standards, for every level — from a first touch to an international practice.
About Green & Bisque Clayhouse
More than a studio. A creative institution.
A home for makers in Pasadena where serious artists and curious beginners are equally welcome — and where everything is made with intention.
Who We Are
Twenty years of making, with intention.
Founded in 2003 as Xiem Clay Center and reimagined in 2020 as Green & Bisque Clayhouse — one of the most respected ceramic communities in Southern California.
Our mission isn't simply to teach pottery. It's to build a place where creativity, craftsmanship, learning, and human connection can thrive.
Pottery is playful and serious. Technical and intuitive. Ancient and brand-new.We built a place that holds all of it.
The duality the studio is built around
What Makes Us Different
A members club, an art school, and a gathering place.
A place to learn, to make, and to belong —
all under one roof.
To make.
Beautiful facilities and generous access, for the steady flow of work from first idea to final glaze.
To belong.
Deep community and relationships that last. Many members stay for years — some for decades.
The Space
Beautiful facilities, generous access.
Two purpose-built studios — a main studio and a front classroom studio — opening onto al fresco working areas and lounges, with a view of the San Gabriel Mountains. The entire facility is air conditioned and heated.
2
Full studio spaces
58
Throwing wheels
2
Geil gas kilns
5
Electric kilns
2
Raku kilns
50
Cone 10 glazes
30
Mid-range glazes
10
Raku glazes
Spray booth
Compressed air
Extruder
Equipment
Slab roller
Equipment
Wedging tables
Color-coded
Triple sinks
+ damp storage
Retail store
On-site
Full kitchen
For long studio days
Our Team
Run by the best.
A dedicated team of staff and studio technicians — formally and traditionally trained in ceramics, many holding master's degrees — who load the kilns, mix the glazes, and keep the doors open seven days a week.
Janisse Gracia
Director of Education & Programs
Leads the studio's classes, curriculum, and the instructor team.
Ben Norkin
Director of Operations
Keeps the studio running day to day — from firings to the front desk.
Erin Eleniak
Studio Operations Manager
Coordinates the working studio and keeps members' practice flowing.
Kim Torres
Lab Technician
Loads the kilns, mixes the glazes, and keeps the lab ready seven days a week.
Leon Cho
Lab Technician
Loads the kilns, mixes the glazes, and keeps the lab ready seven days a week.
Hazel Straight
Lab Technician
Loads the kilns, mixes the glazes, and keeps the lab ready seven days a week.
Faith Cho
Lab Technician
Loads the kilns, mixes the glazes, and keeps the lab ready seven days a week.
Maya Ruiz
Lab Technician
Loads the kilns, mixes the glazes, and keeps the lab ready seven days a week.
Nancy Koon
Lab Technician
Loads the kilns, mixes the glazes, and keeps the lab ready seven days a week.
Bridgette Mathews
Owner
Steward of the studio's vision — keeping the standards high and the doors open to everyone.
Drag or swipe to meet the team
Our Instructors
Working artists who
Working artists who
love to teach.
A rotating faculty of more than 30 working artists who bring their own practice into every class, at every level.
Adam Abraham
Aisa Castro
Ben Norkin
Camilla Giraldo
Carol Aronowsky
Claire Eberhart
Daniel Almanza
Danny Bruckbauer
Erin Eleniak
Faith Cho
Heike Fritz
Ian Wolterstorff
Irnie Lee
Janisse Gracia
Jenna Bonistalli
Jessey Duran
Joe Henderer
Joe Lee
Joelle Murphy
Jotham Hung
Kim Torres
Madeline Cox
Marlon Marinero
Mary Jew Mori
Mary Ziats
Oberon Marashlian
Sharon Mann
Stephen Horn
Drag or swipe through the faculty
Our Place in Pasadena
The first ceramics studio in Pasadena, and one of the oldest in Los Angeles.
i.
History alone doesn't make a studio great. But it does represent decades of accumulated knowledge, refinement, and trust within the ceramics community. Those are things that can't be replicated overnight.
ii.
We didn't just inherit a name when the studio became Green & Bisque. We inherited a legacy — and since then we've grown in nearly every measurable way, expanding programming, deepening community, and investing in our team and facilities, all while keeping the high standards that made the studio respected in the first place.
iii.
The story isn't that we were once Xiem. It's that we inherited an important legacy and kept building on it.
When it mattered
When the Eaton Fire swept through, the Clayhouse jumped into action, and our community took care of its own. That's who we are.
Come see for yourself.
- Where
- 1563 North Lake Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91104 - Hours
- Mon – Fri · 10am – 6pm
Sat & Sun · 10am – 5pm - Phone
- (626) 791-9220
- Follow
- @gbclayhousepasadena
Stay in the Loop
Be the first to know.
New sessions, visiting workshops, and studio news — once in a while, never too often.