Pottery classes are held at Higher Fire’s downtown location — a renovated warehouse in San Jose’s SoFA district located at 499 S. Market St. Our air-conditioned, 4,500 square foot studio is home to 25 pottery wheels, dedicated hand-building and glazing areas, two 40 cu. ft kilns, storage for members, and much more!

Our second location — Higher Fire Japantown — is coming soon and will offer a state-of-the-art, membership-based studio for potters and clay artists with experience. The new studio will have on-site parking, 7000 sq ft of creative space, professionally-fired gas & electric kilns, supportive staff, and the friendly atmosphere of our downtown studio.  We can’t wait..!

Please see our Health and Safety page for information on our COVID-19 Readiness Plan, and view our Fall 2020 socially-distanced layout.

Firing Cone 10 & More

At Higher Fire, we take great pride in the way we fire our kilns. We are fortunate to have two of the most energy efficient, even-firing pottery kilns on the market – the Bailey 40 cubic foot downdraft shuttle. We fire bisque and reduction loads a minimum of once per week with additional firings as needed to maximize turnaround time. Oxidation firings take place once per month.

We also have a Skutt KM-1227 Electric Kiln and Laguna Raku Kiln that we use for specialty firings including crystalline glaze, saggar/raku, luster, and other special projects.

At Higher Fire, we take great pride in the way we fire our kilns.

Clay & Glaze

At Higher Fire, we love glazes! We offer over 30 gorgeous, food- and microwave-safe, cone 10 glazes as well as almost 20 different stoneware and porcelain clays. We also offer under-glazes, oxides, stains, and slips.

Studio Equipment

  • 25 Pottery Wheels (Brent, Shimpo, Bailey)
  • Hand-building tables at two heights for seated or standing work
  • Huge Selection of Bats and Ware-boards
  • Wall-mounted Extruder
  • Expansive Texture Library
  • Variety of Plaster Forms
  • 2 Shimpo Slab Rollers
  • Peter Pugger Clay Mixer
  • Laguna Spray Booth
  • Large Wedging Table
  • Photo Booth

Amenities

  • Kitchen/break area
    (not currently available)
  • Lockers
  • Member shelves
  • Library
  • ADA all-gender bathrooms
  • Pot-wrapping service

Founder, Dan Dermer

Stop by any time we are open for a studio tour. We look forward to meeting you!