A North Brentwood arts studio is teaching residents on and around the Route 1 corridor how to build everything from dinnerware to sculptures out of clay.

Located at 4531 Rhode Island Ave., Material Things has offered classes for adults on “hand-building,” the techniques for making shapes out of clay without using a throwing wheel, since 2021.

But last summer, the art studio expanded into the building next door, moving its classrooms to a new space with natural light and a sunset view and allowing it to double its scheduled number of classes.

Students range from those who have never worked with clay to longtime sculptors looking to improve their technical skills, co-owner Erin Lingle told the Hyattsville Wire. They are encouraged to “dream up their own projects” and ask the instructor for advice.

“Teachers will sometimes develop skill-building exercises or teach specific forms and techniques, but students can feel free to follow their own creative paths,” she said.

Courses are taught by Nicole Ponce, studio manager at District Clay Center, who studied in New Mexico and has taught throughout the greater D.C. area.

Material Things is a project of Lingle, Katie Aldworth, and Francisco Rosario.

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