A new ceramics studio set to open in Ridgewood in September is offering 8-week courses, classes, and memberships for those looking to channel their creativity.
Scratch Ceramics, located at 658 Woodward Ave. in Ridgewood, is a new arts destination for ceramicists and sculptors in Queens.
It’s an educational center where multidisciplinary artist Nathan Catlin offers students a chance to commit themselves to learning ceramics and practicing an art they can take with them wherever they go.
The Ridgewood resident brings his expertise in printmaking, painting, ceramics, and classwork to the neighborhood alongside a handful of fellow educators.
Catlin received his MFA in visual arts from Columbia University in 2012 and has been a master printer at the Lerot Neiman Center for Print Studies for nearly ten years.
His work, seen at the Davidson Gallery, better known for having the most extensive inventory of art prints, highlighted his artistic career and love for ceramics. His role at the studio is teaching beginner wheel courses on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Each of Scratch Ceramics’ eight classes costs between $495 and $520 and lasts eight weeks, starting in September and ending in late October to early November. More affordable classes, such as Intro to Handbuilding on Wednesdays, are also available.
Scratch Ceramics also offers a 3-month minimum membership starting at $220 monthly, according to its website.
Four other masters in ceramics join the recognized artist, including Cammi Climaco, another multifaceted artist who has focused on ceramic art for years. Her work, sporting her mastery of the fine arts, has been shown in galleries from New York to Los Angeles and Chicago.
Climaco is also an instructor at BKLYN Clay and Greenwich House Pottery locations. She’s also dipped into another facet of ceramics by building a community of fellow artists as host of The Ceramics Companion podcast. Students of the Scratch Ceramics can find her during the Intermediate Wheel classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Marta Ziemkiewicz, a Ridgewood native and instructor of Wheel and Handbuilding on Fridays at Scratch Ceramics, sells some of her creations online. In addition to receiving a BFA in ceramics art, she’s continued exploring her passions in her hometown.
Teaching students to become their own Demi Moore or Patrick Swayze from the 1990 film Ghost, but better, is Erica Mao. She teaches hand-building on Wednesdays at Scratch Ceramics and brings with her an extensive history in the arts.
The Ridgewood resident also received her BFA from Parsons School of Design in New York and graduated with an MFA from Columbia University in 2020. She recently held a solo exhibition at the Rachel Uffner Gallery, which has been hosting multigenerational artists since 2008.
On the weekends, Sara Beth Higgins brings three years of teaching experience to the studio with introductory to wheel classes. She, too, has a deep connection to the wheel, used in ceramics making, and has ventured further into the craft of hand building.
Scratch Ceramics officially opens next month and has announced open house days for anyone interested in attending the studio’s classes. More information can be found at scratchceramics.com.
