By: Ella Chavoustie
After outgrowing pottery classes that were taught at The Art League of Jacksonville, Cat Plesco opened Jacksonville Pottery Studio in 2020, but relocated to their new location off Phillips highway in 2023. The business has grown into one of Jacksonville’s most successful pottery studios, and continues to grow every year.
Jacksonville Pottery Studio offers classes that cater to every artist, whether they have never touched clay before, or have decades of experience. You can enjoy a sip and spin class, where you bring your own beverage and try your hand at the pottery wheel. JPS also offers introductory classes that are five weeks long, as well as open studio memberships so students can begin to master the art of ceramics. In these classes, you’ll learn how to prepare clay for the wheel, throw and trim pots, and glaze the pieces you have created.
Studio assistant Hannah Middlebrooks was hired at JPS shortly after she graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in ceramics. Since then, she has been busy teaching pottery courses, helping around the studio, and creating pots of her own. Middlebrooks has been creating with clay since she was in high school, and her goal as a teacher is to bring joy and fun into what can seem like an intimidating atmosphere. She said she loves being an active member of her community and meeting people that she never would have crossed paths with outside of class.
The ceramics community has always been a safe space for Hannah, and wants to keep creating a space for every person who is curious about the arts. Since the start of her teaching journey, Hannah said that collaborating with students has not only helped her grow as a person, but an artist too.