Built for Belonging
After 60 years of leadership, innovation, and arts excellence, Pottery Northwest is more than a state-of-the-art studio. Our new home in South Lake Union is a welcoming third space, built so people from every walk of life can create, connect, and belong.
We’re Moving to South Lake Union
“Our facility is purposefully built to be a vibrant community hub, bringing people together through creative clay making. We’re excited to educate and inspire our community as we strengthen Seattle’s creative economy while expanding equitable access to the arts. —Ed King, Executive Director
Why the Move?
For years, we’ve made incredible work happen in a basement studio in Pioneer Square with very little visibility, no windows, no hot running water, and no gas lines for our gas kiln programming. Despite those limits, our community has grown into something remarkable, and now we’re ready for a home that matches that growth and our commitment to being a welcoming space that promotes diverse artists.
Our new studio in South Lake Union will change what’s possible for Pottery Northwest. The space is a former glassblowing studio, already built to handle the kind of power our kilns need. It’s at street level, filled with natural light, and visible to the neighborhood in a way our current space never has been. Getting here will be easier too, with free parking for all PNW participants and easier access by bus.
This move means we can do more of what matters: promoting the work of diverse artists, growing our free and reduced-cost youth programming, expanding scholarships, and welcoming more people who haven’t always felt at home in an art studio.
Be Bold.
Build Joy.
To bring this vision to life, Pottery Northwest invites you to Be Bold & Build Joy with a $3 million relocation campaign to fund the construction and activation of our new home. Join our journey by investing in a ceramics institution that celebrates creativity, accessibility, and belonging — laying the groundwork for decades of sustainability and impact.
Join the Circle of Donors Supporting Our Relocation
Your name can be part of Pottery Northwest’s new home in South Lake Union, permanently or for years to come.
Digital Name Display (2 years)
$100 — Regular size display
$350 — Medium size display
$900 — Full-screen feature
Permanent Recognition (Forever)
$1,500 — Studio wall name, regular
$3,500 — Studio wall name, large
$5,000 — Name on a kiln + Regular digital display
$10,000 — Name on a kiln + large studio wall name
$25,000+ — Large season naming + 2027 exhibition season sponsor
$100,000+ — Please connect with us directly!
Questions? Contact development@potterynorthwest.org.
A New Home for Clay, Community, and Joy!
The studio is a bold, purpose-built facility that reflects what a ceramic arts institution can be and what Seattle deserves.
10,000sqft of Clay Amazingness:
A former glassblowing studio, already built to handle the power our kilns need
Street-level space with natural light and street visibility
Gas and soda kilns at full power for the first time
Street-level gallery and retail
Large studio classrooms
Exhibitions, artist talks, and workshops
ADA-compliant design and enhanced HVAC safety systems
Free parking for all PNW participants, plus easier access by bus
2025 By the Numbers
This is what your support makes possible today.
Our move to South Lake Union means we can do even more of it.
2,700
people enrolled in our programs and classes
$165,000
awarded in scholarships to make ceramics and art classes accessible
16
free and reduced-cost youth programming sessions, reaching 277 youth
39
low-cost community programs, including Black Community Clay Night, Trans Clay Night, and Noche Latina, in partnership with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Arte Noir, and Lambert House
See What Pottery Northwest Participants Have to Say
“Everyone in the studio had a positive and welcoming vibe, from the students to the staff... It’s hard not to feel welcome in an environment like that. I also appreciated the very obvious markers of queer acceptance, being queer myself.”
— Spring 2024 participant“I see people of all backgrounds and ages all being welcomed and enjoying working with clay. Also, other programs, like those supporting at-risk youth and other vulnerable populations, demonstrate PNW’s core values.”
— Spring 2025 participant“I am extremely grateful for the BIPOC scholarship, as I would not be able to take classes without it. I appreciate PNW’s acknowledgement of income disparities within Black and POC communities. Thank you.”
— Winter 2024 participantWhere is the
new location?
Located at 2250 7th Avenue (corner of 7th& Bell), the new facility joins creative neighbors JazzEd and Gage Academy of Art, establishing South Lake Union as a new arts hub in Seattle’s downtown core.