"I feel like pottery at MSU is a really fun and unique community," experience architecture sophomore Jane Moore said. "The studio is separate from the rest of campus, the vibe is separate, I think it's really cool."

Moore took her first ceramics class in high school where she learned to create hand-built sculptures. This inspired her to take a wheel throwing class when she got to MSU.

"It took over my life," she said. "And I loved it."

Clay Club allows any MSU student who has prior experience in ceramics to use the studio for a few hours a week and create whatever they want for a small studio fee.

"It's really fun to get to know people and see what they're doing," Moore said. "Everyone has a different style." 

Although Clay Club is now an RSO, it has unofficially been on campus for a long time.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Clay Club was a staple to the art department. However, since ceramics could not be transferred over to a virtual setting, the club eventually disappeared, even after classes returned to campus.

It wasn’t until the fall of 2022 when two MSU ceramics students, Liz Vadella and Nahom Ghebredngl revitalized the club.

"They laid the foundation for us," studio art senior Cam Carmichael, one of the co-presidents of Clay Club, said. "They revived this club and now I have been working on getting us registered, and Ashley (the other co-president) has been doing a lot of the scheduling. There's a lot of love and care that goes behind the scenes."

Now that Clay Club is re-registered with MSU, they have regained access to their bank account and club funds. Carmichael is hopeful that will allow the club to purchase new materials and host more events for club members in the future.

One of the main Clay Club events hosted at the end of every semester is the bi-annual sale held in the Kresge Art Center. Every member of Clay Club can choose some of their pieces they made and sell it to the public through the Clay Club sale. Members get to choose their own prices and keep 75% of the earnings, while the rest goes into the club fund.

"It's a really cool experience where students can practice art vendoring," Carmichael said.

The sale also allows students the freedom to try new things, knowing their pieces won't be wasted.

"It's nice to know I can experiment with things that might not be my personal style or try new techniques," Moore said. "If I don’t like it I can put it towards the sale and show people the weird stuff I've made and hope they are into it."

Getting to see everyone’s work is one of studio art senior Ashley Romps’ favorite parts of the club.

"There's a lot of talent and creativity and it's cool to see that," Romps said. "It's fun to be able to help people, and to have that space where people can feel included."