Where does a mug thrown in Carbondale this fall get fired? Now it depends on which door you walked through. Carbondale Clay Center runs two locations: its longtime studio at 135 Main Street and the new 12th Street Annex at 215 12th Street, Unit D. The two buildings use the same clay and offer the same kinds of classes. They fire at different temperatures, though, and the center's rules keep each pot in the studio where it started.
The Annex runs as a self-contained second studio, and it is meant to keep Carbondale's potters working through the rebuild of the Main Street building planned for 2027.
Two Studios, Two Kiln Temperatures
The Annex runs a Cone 6, or mid-fire, program. The Main Street studio runs Cone 10, high-fire oxidation. The center's FAQ says plainly that the Annex is "STRICTLY a Cone 6 Program" and that its glazes don't work with the Cone 10 program on Main Street.
So students and independent-study participants work only in the studio where their class meets, for the whole session. Each studio has its own storage shelf, glazing setup and kiln for its glazes. Students can't bring work made in one studio to the other. Monthly shelf renters, studio renters and Makers Members can use both studios, as long as each piece is glazed and fired where it was made.
| Main Street Studio | 12th Street Annex | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 135 Main Street | 215 12th Street, Unit D |
| Firing program | Cone 10, high-fire oxidation | Cone 6, mid-fire |
| Studio access | 24/7, unless closed for programming | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily |
| Office hours | Not listed on the Annex page | Monday by appointment; Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed weekends |
| Clay for sale | Yes | Yes, during office hours |
The Annex offers the same mix of programs as Main Street: adult and youth classes, shelf rentals, independent study, Makers Membership and open studio access. Neither studio takes drop-ins. The center sends newcomers to a private lesson, a class, a monthly shelf rental or a Maker membership. If Cone 6 is new to you, the FAQ's answer is to take a class or a private lesson and learn it there.
Why One Building Stopped Being Enough
The Annex exists because the Main Street building ran out of room. Executive Director Angela Bruno explained the problem to Aspen Public Radio in November 2025:
"There's one classroom space to accommodate all of the programming we're trying to do, including studio rentals for artists and an exhibition gallery space that is also inside that same building."
In the same interview, Bruno said every session had a waitlist, and at one point 150 people were on it. One classroom against a waitlist that long explains a lot of the Annex. She also listed poor ventilation, a single bathroom and electrical problems in a building the organization had occupied for 28 years.
The crowding reached past the classroom, too. Marketing and Special Events Coordinator Ashley Hmielowski told the Post Independent in December 2025 that some events, including the annual Cup Auction, had to be held outside the building. That still holds this year. The Cup Auction is set for the RVR Barn.
The Sopris Sun reported the Annex plan on September 24, 2026, quoting Bruno's newsletter. She wrote that the space gives the center "flexibility to meet the increasing demand for more programming and outreach, classes, shelf rentals and studio time as we address waitlists and continue to fundraise toward a new building." The center had aimed to have the Annex running by mid-October. Its Fall II independent-study session is now running at the Annex, from October 19 through December 18.
The Annex Is Built for 2027
The planned new building would sit on the same Main Street lot. The Post Independent reported that the center's Shaping the Future campaign will pay for designing and building a new facility at its current downtown location. As of that December 2025 report, the campaign was trying to raise about $10 million, and it had received a grant from the Boettcher Foundation.
According to the Annex FAQ, as the center works toward a new permanent home in 2027, there may be a stretch without access to the Main Street studio. The Annex will stay open through the project, with less programming, so that all current shelf and studio renters can work there. Makers Members can use it during that time as well.
This is where the firing split matters. When Main Street goes offline, every renter who stays active will be working in a Cone 6 studio. Learning mid-fire glazes this winter gets potters ready for that.
Bruno told Aspen Public Radio that one of the lead architects, Will Young, is a ceramic artist who understands how a studio should flow. She described a planned gabion wall filled with fired ceramics around the outside of the gallery.
Getting to 215 12th Street
According to the center, parking at the Annex works much like it does on Main Street. Sometimes it's easy to find, and sometimes it isn't. The details:
- Two reserved spots sit right in front of the Annex entrance.
- Shared parking runs along the side of the building.
- Street parking is fine as long as driveways stay clear.
- The center encourages walking, biking, carpooling or the Downtowner.
The Annex office is closed on weekends, and the center says those office hours may change. Anyone planning a Saturday clay purchase should check first.
One Season, Four Addresses
Two buildings aren't enough for the Clay Center's November and December calendar either. Events this season run across the Main Street Studio, the Annex, the Main St. Gallery & The Framer at 399 Main Street, and the RVR Barn. Two of them line up with Carbondale's First Fridays.
- Friday, Nov. 6, 5 to 7 p.m.: Blossom by Theo Hirschfield, opening reception. This Guest Artist Series show runs November 6 through 8 at 135 Main Street. The artist talk is at 5:30 p.m. The reception falls on Carbondale Arts' Día de los Muertos First Friday. That event starts at 5 p.m. in Chacos Park and the 4th Street Plaza, and the procession leaves the Third Street Center at 6 p.m. It reaches Chacos Park at 6:45 p.m., when performances by Folklórico, Cumbre Sol, Mezcla Socials Dance, Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra and El Proyecto de Mariachi begin.
- Nov. 9 through Dec. 23: Holiday Invitational. This show hangs at the Main St. Gallery & The Framer, 399 Main Street. The reception is Friday, Nov. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 10, at noon: winter session registration opens for members. Public registration opens Tuesday, Nov. 17, at noon. With a waitlist history like the center's, those times are worth putting on the calendar.
- Sunday, Nov. 15, 1 to 4 p.m.: Holiday Open House at the Annex. Visitors can tour the new studio, drink hot cocoa from Pollinator Chocolate and paint ceramic ornaments while supplies last. PNC Bank is sponsoring the event.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 6 to 8 p.m.: Holiday Invitational sale. This happens back at 399 Main. It's also First Friday and Light Up Carbondale, and Carbondale Arts lists the tree lighting at Weant Boulevard and Main Street at 5:30 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 11: the annual Cup Auction at the RVR Barn.
- Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 4 p.m.: Kids Only Holiday Sale. This one is at the Main Street Studio, and every item costs $10 or less.
The November 15 open house is the only date on that list held at the Annex. It's also the easiest way to see the new studio without signing up for a class. Families heading to the Dec. 15 kids' sale will be in the 28-year-old building the new one will replace.
If your studio, shop or nonprofit is hitting the same limits in Carbondale and needs space that fits both the work and the budget, C&E Group can help with the search and the lease math. Connect with the C&E Team.
