A new creative hub has emerged on the corner of Gilbert and Menalto Ave., bringing the joy of pottery to Menlo Park. It’s Spiffy Pottery, a welcoming pottery space for both beginner and experienced artists that owner Jeffrey Liang called “exactly what people need.”
Liang, who grew up in Taipei, Taiwan, began exploring pottery in 2018 as a student at the City College of San Francisco Fort Mason Center with a background in industrial design and fine arts. “I had always been curious about pottery but I had never been able to do it,” he said. “Since I started, I accidentally fell into the rabbit hole of it.”
After graduating, Liang further dove into the world of pottery, working at studios both in his hometown, Taipei, and in San Francisco. With his experience working in different studios, Liang soon sought to create the best one he could. “I’ve been both a studio member and a student, so I have a good reference on what people need and what they care about,” he said.
Liang began to sell his own creations under the name Spiffy in 2022 and eventually opened Spiffy Pottery studio in February.
Another member of the Spiffy team is Victoria Cestari Almeida, a passionate instructor and Program and Studio Operations Associate. Almeida teaches full-time at the studio to both kids and adults. She earned an associate degree in animation at the University of Belas Artes in Brazil and a Bachelors in Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She has experience assisting celebrated sculptor Mario Chiodo while contributing to extensive social justice monuments, as well as assistant teaching at the Academy of Art University and teaching art at a school in Cupertino.
“One of the kids from her classes wrote an essay back at school, explaining how Victoria inspired him. I think it is very touching,” Liang said.
The studio offers four-week classes for children 12 and over as well as one-time workshops. It also has a kids program, with four-week programs for children eight to 11 and workshops offered for kids and teens.
For the studio’s four-week classes, each week is described as having a different objective. For example, week two focuses on foundations and theories, while week three centers around trimming, a step in pottery to cut weight from the piece. “We also do practice hours, so besides the class hour, they can come in and practice and make whatever they want,” Liang said.
At the studio, every step of the pottery process is completed on-site, from start to finish. “We make everything except the clay,” he explained. “Everything is fired in an in-house kiln, and the studio makes their own glazes.”
The studio caters to potters of all skill levels. “We inspire people and explain to them the fun of pottery and why it is so entertaining and easy to get addicted to. That’s our goal,” Liang said.
Joining the studio as a student includes tools, aprons, and a storage shelf. Daily student practice hours take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., fostering learning and community. Another option, to join as a member, includes extra benefits, like an exclusive 50% off all workshops and longer open studio hours, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“We didn’t know how the community would react and how full our classes would be,” Liang said. He worked to solve this challenge by carefully and cautiously with a priority of fulfilling everyone’s needs, and the turnout so far has been strong.
Despite being in only their second month of operations, the studio has a lot on the horizon, including parent-child classes. “People have been asking for them, and we are stoked to provide it,” Liang said. He added that he hopes to expand the studio to another location nearby in a few years.
Liang’s advice to anyone looking to start pottery is not to be afraid to fail or get dirty. “It is a challenge for some people to get used to failures. That’s how we learn, and that’s how we improve,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard to explain to people, especially adults, because they often expect to do things the way they want it. Kids are actually sometimes more accepting about failures. Our specialty is to help people with high expectations of themselves. Part of our job is to comfort them and guide them to success.” Liang said.
You can learn more here or visit Spiffy at 1919 Menalto Ave.
