Entry No. 58 — the Des Moines file — filed under: hands-on
Emily MacFarland Ceramics
Working potter Emily MacFarland teaches small adult wheel-throwing groups (usually three to six students) out of her studio on the fourth floor of Mainframe Studios. Classes walk you through the full process from wedging and centering to throwing, trimming, and glazing, with all materials, tools, and firing costs included. She runs beginning and intermediate sessions through the year, then steps back in late fall to make work for the holidays. It's the most intimate, artist-led way to learn the wheel in the heart of Des Moines.
The story
Up on the fourth floor of Mainframe Studios—the sprawling arts complex on Keosauqua Way—studio #419 isn't set up for passive spectators. This is working potter Emily MacFarland's personal workshop, where the air smells faintly of wet silt and bisqueware. Instead of running a high-volume hobbyist line or packed drop-in craft nights, MacFarland keeps her adult wheel-throwing classes capped at just three to six students at a time.
The approach is practical and deliberate. You aren't handed a pre-centered slab of wet mud and told to play around for an hour. Over four- to six-week evening sessions, MacFarland runs you through the full mechanics of wheel work: wedging out air pockets, wrestling raw clay into center, pulling vertical walls, trimming leather-hard foot rings, and dipping finished pieces into glazes.
When late fall hits, the teaching calendar pauses. MacFarland steps back from instruction entirely to focus on making her own ceramic line for the holiday season. That cycle keeps the studio anchored to actual production studio life—when you're sitting at a wheel in #419, you're learning inside an active artist's working workspace.
What it's like
Head to 900 Keosauqua Way and take the elevator up to the fourth floor. Studio #419 is an intimate room tailored for small groups; with only three to six wheels active, you get direct, continuous instruction rather than having to flag down an instructor. Evening sessions run from 5:30 to 8:00 PM once a week. Wear clothes you don't mind getting splattered with clay slurry, and expect to leave your trimmed mugs and bowls behind for final glazing and kiln firings before picking them up later.
The move: Sit at neighboring wheels learning to center and pull clay, then trim and glaze the mugs or bowls you each threw to fire and pick up later.
📍 Before you go Classes are multi-week sessions (4-6 weeks, evenings 5:30-8:00pm), not a single drop-in, and enrollment is limited to the scheduled sessions she posts.
- 📍 Downtown / River Bend (Mainframe Studios)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 900 Keosauqua Way, Studio #419, Des Moines, IA 50309
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- JJ Gaffers Glass Blowing Studio — Head down to the lower level of Mainframe Studios after class to check out a working glass hot shop under the same roof.
- Inner Space — ZeroBody Dry Float & Salt Lounge — Located just down Keosauqua Way, it's a dry zero-gravity float lounge where you can unwind after a physical evening at the wheel.
- Good News, Darling — Wash the dry glaze off your hands and head downtown to this hidden 26-seat speakeasy tucked behind Hello, Marjorie.
Good to know
Can I show up for a single drop-in night?
No. Classes are structured as multi-week courses (typically 4 to 6 weeks, meeting evenings from 5:30 to 8:00 PM) and require advance registration for scheduled session blocks.
Where is the studio located inside the building?
You'll find Emily MacFarland Ceramics in Studio #419 on the fourth floor of Mainframe Studios (900 Keosauqua Way).
Are materials and firing fees included in class registration?
Yes. All clay, tools, glazes, and firing costs are included in the session enrollment.
Does she run classes all year long?
She schedules beginning and intermediate blocks throughout the year, but takes a hiatus from teaching in late fall to produce her own holiday work.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · mainframestudios.org · Facebook
last checked: 2026-06-23