Entry No. 44 — the Pueblo file — filed under: hands-on
Sangre de Cristo Arts & Conference Center - School of Arts
Pueblo's anchor arts institution runs a year-round School of Arts with real studio classes in clay and glass, not just gallery-walking. Couples can book wheel-throwing lessons, drop into the Clay Open Studio for a few hours, or take an Intermediate Glass Workshop or a single-session 'Pick Your Projects' glass class. The clay open-studio passes (a few hours for around $15-$25) make it easy to just show up, get muddy, and make something on the wheel.
The story
Most people pull off I-25 at exit 98B, walk past the concrete facade of Pueblo’s 1972-era regional arts complex, and assume they are in for standard gallery-walking. But behind the formal exhibit spaces of the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center lies its active engine room: a year-round School of Arts built around actual production studios rather than passive observation.
Instead of keeping visitors behind stanchions, the facility operates dedicated clay and glass spaces where you can handle wet earth and heated glass. You can take multi-week wheel-throwing courses, sign up for single-session 'Pick Your Projects' glass workshops, or simply pay around $15 to $25 for a Clay Open Studio pass, take a seat at an open wheel, and see if you can pull a straight wall without collapsing it.
What it's like
Park in the free lot at 210 N Santa Fe Avenue and head straight past the main lobby toward the studio rooms. Open studio sessions run on select weekdays and Saturdays between 10am and 4pm. Expect the working rhythm of a real ceramics lab: clay splatter, wet sponges, shelves stacked with drying greenware, and the continuous hum of pottery wheels. Structured glass and wheel-throwing classes sell out and require advance registration online, but open studio passes let you drop in to get your hands dirty on your own schedule.
The move: Buy two Clay Open Studio passes and spend an afternoon side by side at the pottery wheels making bowls.
📍 Before you go Open Studio runs select weekdays/Saturday 10am-4pm; wheel and glass classes are scheduled and may require sign-up in advance.
- 📍 Downtown Pueblo
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 210 N Santa Fe Ave, Pueblo, CO 81003
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- The Breaker Arcade Bar — Walk one block down Santa Fe Avenue after your studio session to wash off the clay dust over arcade cabinets and drinks.
- The Clink Lounge — Head three blocks south to grab a drink behind an original 1940s solitary-confinement lockout door.
- Colorado Center for Metal Arts — Pair a clay-and-glass day with a look into Pueblo's serious community metalsmithing and jewelry-making studio less than a mile away.
Good to know
Can I just drop in to use the pottery wheels?
Yes. The Clay Open Studio allows drop-in access on select weekdays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm for around $15 to $25 per session. Guided wheel and glass classes require booking ahead.
Where do I park?
The complex has its own free parking lot right off I-25 at exit 98B in downtown Pueblo.
What glass workshops are offered?
The studio offers single-session glass options like 'Pick Your Projects' alongside technical Intermediate Glass Workshops depending on the seasonal schedule.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: sdc-arts.org · Yelp · uchealth.org · my.sdc-arts.org
last checked: 2026-06-23