BY KADIE TAYLOR
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Still Point Clay Atelier is opening in Auburn, with an Open House on Saturday, March 21, from 1 to 5 p.m. Locals now have a new way to explore clay, with many classes planned to provide a space for beginners and experienced ceramists alike.
Founder and Creative Director Annika Lee said she began learning wheel-throwing pottery 13 years ago after trying it for her birthday one year as a way to reduce stress. As she began to improve her skills, she said she fell in love with the process of producing pottery. In 2022, Lee said she and her husband moved to Auburn, and for the last three years she has been teaching wheel-thrown pottery through Auburn Parks and Recreation.
“I think there’s definitely a place for what Auburn Parks and Rec can offer — they do a great job there, and I’ve been so blessed to be a part of the programs and to get my start in Auburn teaching,” she said. “I want to shout out Emillie Dombrowski, who does a phenomenal job, and all the techs at the Jan Dempsey Ceramic Studio. What we’re going to be able to offer at Still Point Clay Atelier is a more curated experience. I like to say, ‘We celebrate the beauty of smallness,’ so being more tailored, we’re going to be able to offer some refinement for our members. Memberships will be rolling out in the fall of 2026, people will have access to the studio from early until late. We’re still working out the details on those hours, but we’re looking at being able to offer independent studio membership to folks that the parks and rec schedule can’t accommodate. And while the price point is going to be different — and it may affect some of our parks and rec members who definitely appreciate the value the program offers — for those who are interested in a more tailored and refined, curated experience, I think it’s going to be great.”
Lee said Still Point Clay Atelier will offer a variety of classes, from Fool Around and Find Out Friday night fun to multi-week courses, to help locals find the same love in pottery that she does.
“Our adult group classes are going to start on Monday, March 23 — we’ll have four to six-week sessions for beginner and intermediate [levels] as we roll out our adult programs,” she said. “Our youth programs will begin enrolling shortly. We already have the dates for some summer camps, and we are going to be opening some more family options — like mommy and me type classes — once we refine our [procedures] for cleanup, wear processing, firing schedule and all of that. But the adult classes are rolling out strong with Beginner Wheel Classes on Monday nights, Wednesday nights, Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons, along with some special events that people can find on the website. We’re also going to have monthly Matinee and Clay events where we feature a local musician, so you’ll come and throw to the sounds of a live serenade.”
Along with classes, Lee said she is open to hosting private events where locals can celebrate life moments while spinning clay.
“If people want to contact us for private group activities, like a team-building class, fun party opportunities or bridal showers, we’re available as well for private events and private lessons,” she said.
Before moving to Auburn, Lee said she lived in New Orleans, where she had a close community in a local pottery studio and saw the impact of camaraderie and hands-on creativity in herself and the others in the group. As she grows Still Point Clay Atelier, Lee said she is excited to bring that same experience and connection to Auburn-Opelika.
“Something in the mud — it’s sticky — it binds people, and when we can meet with what binds us, beautiful things are created,” she said. “For a busy mom who just needs some alone time, who needs some grown folks time or needs a break — I’ve seen it work wonders for friends and colleagues. Maybe it is someone in a stressful job, maybe it’s someone who’s experienced trauma — a number of my students past and present work as counselors, psychologists or they’re in school training for that. It’s come up a lot that it would be wonderful to offer some type of art therapy class at Still Point — which we’re absolutely open to hosting — I don’t have that training, but I’m certainly willing to partner with our wonderful community organizations or experts from the university. I certainly would love to host veterans or crisis survivors, and I think that it can be a medium to unlock physically and liberate us from some past traumas. For me personally, I found it a meditative practice, and I found it literally centering. It can provide an escape from reality and people can use that either as a time for reflection, prayer, contemplation or just to tune the world out, reset and recenter.”
With an increasingly technological world, Lee said she hopes Still Point Clay Atelier will be a space where locals can escape the scroll and spin pottery with their community.
“We can’t yet see what lies ahead with the AI revolution, and I think that increasingly people are going to want to seek out real human interaction and real connection with the elements — touching, feeling, smelling and experiencing in real life — is going to be increasingly valuable for people,” she said. “I look forward to Still Point Clay Atelier being an outlet for people to reconnect, to enjoy real human interaction and to thrive.”
For more information, visit www.stillpointauburn.com. Still Point Clay Atelier is located at 1775 Opelika Rd., Suite 4, Auburn.
