What we're all about
Our goal is provide the best environment possible for you to make pots.
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From the materials, to the studio furniture, to our teachers, to the firing results, to the feeling you get when you walk in the door, we pay attention to the details. We want our students to look forward to each studio visit.
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Our approach is like gardening. The foundation comes from good facilities and materials, and overtop of that is a culture of kindness among our staff. From these conditions, we hope that art and community can grow.
How we came to be
Indigo Fire was established in the summer of 2012 by it's original founder Suchi Mumford. She opened Indigo Fire with a vision of providing a neighborhood art center to locals. A variety of art projects like paint your own pottery, glass fusing, acrylic painting, and jewelry making were initially offered. Suchi let her daughters name the original six wheels: Lola, Diamond, Pancake, Red Sox, Tallulah, and a name that could be lost to history.
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By 2015 Ned had quit banking in Manhattan, moved to Boston and was floating around trying to make the clay life happen. By 2016 Suchi and Ned had partnered together and were slowly shifting the primary focus of the studio to ceramics. In 2018, Ned took over Indigo Fire as the sole owner. By this point the Belmont studio looked much as it does today. We're continually grateful to Suchi for having the bravery to start a studio from scratch and bringing her vision to life.
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Indigo Fire hosts roughly 300 class students each semester and 140 Independent Study Members.
Between the two studios, we squeeze a lot of pottery action. We're primarily a cone 6, oxidation studio although we're very excited about our new soda kiln. We have six different clay bodies, a slew of decorating materials and offer 20+ bucket glazes, most of which are unique recipes.
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One time workshops are available on the weekend. We offer private lessons, group events and kids programming during the summer. Retail tools and Indigo Fire merch are available for purchase at both studios.
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Throughout the year we host visiting artist workshops, a spring sale, a holiday sale and a handful of community events.
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Our potters use nearly 70,000lbs of clay each year!
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Here's a couple reasons we think Indigo Fire stands out as a great studio to make pots
Keepin it just right in the studio
Cleanliness
We keep it clean around here.
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Library
That's right! In both studios. So read up.
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In-house Glazes
Mixing and creating our own glazes opens up endless color and texture possibilities. It also gives us the power to correct glaze issues.
Practice hours
Except for special events, if we're open, students can practice.
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Tools and stuff
The longer you're open as a studio, the more tools, textures, foam, forms etc you acquire. It's a lot of fun!
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Throwing Tables
Both studios are built out so that you have ample room to put tools and wareboards while you're on the wheel.
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Maintenance
Studio wheels, equipment and kilns break down. We have the experience to fix them so that you can count on stuff working when you come in to pot.
Try out clays!
We use a unique system where students have a clay allotment rather than their own bag. This means you can bounce between our clay bodies as you like.
Keepin it real: Community edition
We've worked hard over the years to offer more support to our staff, students, and community.
Staff benefits
Among other benefits, salaried staff get healthcare, dental, 401k, studio membership, and paid time off.
Pay the price on screen
Our listing price for classes, studio membership, workshops, and even retail tools and merch is all inclusive. Taxes are baked in and we eat the fees.
Low sale fees
Participants in our sales pay a modest table fee and keep all pottery sales.
Tuition aid
We award $250 off class registration to five recipients every semester.
Support local fundraising
We donate auction items to schools, community organizations and charities every year to help them raise money.
How we came to be
Indigo Fire was established in the summer of 2012 by it's original founder Suchi Mumford. She opened Indigo Fire with a vision of providing a neighborhood art center to locals. A variety of art projects like paint your own pottery, glass fusing, acrylic painting, and jewelry making were initially offered. Suchi let her daughters name the original six wheels: Lola, Diamond, Pancake, Red Sox, Tallulah, and a name that could be lost to history.
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By 2015 Ned had quit banking in Manhattan, moved to Boston and was floating around trying to make the clay life happen. In 2016 Suchi and Ned partnered together and were slowly shifting the primary focus of the studio to ceramics. In 2018, Ned took over Indigo Fire as the sole owner. By this point the Belmont studio looked much as it does today. We're continually grateful to Suchi for having the bravery to start a studio from scratch and bringing her vision to life. Suchi is currently the executive director of Artspace Maynard.
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Indigo Fire Watertown was opened in 2021. The studio has certainly grown since this time, though a lot of that growth has been on the back end. Ned isn't known for planning, and it's taken a long time to refine our staff structure, policies, and studio operations.
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Did you know Melissa Emrey-Arras has been potting at Indigo Fire longer than Ned?
