Teachers
Clayhem's instructors are experienced professionals, friendly teachers, and above all, inspiring motivators.
Open positions
Veli-Matti Järvelä is a 3D designer who has found a passion for working with clay. He enjoys both throwing on the wheel and hand-building, making everything from cups to sculptures, drawing inspiration from games and fantasy worlds. For Veli-Matti, ceramics is a space to experiment, explore, and get excited about discovering something new. He is a calm and welcoming tutor who enjoys meeting new people and sharing his skills.
Veli-Matti teaches in both Finnish and English.
Danielle Yukari is a Japanese-Brazilian artist who has been working with clay as her main medium for the past 10 years. She creates functional objects that often feel like sculptures, and sculptures that can be repurposed into practical tools. For the past 4 years, Yukari has taught wheel throwing and hand-building classes in Los Angeles and New York, before relocating to Finland.
You can check more of her work here: www.danielleyukari.com
Danielle teaches in English.
Elina Sallinen graduated from the Kuopio Academy of Design in 2003 and completed her pedagogical studies in 2005 at the Lahti Institute of Design. Elina has produced her own functional object designs as well as manufacturing for other designers and companies.
Currently, Elina works in teaching both children and adults. Her passion for ceramics was ignited at the age of 8 during a clay work course at the Kuhmo youth center, and she finds ceramics as fun and exciting now as she did then.
Elina is a hands-on, encouraging, and empathetic teacher.
Getting started with ceramics at Clayhem’s Kallio studio is easy
If you already know the basics of wheel throwing, hand building and working with clay, you can join the studio as a member. With a monthly pass, you can come in and create independently whenever it suits your schedule.Our doors are also open to beginners!
If you’re excited about ceramics but starting from scratch, we offer an introductory course as well as several technique-focused continuation courses. We recommend beginning with a course if you’re new to the craft.
All courses and monthly passes are available in our course store.
The first step: Clayhem’s basic course – Ceramics for beginners
You don’t need to master pinching or sgraffito on your very first try — we’ll teach you! One of the best things about working with clay is how quickly your own style starts to show after just a few technique classes.
Clayhem’s beginners’ course helps you learn the essential foundations of ceramics. Our teachers are experienced and inspiring ceramic designers: Elina Sallinen, Sami Rinne and Danielle Yukari.After the hand-building beginners’ course, it’s easy to move on to the other two techniques. Our slip casting course and wheel throwing course are both popular next steps at Clayhem’s Kallio studio.
Our courses fill up quickly, but don’t worry if you don’t see an available spot right now — we open new courses all the time. We also announce new courses and studio news on Instagram, so make sure to follow us at @clay_hem.
The second step: Clayhem membership
When the clay starts to respond and the coil technique feels like second nature, we recommend becoming a member. There’s an old studio truth: the best way to grow in ceramics is simply by making more. We want to offer our members the freedom to create in our modern studio in Kallio, Helsinki. A monthly membership lets you work with clay at your own pace and on your own schedule – without hurry. Or in a hurry, if that’s your style.
Clayhem memberships are sold in one-month and multi-month packages, and you can choose the option that suits you best. As a member, you can access the studio during normal opening hours, store your pieces on your own shelf, use our basic glazes, and freely use all shared tools and equipment. Clay and additional glazes are also available for purchase at the studio. We charge a small fee for firing, and the prices can be found in the Studio section.
You can purchase your membership in our course store, and it will be activated by emailing our studio manager, Elina Sallinen, at studio@clayhem.fi.
Welcome to our ceramics studio in Kallio!
When you arrive at Clayhem for the first time, please check in at the office. During your first visit, we’ll give you a short tour of the studio and walk you through how everything works.
We’re also happy to answer questions by email or phone:
studio@clayhem.fi
044 781 1161
Please note that we are usually in the studio from Tuesday to Friday between 12:00 and 17:00. And when we are there, our hands are often covered in clay. So please don’t worry if it takes a little while for us to reply.
Address: Franzeninkatu 22, 00530 Helsinki.
Clayhem’s ceramics studio is located in the heart of Kallio with excellent public transport connections. The Fleminginkatu bus stops, the Helsinginkatu tram stops, and both Hakaniemi and Sörnäinen metro stations are all close by.