Craft Center

The Craft Center door

Online Registration Now available!

The Craft Center is a safe and welcoming place for people with an artistic attitude to create, and learn to create, works of art from various of disciplines. It features Classes, labs and equipment for ceramics, photography, textiles, glass, wood, jewelry, arts and graphics, welding, and screenprinting. It is open to the general public as well as students and university affiliates (which includes UC Davis alumni).

The Craft Center offers Classes, Equipment and space to learn and create

The Craft Center offers introductory and advanced level classes, like Beginning Glass Vessels or Wood Puzzle Boxes. Instructors are friendly students and members of the Davis and Sacramento Community. If you're not sure about what class to take, be sure to check out the class evaluations binder at the front desk. You can easily look up the classes you're interested in and see how past students rated the class. Make sure to check out the new website that includes course descriptions, pricing and online registration. Online registration opens on the first day of each academic quarter. Register sooner rather than later, since classes may be cancelled if enrollment is low.

Classes that are greater than 2 days normally offer a studio pass, which allows you to use that studio at your leisure until the quarter ends. This assumes that you have attained the proper safety training for the specific studio.

If you've already taken a class, the craft center also offers open use passes which allow you to work in the studio on your own time during open hours. Pricing options for both classes and quarter passes are lower if you're enrolled at UC Davis or have a membership at the ARC Facility. This relations ship is called A&B pricing, Students and ARC members enjoy "A" pricing (A perk of their tuition or ARC membership payments, Be jealous) "B" Price for the general public/community. In addition to quarter passes, The Craft Center offers day passes, great for short 1 day projects. Conveniently, day pass purchases count toward the purchase of a quarter pass (excludes ceramics, glass fusing).

The Craft Center is a community facility and therefore welcomes volunteers from the general public. Volunteers enjoy reduced pricing on classes and studio use benefits. To volunteer you may inquire in person at the Craft Center.

Craft Center instructors get free use of the center, among other perks. Check for "Instructors Needed" fliers for specific classes, or suggest your own. Potential instructors/TAs will be subject to an interview process, regardless of whether they already volunteer.

They also have an art gallery, which you can view during regular hours. Following the Craft Center CraftPalooza there is a Craft Center Silent Auction.

Looking from the South (e.g. Bainer Hall or the Hog Barn relocation) toward the South Silo, this is where the Craft Center entrance is

2008-01-11 17:17:59   Is the Craft Center open in the summer time? Normal hours or reduced hours? Do you have to enroll in a class to use facilities or just pay the fees? —JasonDunne

2008-10-03 20:09:44   JasonDunne: I stayed here this past summer, and the Craft Center was indeed open during summer sessions at slightly reduced hours. If you already know how to use the equipment or something, or have already taken a class there, you can usually just pay the fees. To use the welding and woodworking studios, however, you have to have taken a beginning class or a one-day qualification class to show that you really know what you're doing, as a safety precaution. More info on the Craft Center website says:

"All of our studios are available for use whenever classes are not in session. If you are already skilled in a craft area, then you can buy a Day Use Pass or a Quarter Use Pass to use the facility. After the fifth week of the quarter, you may purchase a quarter pass at a reduced rate. If you register for a class that includes a class pass for a studio, you may purchase a quarter pass to use additional studios for 30 percent off the regular price. Studios require an orientation before use for the first time."

Edit: Oh gosh, I just realized the article already says this stuff. I hope having the info written out in three different ways is more clarifying than confusing. —AmyChow

2011-03-05 22:39:34   This place is great. If you're artsy, come here and prove it. Open house on Picnic day! —ChrisWilson

2011-11-19 17:48:35   Perhaps this is unusual? Calling 15 minutes before closing, and the answering machine doesn't tell you how to speak to a live person, nor does it take a message. Not what I would expect of a "welcoming" place. —DougWalter - Sorry about that Doug, closing time is busy. The volunteers were helping users check tools back in or out in the studios cleaning up.

2013-07-15 14:17:55   Watch out for hidden material fees and misleading course descriptions—the craft center management does not take responsibility when the class does not match what is stated in its catalog and you can end up wasting both time and money. —BlakeStimson