Walking into McQueen Pottery doesn’t feel intimidating. It feels lived-in.
Clay dust lingers in the air, shelves are stacked with finished pieces and works in progress, and conversations carry easily across the studio. It’s a space where people come to learn, create and connect, whether they’ve been working with clay for years or are touching a pottery wheel for the first time.
McQueen Pottery began as a way to make art more accessible in Maryville, TN. Owner Leanne McQueen said the pottery studio started with a simple goal: to create a place where people could engage with art in a hands-on, approachable way.
“I wanted it to be a space where people could actually touch the process,” McQueen said, “not just look at finished work.”
What began as a teaching studio slowly expanded as opportunities arose, eventually growing into both a community ceramics school and a production pottery business. McQueen said the growth was not something she carefully mapped out, but something that happened naturally as she followed what felt right. At the time, she was in graduate school and faced a choice between continuing in academia or building something rooted in clay. She chose the latter.
Today, McQueen Pottery operates as two connected spaces. One focuses on production pottery, creating dinnerware and custom pieces for chefs and restaurants. The other serves as a teaching studio, offering classes for kids, teens and adults. Visitors can sign up for anything from a one-time, two-hour wheel class to semester-long courses, along with hand-building and technique-based workshops.
For instructor Eva Blankenship, the teaching side of McQueen Pottery, known as Studio 212 Arts, is what makes the studio stand out. Blankenship teaches one-time wheel classes and adult wheel courses, and she said the hands-on approach sets the studio apart. “Several places let you paint pottery, but here, people get to actually make the pieces themselves,” Blankenship said.
One aspect that keeps people coming back is the atmosphere within the studio.
“Everything always feels upbeat, excited and welcoming,” Blankenship said. “People who are brand new are excited to be here, and people who’ve been doing ceramics for years are just as passionate.”
She added that newcomers are often surprised by how much work fills the shelves and by how long the pottery process takes. Finished pieces require multiple steps, including drying, firing and glazing, which means students do not leave with their work the same day.
That patience is central to how McQueen views pottery itself. She described it as “art of the everyday,” explaining that the pieces are meant to be used, not displayed behind glass. Plates, bowls and mugs become part of daily life, quietly woven into family routines and shared meals.
Community remains at the core of the studio. McQueen said she has always wanted the space to feel collaborative and supportive, a place where people learn from one another and feel comfortable creating. That sense of connection is something Blankenship knows well. She began taking classes at McQueen Pottery when she was 8 years old and now teaches in the same studio. “This place has always felt like a second home to me,” Blankenship said.
McQueen hopes people who have never visited will stop by and experience the space for themselves, whether they are interested in taking a class, browsing handmade pottery or simply seeing how the process works.
At its heart, McQueen Pottery is not just about clay. It is about creating space for learning, creativity and community, one piece at a time.
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