Hello!

Nice to meet you. Our studio opportunities are below:

CURRENT OPENINGS - Updated January 2026

Studio Manager Currently Not Available

Studio Manager position wanted. Our ideal candidate is currently pursuing or has recently completed an MFA in Ceramics, bringing advanced technical knowledge in firing, casting, and all other studio processes, along with a deep appreciation for the creative potential of the medium. The role offers a unique opportunity to take an active hand in the daily operations of a small, dynamic studio while learning directly from Kazu. Our starting rate and hours are $22/hr and at least two half days per week. The rate will increase to $25/hr after100 hours of training at $22, and to $30/hr or more if you can demonstrate to be a part of the production team. Full job posting here. Start date: early 2026.

Studio Assistants

Studio Assistants are paid positions to assist all aspects of ceramic studio operations under the direct supervision of Kazu Oba. Our starting rate and hours are $15/hr and at least two half days per week. The rate will increase to $20/hr after becoming familiar with our practices, and to $25 if you are providing your expertise in the areas, not limited to ceramic studio operations, such as glaze chemistry, kiln maintenance, mold making, photography, videography, etc. No open studio hours (hands-on training on the wheel) available at the current studio location.

If interested, please send an email including a cover letter, resume, and visual samples of your ceramic work, if available.

Mentorship/Internship (formally Studio Buddy)

Join a hands-on, immersive learning experience as a student under Kazu’s guidance.

Studio Responsibilities

Afternoons, from 1 to 5 PM, are dedicated to essential studio tasks such as reclaiming clay, preparing glazes, treating surfaces, and loading/unloading kilns.

Guided Wheel Throwing Practice

Between 5 and 7 PM (and often beyond 7), you'll have focused throwing time with Kazu, following a structured curriculum tailored to your growth.

Commitment

A commitment of one day (1pm- 7pm) per week. If you need to miss your scheduled day for any reasons, that’s ok, you just need to notify us ahead of time and make up the time by either contributing on some project remotely or coming to the studio on another day.

Additional Notes:

This description is a starting point and can be adjusted based on your needs and abilities. Please be aware that some studio tasks require heavy lifting and working with messy materials—we embrace the creative mess! We train only the dedicated, committed and inspired individuals. If it doesn’t have to be this studio for you to learn pottery, we encourage you to try your local studio.

To Apply:

Fill out the form - here

Two to Three months Short Term Live-in/commuting Apprenticeship　短期の住み込み修行（内弟子）

Currently Not Available

Have you considered becoming a pro?

We accept someone who, as a child, could disappear into clay, someone drawn to earth, to making by hand, and to the shared pleasure of good food.

Someone who has already begun this path, through school, apprenticeship, or communal-studio work, now standing in the in-between, preparing for what comes next.

Or someone who has established an independent practice, yet still feels the desire to look outward, to learn through proximity, observation, and daily work.

You may be completely new to ceramics.
You may come from food, hospitality, or the culinary arts, curious about the vessels that carry a meal and how form, weight, and surface shape the experience of dining.

Experience matters less than attention, humility, and curiosity.

Those new to pottery are welcome.
Those with a serious interest in craft and growth are especially welcome.

A small note on tradition…

In Japan, pottery is often taught through close, daily practice, watching, assisting, repeating, sharing meals, and learning through the body as much as through words.

Even something as simple as the direction a wheel turns carries meaning.

In Japan, most potters throw the wheel clockwise.
In much of the Western world, the wheel turns counterclockwise.

In the kick-wheel traditions I studied, Karatsu pottery, an old Korean method, clay is shaped clockwise, then trimmed in the opposite direction.
There are practical and historical reasons for this, stories we share in the studio, not as rules, but as context.

Although counterclockwise rotation is common in the United States, the wheels in this studio are encouraged to turn clockwise.

But technique is only the surface.

At O’baware, what matters most is a genuine love for food and vessels, and an openness to learning through making, living, and sharing.

This is not only a pottery apprenticeship.
We cook, eat, work, and spend time together, sharing knowledge, responsibility, and daily life with a small group of serious, committed peers.

If this resonates with you, please reach out.
Details will be shared upon inquiry.

One final note, meals are prepared on a rotating basis.
We believe in sharing food from the same table and becoming kiln-mates in the truest sense.

小さい頃粘土遊びに没頭した人。土や自然が大好きな人。ご飯を食べるのが大好きな人。

職業訓練校・陶芸作家に弟子入り・陶芸教室での勤務などを経験し、独立への準備期間中の人。

独立を成し遂げたあと、さらに広い世界を見て高みを目指したい人。

陶芸は素人でも、料理のプロで料理を盛る器のことをもっと知りたい人。

陶芸分野の素人さんはもちろん、そんな志の高い方々も大歓迎です！

余談ですが…

日本人はほぼ皆さん、時計回りでロクロを引きますよね。実は西洋では逆なんです！

私が学んだような蹴ロクロの文化圏（唐津など）では水引きは時計回り、削りは反時計回りに引きます。

それぞれの理由を知っていますか？答え合わせはぜひスタジオにて！

ちなみにアメリカでは反時計回りが主流ですが、このスタジオでは時計回りにロクロを引いています。

閑話休題、O'bawareでは器を愛する心があればどんな方でも大歓迎です。

本気の仲間と陶芸を超えて食住を共にし、自分は知る限りをシェアします。

興味がある人は、ぜひご連絡ください。詳細は追って連絡します。

因みに、食事は当番制です。同じ釜の飯を分かち合う、同じ窯仲間になりましょう！