Since 1980 Fireborn Studios has always been the personal Studios of Daniel Vito and Donna Hetrick. Additionally, it has housed a Gallery featuring primarily their work. However, in a sort of parallel universe, we started teaching children’s classes around the year 2000 as a way for our home schooled son to have fun with kids his age. That endeavor eventually morphed into adult classes with hundreds of students … until finally it dominated our business in our lives. In 2025 we pulled the plug on mega-classes with the intention of regaining our focus… being creative, as studio potters.

However Fireborn has morphed again. We are now offering limited access to our studio, glazes, and firing. See the options at the top of this page. 

Also, many new studios have sprung up and are offering classes, thus accommodating many of our displaced students.

Some former Fireborn students have expressed interested in transitioning into even more independent scenarios – like home studio, or an open studio, or a co-op studio.

To facilitate that journey, in 2024 Fireborn founded Clay Pittsburgh, a non-profit for potters. We also held workshops on Studio Management in March of 2025 Read More  And we built a web page about studio specifications, including a shopping list with prices. Read More

Explore Clay Pittsburgh! Go to the website, become a member, and work with like-minded potters to fulfill your dreams. Read More