I own a pottery studio. I work with clay. I started offering paint your own pottery as a creative outlet for clients about 15 years ago as well as teaching classes in hand building and the wheel. Throughout this adventure of Entrepreneurship I have seen many fads come and go in the ceramic industry. A collective group formed (which used to be free and now they charge us $400 a year to volunteer to help other studios-go figure) and the group "helps" studios expand their businesses. However, they really just market the next "art fad" and encourage studio owners to invest in offering these fads. I have seen beading, mosaics, t-shirt printing, silver clay, glass fusion and now canvas painting all come and go. Studio owners investing in areas they have no expertise in, crafts-not art, which in my opinion Michael's already does a pretty good job offering DIY projects. I am particularly opposed to the amount of studios now offering "cork and canvas" nights for ladies. Sure, add wine and people will come??? First of all drinking doesn't aid in your ability to paint a canvas, but may however make you not care that it looks like crap. Not to mention the drinking and driving home after the activity. Children see the marketing on Pottery Studio facebook pages and it sends a wrong message. But these cork and canvas nights are very popular making me wonder about the level of intelligence of the women who flock in droves. This too will be a phase, how many paint by number paintings can one do before getting bored-even with the numbing affects of alcohol the "buzz" will only last so long. The Ceramic Studio industry as a whole would be better off adding new bisque shapes, improving their glazes, offering more paint on pottery techniques, and stop letting people who know NOTHING about ceramics open make believe pottery studios as a front for a bar. -Meg Jones Weirdgirl Creations Pottery Studio Barrington RI2