Who we are…

Studio Manzanita is a welcoming pottery and craft studio dedicated to celebrating all visual art practices from our global community.

Our facilities

 Our ceramic studio hosts 12 wheels, several large heavy duty work tables, plenty of storage for members and classes, 2 kilns, a slab roller, extruder, and a number of house glazes and varieties of clay for purchase.

Conveniently located off the 15 and Camino Del Norte/Rancho Bernardo exits, we have an open studio with plenty of storage for ongoing work. While we primarily function as a ceramics studio, we do plan to offer other craft workshops such as rug tufting, sewing, and printmaking for block and screen printing and other cultural or process based crafts.

Our values

  • Everyone is welcome - make space for yourself and others

  • It takes courage to make art - respect what others are making; take ownership of your work.  Be kind and generous with yourself, your art, others and their art. Be humble

  • Integrity + honesty

Why “craft” studio and not “art” studio?

 There has been a long standing assumption that “art” is more valuable in the eyes of society than “craft” when in reality there is little difference between them. The difference being which practices are chosen to be valued over others. We believe ALL forms of art are valuable and that practices of every medium deserve celebration and recognition.

The argument that “craft” is about how well an object is made and its function vs “art” being about meaning, thought and emotion over form is one that dominates general understandings of the two. However we feel that craft can hold just as much meaning and emotion and evoke as many questions as a work of art can. Similarly, a work of art can simply be about the quality of the lines, the rendering of the image or just the joy of the processes and nothing beyond that. To put simply, we feel there really isn’t much difference between them. They embody the same places and mediums and traverse the same conceptual territories. They are separated only by how they are declared and where we place value in that declaration.

Studio Manzanita recognizes the rich and deep histories and modern practices of the lesser represented craftspeople, artists and other makers. Our use of the word “craft” instead of “art” is not to devalue the mainstream perspective of “fine art” but to celebrate and give space for all art and craft practices.


Meet the Studio

Meha Senthil

Meha doesn’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t making art or learning about the art traditions around her: from asking a friend to teach her how to spin sisal strands together to weave a kiondoo (traditional Kenyan basket) to learning about paper binding and printing from a fifth generation book binder on a recent visit to Florence to researching how intricate Islamic mosaics can be  made with just a compass and a straight edge, Meha is always ready to be inspired!

Meha grew up in Kenya in a home with open doors: long term guests, last minute dinner visitors and lunch with friends who just happened to pop by were the norm and Meha’s mom explained the controlled chaos using the gujarati proverb that translates to “every grain of rice has the name of the person who’s going to eat written on it.” Despite identifying as an introvert, Meha loved this warm, curious and connected community and brings this welcoming attitude wherever she goes, and especially at Studio Manzanita 

Meha studied Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and has an MBA from the University of Chicago.  She has worked in Consulting, Energy and was on the Changemaker Faculty and Empathy team co-lead at her children’s K-12 school in Bangalore (Inventure Academy).  She is actively involved in a number of volunteer organizations including Boy Scouts of America, Kate’strees.org, Friends of Los Pen,  Westview Theatre Company, and PTSAs and School Foundations at Mesa Verde Middle and Westview High and more.  She was named one of PUSD’s “Volunteers of the Year” in 2025 for her work on the Nature Mural project and associated nature learning at Mesa Verde Middle School.

Meha also enjoys gardening and hiking San Diego’s open spaces with her dog Ella and their friends (human and canine). 

Founder

Yasmine Kasem

Yasmine Kasem has joined studio Manzanita as the Director and Studio Manager.  She earned her BFA in Sculpture at Herron School of Art and Design at IU and her MFA at the University of California San Diego.

She is a California Arts Council award winning artist and has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and Museums across the US ( CA, NYC, WA, WI +) and internationally (Mexico & London) and has work in private and public collections. Her art and essays have been included in publications such as Queer Contemporary Art of Southwest Asia North Africa. Yasmine was an artist in residence at Bread and Salt Gallery San Diego in 2021, and 1805 Gallery in San Diego in 2019.

As an artist, her practice is rooted in sculpture, textiles and installation, exploring themes of maintaining a layered identity as a Queer Muslim and Egyptian-American woman.

Yasmine has a deep love of teaching and explains that there is almost nothing that beats the satisfaction of watching her students master a concept or technique.  She has instructed students of all ages through community colleges, universities and k-12 schools.

Yasmine takes her work seriously and has a sincere mission to bring people together and build strong unifying relationships through practicing art. She is also an unabashed horse girl, reluctant Hoosier and loves karaoke. 

Director & Studio Manager 
Studio Tech, Instructor & Vibe Curator

Ezra Zawacki

Meet Ezra, he is one of our workshop instructors, as well as our studio tech and vibe curator. Ezra graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in ceramics in 2023. They are a passionate educator with experience in both hand building and wheel throwing and are ready to help you reach your clay goals, whatever that may be! They also engage in other creative practices such as illustration, collage, film photography, and tattooing. “He’s really cool and funny and makes great playlists,” said one of our members.

FAQs

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FAQs *

  • We generally do not accept outside clay. We do provide a variety of clay for purchase in the studio. This is to ensure that the amalgamous clay body that becomes our house clay is quality, dependable and safe for patrons to use and prevent accidents in the kiln.  If you are working on a special project that requires a specific clay body, you can discuss options with our studio manager.

  • Our studio is adult focused and prioritizes programing for 18+ individuals. We are unable to provide childcare.

    We do offer occasional classes for children to take with a registered adult. Please check our workshops/events page for availability or signup to be on our newsletter to get updates on when they will be offered!

  • Memberships are available for anyone 18+ 

    Youth aged 14+ may sign up for classes with an adult registrant, and may attend open studio time with an adult guardian supervising in studio.

    Families with children 10+ are welcome to register for select events and workshops. Legal guardians MUST be in attendance and in constant supervision of their child.

  • We love animals with all our hearts, but sometimes a shared studio isn't the best place for our beloved companions. Keeping our mutual best interests at heart, we don’t recommend bringing your furry friend along to the studio.  Working pets are always welcomed. Well behaved & mild tempered pets may interview* for open studio access.

    *Contact Studio Manager for info.

  • Our studio fires to cone 5, with the option to fire to cone 8 when there is a full kiln. If you would like to rent kiln space, please reach out for details.

  • All of our educational offerings include all necessary tools and materials for you to be successful. 

    All class registrants receive 5 open studio passes to use over the duration of their class. 


    Wheel: 25lbs of house clay (other clay verities available for purchase), House tools: sponge, wooden knife, metal and wooden ribs, wire cutter, trimming tools, brushes and house glazes. Any finished pieces completed in the classes are included in the bisque and glaze firings. 


    Hand building: 25lbs of house clay (other clay verities available for purchase), House tools: sponge, wooden knife, metal and wooden ribs, wire cutter, trimming tools, brushes and house glazes. Any finished pieces completed in the classes are included in the bisque and glaze firings. 


    Portrait sculpture: Armature, 25 lbs of house clay (other clay verities available for purchase), misc sculpting tools, sponges and carving tools 

    *due to the scale, we do not include glaze firing portrait sculptures in the general class costs. Please allow up to X additional weeks for firing

  • Yes. To be a member at Studio Manzanita you need to have enough experience to work confidently, independently, and safely in a ceramics studio. Our open studio hours are non-instructional. Studio staff will be there supervising and can answer general questions. 

    When you sign up for a membership you will have a short survey to give details on your ceramics experience. Anyone who has taken 1 of our 5 week courses is eligible for a membership. Individuals who take 4 drop in wheel or hand building classes are also eligible for a studio membership. 

  • Please allow for 2-4 weeks for bisque ware and 4-6 weeks for glazed pieces. We fire bisque ware every Friday to capacity and glaze ware every Tuesday to capacity. If there isn't enough work to fill the kiln or too many pieces to fit in the kiln, this may impact firing times.

  • If you took one of our clay offerings and are missing a piece or two when you come to pick up, that could mean that your piece had a complication in the kiln (exploded) or was un-fireable. In all of our educational offerings, our instructors and studio team do their best to ensure our patrons understand the limits of clay and glaze and set them up for success, but sometimes despite our best efforts, our work doesn’t make it out of the kiln. Even experienced potters lose their creations during firings or studio accidents. We cannot guarantee that your clay creations will make it home to you. If something happens to your work, we will contact you and let you know.  

  • Need to cancel or reschedule your class or workshop? 

    Refunds are eligible if you cancel at least 48 hours before a class or workshop. 

    Funds are eligible as roll over credits if you cancel 48hrs - day of. 

    No-shows are not eligible for refunds or credits.

    If you're taking a multi-week class and something comes up in the middle of your course, you may roll those classes over to our drop in sessions or get a discount( equal to the remaining classes) on future class offerings. If your circumstance exist outside of these examples, please contact our studio team.

  • We welcome proposals for workshops and classes based in craft or experimental techniques, especially if they are closely tied to a cultural tradition! You can submit a class or workshop proposal here and our team will review it and get back to you if it seems like a good match. We plan our classes seasonally so please submit your proposal at least 2 months before you'd be prepared to teach it.

  • Yes! We offer team building and private parties/ events. If you’d like more details please email us at studiomanzanitasd@gmail.com

Contact us

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