Programs & Services Application

Ruby’s offers services to nonprofit organizations in San Francisco to assist in the education, promotion and appreciation of the ceramic arts. Services include use of gallery space, firing services, clay and we offer educational consultations.

We accept requests from organizations, NOT INDIVIDUALS, and the normal fees for studio services apply. Speak to a manager during our business hours for more information before filling out an application for services.

Manager Hours: 
Mondays & Fridays 9:00 AM–1:00 PM, Tuesdays & Saturdays 1:00–4:00 PM, Wednesdays 9:00 AM–1:00 PM & 5:00–8:00 PM

Application Procedures and Form
Please fill out the application form and provide in a letter with the first three items below:

1. On official letterhead a request for services along with a brief description of the organization, project, contact info, and dates you expect to complete the project.

2. Proof of non-profit 501(c)(3) status.

3. Federal Tax ID number.

 Upon completion, Ruby’s requires a final letter, also on letterhead, stating what services were provided.

Summary of Outreach Services Rules/Guidelines: 

Listed below are some of the rules and guidelines for participating in the Ruby’s Clay Studio Outreach Program. You will be provided with more information if your application is accepted. Please contact management if you have any questions.

1. Participants in the Outreach Firing Program are asked to assign one specific educator who is responsible for coordinating with Ruby's. If your application is accepted, that educator will need to come to Ruby's for a short orientation to view the kilns, get a visual idea of how much work a shelf and the kiln can hold, discuss safety issues and how to prepare work for drop off, where and when to drop off and pick up the work, etc.

2. Outreach firings are done on the first Wednesday of the month. Participants must schedule a firing with management at least one month in advance. On occasion, if you need special arrangements outside of the monthly firings, please feel free to contact management well in advance to discuss whether Ruby's can accommodate you.

3. If you have scheduled a firing but it appears you may not be ready for it (perhaps the class is behind or the work is not dry enough), contact management immediately to reschedule. There are others who could use the kilns during that time. 

4. Once you schedule a firing, you also need to schedule the drop off of the work to be fired. No work can be dropped off without making prior arrangements. All drop offs  must be scheduled during Manager's hours (listed on the website and at the top of this application).

5. The firing:

a. Please talk with management before your work is glazed to be sure that the clays and glazes you intend to use are appropriate for the firing you wish to schedule. If not, it can damage the kiln shelves and/or the ceramic pieces you want to fire.

b. The kilns can fit approximately 350, 4x4 inch tiles or 25 tiles per shelf. If you are not sure how much space your work will take in the kiln, ask a manager.

c. The clay must be completely and thoroughly dry before firing. If work is not completely dry, it can blow up in the kiln and damage the kiln and other ceramic pieces in the kiln.

d. The bottoms of all pieces to be fired (and a small edge on the side) must be wiped clean of all glaze before you drop off the work. If there is glaze on the bottom or the glaze runs on the sides during firing, the work will stick to the kiln shelf and could cause damage. The kiln shelves are very expensive so Ruby's asks you to be very careful about wiping the pieces appropriately before you arrive. (For tiles, both the bottoms and the sides should be completely glaze free.) Ruby's will not clean any clay pieces for you and will not fire pieces that are not properly cleaned.

e. There are size limitations for individual ceramic pieces. Please be sure to speak with management about these limitations so that you understand what can and cannot be fired. 

f. If you use newspaper or other combustible material in hollow pinch pots, please remove all of it before dropping off the work. Burning paper and combustibles in the kilns shortens the life of the kilns, creates fumes and can be a fire hazard while the pieces are waiting to be fired.

g. Please remove all wrapping of any kind from pieces that you drop off for firing. 

h. Storage space is at a premium at Ruby's:

i. Work may be dropped off for firing ONLY as specifically pre-arranged with management.    

j. Work must be picked up promptly after it is fired. Management will let you know in advance when the firing will be done so you can make arrangements.

k. Ruby's works hard to handle and fire ceramic work without any resulting damage. But despite Ruby's best efforts, there are times when ceramic pieces may blow up in the kiln, or otherwise be damaged or destroyed at some point during the handling or firing process. Please understand that the risk of damage or destruction of the ceramic work that Ruby's fires for you is your risk, not Ruby's.

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Donations Gladly Accepted:

Please make checks payable to Ruby’s Clay Studio:  Send to 552A Noe Street, San Francisco, CA 94114

Past Programs & Participants

The Mud Bus:

Ruby's Clay Studio created and ran The Mud Bus, an outreach program to provide free ceramic art classes to disadvantaged and low-income communities, from 2010 through 2012. The Mud Bus was a mobile ceramic studio, equipped with all the tools needed for classes in clay. We worked with other non-profits and community groups to provide free ceramic services and exhibitions at our gallery. Funded in 2010-11 by the San Francisco Art Commission and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, we carried out Mud Bus sessions with children ages 6-12 years old from the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco including The Ernest Ingold Clubhouse, The Willie Mays Clubhouse, The Visitation Valley Clubhouse and The Mission Clubhouse. In 2012 we received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, enabling us to teach fall and spring sessions with the San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks.

School and Community Center Participants: 

Starr King Elementary School, Lick-Wilmerding High School, Richmond District Neighborhood Center, Ida B. Wells High School, Commodore Sloat Elementary School, Tule Elk Park Children's Center, Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, Yick Wo Elementary.

Programs with Other Non-Profit Organizations Include:

Hospitality House: A center for homeless artists in the Tenderloin.

Hospice by the Bay: An organization helping people deal with grief issues.

Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitor Center: Creating Community Public Art.

Berkeley Emergency Food and Housing Project

Creative Growth, Oakland: A center for artists with disabilities.

Bridge Housing, Potrero Hill Project

The ARC

LEAP Program

Homeless Prenatal Program