REO Town is a thriving community, with a main strip that's home to artists, small local businesses, and a slowly growing body of restaurants. So for Dan Nunez, who lives right in the neighborhood, it made perfect sense to open his pottery studio right down the road from his house. Sandwiched between the Robin Theater and the soon-to-open Sleepwalker Spirits microbrewery, the Wheel House Studio offers community engagement, access to one-of-a-kind art, and opportunities for unique education.
Wheel House Studio offers classes, so if you've ever wanted to drink coffee out of a mug that you made yourself, or give someone a unique gift that you made especially for them, check out the class schedule. Nunez is a seasoned teacher, having taught countless pottery and ceramics classes at REACH art studio and East Lansing Parks, Recreation & Arts department over the last decade.
Bringing his unique sense of humor to everything he takes on, Nunez says opening the studio was an education in literally everything. "We ran into so many issues along the way!" he laughs, "And had to problem solve in really creative ways. Tearing down drywall I found huge holes in the brick work, like someone had tried to seal a vampire into the wall at some point! It was crazy!" But for all the challenges he encountered along the way, the Wheel House Studio is already pulling in people from all walks of life, interested in learning a new skill.
Nunez offers classes for people at different levels of skill. Had years of experience with throwing pots on the wheel in high school? Only taken one ceramics class back in middle school? Or maybe you've never touched clay before. There's a space for you at the Wheel House Studio. "I just people to have the chance to come here and do something new, do something they love, maybe discover a creative outlet they didn't even know they had!"
So if you're
interested in a new artistic experience, or perhaps in revisiting an old creative passion, stop by the Wheel House Studio in REO Town and chat to Nunez. He'll probably be there prepping for a class, firing a batch of mugs, or hunched over the wheel creating something beautiful. And maybe, if you're lucky, his friend Michael McConeghy will have stopped by with his guitar to make use of the studio's magnificent acoustics. There's nothing like a little clay, and a little music, to get the creative juices flowing!
Source: Dan Nunez, Owner, The Wheel House Studio
Writer: Sarah Hillman, News Editor
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