The history of the Clay Studio originates in the summer of 2006, when artist Nick De Pirro formed a company called Project Studios and acquired an unoccupied 5000 sq. ft. floor in the R. Neumann and Company building in Hoboken, a large complex of buildings that was, and continues to be, a workspace hub for artists, musicians, and other creatives. Over the years, Project Studios has expanded to more than 30,000 sq. ft. and was also home to PROTO Gallery, which De Pirro operated for several years in the building that now houses the Clay Studio.
Nick De Pirro grew up in Northwest Indiana just outside Chicago. His parents were both artists and educators, and much of his early childhood was spent in his father Richard De Pirro’s pottery studio, called Potter’s Pride. Nick received a BFA in Fine Arts with a concentration in sculpture from Indiana University and a MFA in sculpture from The Ohio State university. His work is interdisciplinary, but for many years did not involve ceramics.
In 2017 the first new kiln was delivered to Project Studios, and the Clay Studio was launched. Much of the equipment in daily use at the Hoboken studio came from Potter’s Pride, which Nick De Pirro converted to a gallery and continues to operate as PROTO ZERO in rural Brook, Indiana.
The Clay Studio now has about 80 monthly members and yet still maintains a small-studio feel with a focus on experimentation and growth. The influence of the family studio in Indiana continues today in the form of glaze formulae, hand tools, glaze raw material, and some truly unique items such as our Littleton treadle wheel, which is more than 50 years old. The photo below is of Richard De Pirro performing a Raku firing in 1971.
The Clay Studio also hosts periodic western Raku firings in our outdoor courtyard with two Raku kilns and two sets of burners fired by propane and a set of steel cans for after-fire reduction. Of course, the suite of Raku tools features several custom-forged tongs in addition to the typical Kemper tongs found in most shops.
Over the past 15 years, numerous artists have located their studios and made their work at Project Studios, drawn to it by its ideal location with proximity to New York City, the beautiful industrial spaces, exhibition and residency opportunities, equipped shops such as the Clay Studio, and of course, the creative community.