The pottery club is currently working with administration to find a new studio. The club’s studio, located in Usen Castle, has been shut down since the beginning of August due to the upcoming Castle construction, said Marisa Rubel ’17, Pottery Club president. The club hosted an open studio in the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) yesterday to raise awareness about their search for a space.

“The pottery club used the studio every day. We had hours every day of the week when a studio monitor would be there and anyone could come to work on their art. We did not have official meetings except within the E-board, as we ran the club like an open studio,” Rubel told The Brandeis Hoot.

The pottery studio was not in a specific tower of the Castle, but it was above the laundry room in a separate building outside the main Castle, according to Rubel. Students have voiced concerns asking why spaces in the Castle, such as Chums, will remain intact, but the pottery studio will not.

Chums Coffee House, located in Tower B of the Castle, will stay intact because Towers A and B are not being taken down during the construction, according to Jim Gray, vice president of Campus Operations. However, the pottery studio is located in a part of the Castle that is being taken down during the renovation, said Gray in an interview with The Hoot.

The club has been inactive, meaning none of the members have been able to work on their pottery. Rubel said she has been working with Prof. Chris Frost (FA), the pottery club’s faculty advisor, to work out a solution with Dean of Students Jamele Adams and Facilities. Frost is in talks with Adams to find a new studio space. Adams emailed Rubel on Wednesday to check in, but she would appreciate additional communication.

In the past few days, the arts faculty told the club it could use studio space in Goldman-Schwartz until the end of the 2016-17 school year. However, the club has not yet had a meeting or set up official hours because Rubel, Frost and the club’s executive board are deciding the parameters of the studio space and how to share it with art classes that use the studio. Rubel says a concerning issue is “how to keep the club and the class materials separate and ensure that the room is left spotless.”

“This is not our space, there are codes that need to be upheld, just like in the sculpture workshop, the paint studio, the print studio, etc. Clay and glaze can become toxic if not stored properly,” wrote Rubel.

When asked for comment by The Hoot, Adams said that he is looking forward to continuing to work with the club to find a more permanent home. “There are special requirements and ventilation needs for the Club due to the equipment necessities, which will make finding a space a more unique opportunity,” said Adams when asked for comment by The Hoot.

The club held open studio hours from 12-3 p.m. yesterday to show administration that students want the club to continue. At the studio hours there was a board for students to sign and write why pottery club must stay. Additionally, there were materials for students to make their own pottery. “Our plan currently is to gather supporters to show the administration how many people want this club,” said Rubel, “I am hoping that the show of support will pressure the administration to find us a space.”

In August, the administration, namely the Department of Community Living (DCL), changed the code on the door of the studio, according to Rubel. Club members have not been able to enter the studio to retrieve their items and clean out the studio.

Club members emailed DCL and were let into the studio once to take their supplies, which are currently being stored in the Goldman-Schwartz basement. However, DCL will not let club members in to clean out and sort through the rest of their supplies. “There’s 30 years of stuff in there,” said Rubel.

The Castle’s structural integrity has been compromised for years. Scaffolding surrounds portions of the building. A piece of the ceiling fell on a resident’s desk in 2009. Students have voiced concerns about safety and health risks that living in the building may create.