San Francisco’s oldest community art studio is opening its kilns to the public. Sharon Art Studio, tucked into the hillside beside the Koret Children’s Quarter in Golden Gate Park, will hold its annual ceramics and pottery sale on Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, and it is one of the sweetest holiday shopping traditions in the city.
Every piece on the tables was made inside the studio itself, thrown, glazed and fired by the students and teachers who fill its sunlit workshops all year. Shoppers can expect mugs, bowls, vases, platters and one-of-a-kind sculptures in every style a working community studio produces, from a first-timer’s charming lopsided cup to the polished work of instructors who have taught there for decades. Proceeds from the sale support the artists and the studio’s programs.
The setting alone is worth the trip. The Sharon Building, an 1887 stone landmark built for children, anchors the park’s Children’s Quarter alongside the Koret Playground and the historic carousel, which has been spinning since 1914. The studio, operated with San Francisco Recreation and Parks, has offered affordable classes in ceramics, glass, jewelry, painting and more since the 1960s, and generations of San Franciscans have made their first pot there.
That makes the weekend a double invitation: pick up a handmade holiday gift with a real maker’s story behind it, and consider signing up for a class of your own in the new year. The sale runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22 at Sharon Art Studio, 300 Bowling Green Drive in Golden Gate Park. Arrive early for the best selection, bring a tote bag, and make a day of it with a ride on the carousel next door.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
