Red Herring Pottery

Red Herring Pottery brings wheel throwing and hand building classes to Miracle Mile, giving Coral Gables one of its only dedicated ceramics studios in a commercial district otherwise dominated by galleries, restaurants, and retail. The studio is run by James Herring, a University of Miami professor who teaches pottery classes to students of a wide range of ages and backgrounds, many of whom, by his own description, are looking for a hands on creative outlet from otherwise stressful jobs and daily routines.

Classes at Red Herring Pottery run on a structured weekly schedule, with instruction sessions typically held several evenings a week and additional open studio time on weekends for students who want to keep working on pieces outside of formal class hours. New students generally start with a multi class series that walks through the basics of throwing clay on the wheel, trimming finished pieces, and the firing and glazing process that turns raw clay into a finished ceramic object, a full arc that gives beginners a genuine sense of accomplishment by the end of the series rather than a single isolated lesson.

Herring’s dual identity as both a university professor and a working studio owner shapes how the space operates. Classes have the structure and patience of an actual teaching practice rather than a casual paint your own pottery storefront, and the emphasis throughout is on learning real technique, wheel work, trimming, glazing, rather than simply producing a decorative souvenir. That approach has made Red Herring Pottery a draw for people specifically looking to learn ceramics as a skill, alongside those simply looking for a relaxing evening activity.

Its Miracle Mile location places the studio in the busiest part of Coral Gables’ commercial core, an unusual setting for a working ceramics studio, since most pottery studios in the Miami area operate out of warehouse districts or industrial spaces rather than a prime downtown retail corridor. That location has likely introduced the studio to plenty of passersby who might never have sought out a pottery class on their own, simply because they noticed the storefront while walking Miracle Mile.

For Coral Gables residents looking for a genuinely hands on creative class rather than another gallery visit or dinner reservation, Red Herring Pottery fills a real gap in the neighborhood, offering structured, skill building instruction from an instructor with real academic and studio credentials behind the class, in a setting where beginners are treated as seriously as anyone else in the room.