Ceramic Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Location: McAlester, Oklahoma (On-site)

Position: Full-Time • W-2 Employee

Start Date: October 1, 2026

Compensation: $60,000–$100,000/year (Base Salary + Production Bonus)

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About Hillside Home Store

Hillside Home Store is a fast-growing, family-owned company built on craftsmanship, transparency, and making products we’re genuinely proud to use ourselves.

We design and manufacture handcrafted ceramic home essentials, including our flagship product, the Stillwater Well—a ceramic gravity water filter that ships to customers across the country.

As we continue to grow, we’re building out a dedicated pottery studio inside our historic Main Street building in downtown McAlester.

We’re looking for someone who wants to help build it with us.

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The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to become one of the founding potters in a brand-new studio and help shape how it operates for years to come.

You’ll spend your days making heirloom-quality functional ceramics while helping us refine systems, improve efficiency, and grow production as demand continues to increase.

You’ll also have input into studio layout, equipment purchases, and workflow as we build the space.

As Hillside grows, this role has significant opportunity for increased responsibility and leadership.

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The Studio

Estimated Opening: September or October 2026

A dedicated 2,700-square-foot climate-controlled pottery studio inside our historic downtown building.

Features include:

Gas kiln (Cone 6)

Large industrial stainless-steel pugmill

Adjustable throwing wheels set to your preferred height (our Stillwater Well is thrown standing)

Clay provided and fully stocked—we purchase the clay, you focus on making

New equipment selected intentionally—with your input as we continue building the studio

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What You’ll Do

You’ll primarily produce ceramic components for the Stillwater Well while helping us expand into additional handcrafted home goods.

Responsibilities include:

Throw production forms with consistency and precision

Trim and finish pieces to production standards

Glaze ceramic components

Load, fire, and unload kilns

Maintain a clean, organized, and safe studio

Help improve production systems and workflow

Collaborate on new forms and future product development

We’re building this studio from the ground up, and we’re open to structuring the workflow around the right person. If your passion is throwing production pottery and you’d rather spend most of your day at the wheel, we’re open to hiring a pottery assistant to support trimming, glazing, and kiln loading as production grows. We’d love to build a studio that plays to people’s strengths.

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What We’re Looking For

Required

Strong production throwing experience

Ability to reproduce consistent forms repeatedly at scale

Experience trimming and finishing functional pottery

Knowledge of glaze application and kiln operation

Excellent attention to detail

Pride in craftsmanship

Self-motivated and comfortable working independently

Willingness to continuously improve efficiency without sacrificing quality

Candidates will demonstrate wheel skills as part of the interview process.

Preferred

Production studio experience

Experience with functional kitchenware

Portfolio of recent work

Interest in helping build systems rather than simply following them

Appreciation for handmade products built to last

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Why This Job Is Different

Help build a pottery studio from the ground up

Have a voice in equipment and workflow decisions

Spend your days making heirloom-quality functional ceramics

Work inside a beautifully restored historic building

Help revive American manufacturing in a small Oklahoma town

Be part of a company whose renovation and growth are being documented on YouTube

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Physical Requirements

Frequently lift and move materials up to 40 pounds

Stand for extended periods

Work in a pottery studio environment around clay, glaze, and kilns

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Life in McAlester

McAlester is a small town in southeastern Oklahoma with a low cost of living, short commutes, and a strong sense of community.

We’re renovating a historic Main Street building with the goal of bringing handcrafted manufacturing back to downtown. The entire renovation—and the journey of growing Hillside—is being documented on YouTube as we transform the building into our headquarters and pottery studio.

If the idea of helping build something meaningful from the ground up excites you, we’d love to meet you.

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Compensation & Benefits

Full-time W-2 position

Base salary starting at $60,000

Per-piece production bonus

Expected total compensation of $60,000–$100,000+

Paid time off

Growth opportunities as Hillside continues expanding

Help build a nationally recognized handmade ceramics brand

Collaborative, family-owned work environment

Relocation assistance may be available for the right candidate