The Oak Park ceramics studio that started in Noelle Allen's basement during the pandemic now operates out of two locations, and the original Lombard Avenue space has opened new adult memberships at its Oak Park studio.

Allen, a tenured professor of ceramics and sculpture at Dominican University and owner of Slowfire, has converted the studio at 907 S. Lombard Ave. into an adults-only, members-only workspace capped at about 15 potters. A second location, Slowfire Grove, opened at 7405 Madison St. in Forest Park to handle all-ages classes, workshops, exhibitions, and community events.

"Even if it didn't seem like we were at capacity, we were at capacity with how much we could manage shelf-wise and kiln-wise," Allen told the Wednesday Journal. "Processing the clay is a lot of work. There's a lot of time involved in ceramics: Waiting for things to dry, waiting for the kiln, loading and unloading the kiln."

The split gives each location a distinct identity. The Oak Park studio, now called Slowfire Studio, offers adult memberships, high-fire ceramics, custom glazes, and a full handbuilding area. Slowfire Grove hosts ceramics for kids, teens, and adults alongside culinary camps, music lessons, and painting and drawing classes. Classes maintain a five-student-to-one-teacher ratio.

Allen started Slowfire in 2020, teaching out of her Oak Park home to friends and neighborhood kids stuck at home during remote learning. She moved into the Lombard Avenue storefront in 2021, offering wheel-throwing, handbuilding, and painting ceramics to all ages. The studio grew to include jewelry making, screen printing, and other media.

The Forest Park space, which previously housed Moss Modern Flowers, features two electric kilns and raku firing capability. Allen told the Wednesday Journal a gas kiln is planned for installation at the back of the Forest Park building, which would expand the temperature range available to students. The building's walk-in refrigerator, left over from the flower shop, now serves as humidity-controlled storage for unfinished clay projects.

Allen runs Slowfire as a woman-owned business with a focus on neurodivergent- and queer-friendly programming. She said the studio has kept class sizes small from the start to support neurodivergent students and staff, and hires extra support staff for students who need it without charging families additional fees.

A companion nonprofit, the Slowfire Arts Foundation, directs 15 percent of class fees toward scholarships for students who cannot afford tuition. The 501(c)(3), established in 2022, also runs free weekly art classes at the Oak Park and River Forest Township and provides programming for senior citizens. Allen, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2025 and is now in remission, said the foundation has shifted focus to covering expenses for families affected by cancer.

Membership and class information is available at slowfireceramics.com. The Oak Park studio is in the Oak Park Arts District at 907 S. Lombard Ave.; Slowfire Grove is at 7405 Madison St. in Forest Park, near the corner of Madison Street and Oak Park Avenue.