Our Story
A pottery studio shaped by place, clay, and shared practice.
Dharamkot Studio grew from a simple belief that more people should have meaningful, hands-on ways to meet art. The work has expanded over time, but the impulse remains the same: create welcoming spaces for making, learning, and sharing.
Our Story
In 2019, Dharamkot Studio began as a small pottery studio in a 500 sq. ft. hut in the mountain village of Dharamkot, Himachal Pradesh, India. The studio takes its name from the village where it first began.
The idea was simple: to create a community art space where people could come to make, learn, and share art. We chose clay as our medium because it felt natural, simple, and full of possibilities.
Over time, the studio became a place people returned to - not only to learn techniques, but to stay with the process. What started as small workshops gradually expanded into longer courses, residential retreats, and residency programs, shaped by the needs of those seeking deeper engagement with art and pottery.
The circle in our logo holds possibility without explanation. It's open, contained, and undefined - much like the process of making. What it holds changes with each person who enters the studio. A mark of openness, possibility, and what is yet to be shaped.
Early days of the studio 2019-20
The story begins in Dharamkot, Himachal Pradesh, where the first studio took shape in a small hut and slowly grew into a wider practice held across programs, locations, and people.
The Studio Today
Today, Dharamkot Studio has grown into the most popular and the largest independent pottery studios in India, attracting artists, students, and first-time makers from across the country and around the world.
Since its beginnings, the studio has hosted over 17,000 participants through workshops, courses, retreats, residencies, and community events.
People come not only to learn pottery, but to spend time with the process - to practice, slow down, and work with clay in a focused environment.
The studio now operates across two locations and three dedicated spaces, each shaped around a specific way of engaging with art:
While the scale of the studio has expanded, the intent remains unchanged - to create spaces where people can spend meaningful time making, learning, and engaging with clay.
Old studio / Community art space
Located in Dharamkot village, this is where the studio began. Known as the Old Dharamkot Studio, the space was completely renovated in 2023.
It is a 5000 sqft. community-focused space, open to everyone to visit and join short-term, non-residential workshops. The studio also includes a cafe and a small art gallery.
Retreat Centre
Started in 2022, this space is also in Dharamkot, 800 meters from the old studio. Situated in the middle of the forest, this 4-acre premises has a 3600 sq. ft. studio space and living facilities for up to 20 participants, artists, and facilitators.
This is a residential studio for retreats, longer courses, and residencies.
Community art space / Retreat Center
Started in 2025, this studio is located in Mandrem village, Goa. Covering approximately 4,500 sq. ft., the space is set amidst cashew trees and greenery, offering a calm, nature-connected working environment.
The studio is used for hosting non-residential workshops, courses, residencies, and residential retreats. A cafe and on-site living facilities are available within the premises.
What Guides the Studio
At Dharamkot Studio, we make space for people to return to art - as a way to understand themselves, connect with others, and engage more thoughtfully with the world around them.
A Note from the Studio
You may engage with art in many ways - by appreciating it, collecting it, or studying it. But making it yourself creates a different relationship with art.
Wherever you are, with whatever material you have, we hope you find ways to keep creating - not for outcomes or approval, but as a practice that becomes part of everyday life.
- Team, Dharamkot Studio