dirty lizard studio is a place and ongoing project started by two south floridian ceramicists, eliza furr and nick abrami, in the summer of 2023.

liza here. i’d been teaching all around broward county since 2018 and found that there wasn’t really a place near us in hollywood that was providing students (and ourselves) with (1) a spacious, naturally inspiring + acce$$ible environment, where you could (2) learn the fundamental skills to make good pots and receive the honest critique necessary to improve after you’ve learned the basics, and/or (3) *the ability to make an actual living teaching this craft communally, without burning out or going insane.

*liza is also a bit anti-authoritarian and presides on the collective side of things; the exploitation of our time and energy ultimately just got to her one day. FAFO.

so, instead of stagnating or settling, we built what we needed instead: a quiet place to rest, to learn without limitation, and to relentlessly create— a third space, in between consumption and production.

after a year of hard and steady growth, it’s really kicking into gear. know that any support you show goes directly to building our studio, teaching you pottery, and making art.

from the bottom of our deepest pots, thank you so much for being here.

our studio is on Taino, Miccosukee, and Seminole land in east hollywood, florida, about five minutes away from the downtown strip.

we are open to beginners and experienced makers alike ❤️ and love to share what we’ve learned with fellow creatives. please, ask as many questions as you’d like. 

the studio is based in one of hollywood’s oldest craftsman bungalows, as it was built in 1925 (mostly, if you don’t count the new floor + wall joists— thank you termites for the required renovations…) with the original framing still intact and visible when you look up. and yes, the growth lines on those beams are magnificent. don’t think about it too hard though.

as for equipment, we have six full size professional-grade wheels, a 30” tall, 27” wide kiln, large, wide tables for sculpting, a portable 18” slab roller and enough shimpo banding wheels for eight people to have their own awesome sculpting wheel in class (a note to my 2023 self — dreams really do come true).

the garden + grounds are all part of our certified* wildlife habitat, meaning the property provides animals with food, water, shelter, and places to raise young.

yes, it is a bit of a jungle — preserving even a small bit of natural florida is important, so this is us trying to do a little bit for the earth after all she’s given to us. 

this was formerly a half-acre fruit farm that supplied early hollywood residents with fresh avocados and juicy citrus. from dixie to 28th ave, it was all farmland here until the 1940s. such is why the area used to be called little ranches, why the yards are so big here, and also why there are so many mango trees in our neighborhood…

just not in our yard… not that i’m mad about it or anything…

anyway. depending on the season, we have… starfruit, avocados, canistel, pineapples, so many tomatoes, a perennial herb garden, and japoticaba, among other things. there’s also the open space around studio with a centennial java plum tree that has survived all the hurricanes (RIP to our pecan and avocado trees… and we won’t talk more about the citrus trees unless you want to get political about Big Orange).

you’ll walk along winding paths that we’ve made from our old fence to allow for plenty of meandering and useful thinking when inspiration wanes. 

oh, and yes: we’re pretty good at sharing the bounty if you’d like something to munch on, especially when it comes to the mint and starfruit (please… take more).

all we ask of you is that you come prepared to meet mother nature, in all her glory. 

*2007, national wildlife federation