medium

: Clay

The Exhibition Gallery at Florida CraftArt—celebrating excellence in contemporary fine craft and the artists who create it. Brian James

Florida CraftArt is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to advancing fine craft and supporting the artists who create it. Located in the former Rutland’s Department Store, a 1916 landmark in downtown St. Petersburg, it serves as a hub for exhibitions, education, and community engagement.

The Exhibition Gallery presents ten curated shows annually, showcasing excellence in ceramics, fiber, glass, wood, metal, and jewelry. Admission is always at no charge, removing barriers to experiencing the arts. The Florida Artist Gallery represents over 200 artists from across the state, offering professional opportunities and connecting their work with collectors and visitors.

Educational initiatives include the Youth Arts Program, Emerging Artists Program, mural tours, and professional development for artists. Through exhibitions, partnerships, and outreach, Florida CraftArt fosters appreciation for handmade work while strengthening Florida’s cultural landscape. As it approaches its 75th anniversary, the organization continues to sustain and promote fine craft statewide.

St. Petersburg,
FL
Arts/Cultural Organization Gallery
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
49th Annual Show logo and dates. Designer Kristian Summerer

The Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show is produced by The Women’s Committee and Craft Show Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  This annual juried event is held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Exhibit Hall F, 12th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia.  The 49th Annual Show will be held on November 6-9, 2025.  The 50th year celebration in 2026 will be held on November 5-8.

Each year, the Craft Show features unique, one-of-a-kind works by 195 artists from across the United States representing 13 diverse categories of craft and design.   Categories include objects made of clay, fiber, glass, metal, and wood as well as jewelry, furniture and art-to-wear.  All work is for sale, and no sales commission is taken.

The Show’s sole beneficiary is the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  To date, the Craft Show has contributed more than $15 million to the museum for the support a variety of programs, exhibitions, publications and acquisitions of contemporary craft.

Philadelphia,
PA
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Indie Craft Parade at Judson Mill in Greenville, South Carolina. Jasmin Elaine

Indie Craft Parade is a juried annual festival of art in Greenville, South Carolina that celebrates handmade goods and independent artists. The event showcases over 100 talented makers across a broad range of mediums each September, offers a vibrant shopping experience, and encourages the growth of small, local brands. With a focus on creativity, community, and craftsmanship, Indie Craft Parade is a joyful gathering for artists and attendees alike.

Greenville,
SC
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art

Nestled beneath live oaks in Laurel, Mississippi, the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is a cultural gem housed in a striking Georgian Revival building. Established in 1923 as Mississippi’s first art museum, it honors the legacy of Lauren Eastman Rogers, whose family transformed personal loss into public enrichment.

The museum’s five specialized collections span American and European paintings, Native American baskets, Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, and British Georgian silver. Beyond its permanent holdings, LRMA hosts rotating exhibitions, studio classes, concerts, and lectures, fostering creativity and community engagement.

Free to the public since its founding, the museum remains a beacon of inspiration and education. Its blend of architectural elegance, curatorial depth, and civic spirit makes it a cornerstone of Southern cultural heritage.

Laurel,
MS
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Ilan-Lael, Julian CA. photo by Chris Henry

The Ilan-Lael Foundation was founded by James Hubbell, a world-renowned and award-winning artist who, for more than 60 years, created artworks and architectural designs of extraordinary beauty in many different mediums that reflected a spiritual essence, reverence for nature, and put into practice the idea of life as art and art as life.

His home and studio buildings which today are operated by the Ilan-Lael Foundation, were built sustainably using local materials; adobe, stone, and cedar. He combined them with colorful stained glass, mosaic tile, and forged metal to express his singular artistic vision. His integrated approach is seen in many of his works world-wide, but is most celebrated at Ilan-Lael, located in Julian, CA. Thousands visit the site each year to witness the artist’s singular creativity.

The Ilan-Lael Foundation programs the space for education, site visits, artist retreats, and public use to encourage all to embrace creativity and use it to make positive change in the world.

Santa Ysabel,
CA
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Glass Metal Other Wood
Nathan Favors, woodturner, Bakersville, NC.

The Blue Ridge Craft Trails highlight the rich creative heritage in Western North Carolina.

The project, an initiative of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, guides visitors across the region to craft artists’ studios, shops, and galleries filled with local, handmade artwork. Over 340 artists and galleries are listed in the directory, offering visitors unique opportunities to meet creators, view art, and purchase authentic, handmade pieces.

The Blue Ridge Craft Trails also feature itineraries by region, guiding travelers through the Foothills, High Country, Central Mountains, and Far West regions of the state, making it easy to plan an immersive adventure that highlights individuals, communities, and towns. Craft Trails artists benefit from promotional opportunities and are involved in vending events, educational programs, and networking meetups.

Asheville,
NC
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Photo Credit: Iwan Baan

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts offers an inspiring array of visual, performing arts, and educational experiences. The Museum is committed to creating an inclusive cultural space for the community to engage with diverse artistic perspectives through the AMFA Foundation’s 14,000 object permanent collection, compelling temporary exhibitions, lively theatre, and enriching courses.

The mission of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is to create an inclusive cultural space that inspires and builds community through the visual and performing arts. Serving the state of Arkansas and beyond, AMFA provides enriching experiences in the arts for all. Let your creativity flourish through instruction in diverse media, find inspiration through innovative programming, and experience art in new ways at Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is home to the Windgate Art School, offering studio instruction in drawing, painting, ceramics, glass, metals, woodworking, and more. Instruction is available for students of all ages and skill levels, with daytime and evening classes offered quarterly, as well as short-term and specialty workshops.

Little Rock,
AR
Arts/Cultural Organization Craft School Gallery Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
RAM at night. Jon Bolton

Racine Art Museum (RAM) is a nationally recognized institution that presents exhibitions and programming curated around contemporary art, craft, and design.

Located in Racine, Wisconsin, a historic community on the shores of Lake Michigan, it occupies two facilities—the Racine Art Museum, an expansive modern gallery with award-winning architecture on the downtown waterfront, and the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (Wustum), an exhibition space and studio art center housed in a historic farmhouse surrounded by lawns and gardens.

RAM is known for having the largest contemporary craft collection in North America, with more than 14,000 works by renowned artists in ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, polymer, wood, and more. Our thoughtful exhibitions invite visitors to engage with artistic innovation, the physicality of materials, and the intersection of the craft and contemporary art movements.

We welcome approximately 50,000 guests from 40 states and 15 countries annually—making RAM a cultural and economic anchor for the region. Each year, as many as 15,000 people take part in our educational programs. Others benefit from wide-reaching K–12 experiences, community collaborations, and creative engagement opportunities for people with memory loss.

Racine,
WI
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Philadelphia Museum of Art, East Entrance. Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Philadelphia Museum of Art—in partnership with the city, the region, and art museums around the globe—seeks to preserve, enhance, interpret, and extend the reach of its great collections in particular, and the visual arts in general, to an increasing and increasingly diverse audience as a source of delight, illumination, and lifelong learning.

We are committed to being the cultural heart of Philadelphia. Learn about who we are, what we value, and how we connect people to the arts.

Philadelphia,
PA
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Touchstone Center for Crafts wooded campus aerial view. Alex Byers

Touchstone Center for Crafts is nestled within 230 acres of lush woodlands, just 60 miles south of Pittsburgh in the scenic Laurel Highlands. Our campus features fully equipped studios, professional exhibition galleries, on-site lodging, and is surrounded by towering trees, rushing streams, and the calming sights and sounds of nature—creating the ideal setting to explore, create, and expand your artistic skills.

In addition to our main campus, we are excited to expand programming into nearby Ohiopyle through Touchstone by the Falls—a new space designed to increase accessibility and foster deeper creative engagement throughout the region.

Farmington,
PA
Arts/Cultural Organization Craft School
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper
Recently completed in 2022, The Clay Studio expands its operations with a new building in the culturally rich neighborhood of South Kensington. Photographed by Sam Oberter

The Clay Studio inspires curiosity and discovery around the art and craft of clay, drawing together students, artists, and an engaged public into a welcoming community. Every day, in our classrooms, studios, galleries, and neighborhoods, we deepen the connection between people and clay with the highest quality programs and exhibitions. Founded in 1974, The Clay Studio continues in the belief that shared creativity, so fundamental to humanity, is a critical force for good.

Philadelphia,
PA
Arts/Cultural Organization Gallery
Clay
Penland Gallery, with sculpture by Hoss Haley. Penland School

Penland School of Craft is dedicated to helping people live creative lives. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Penland offers one-, two-, and eight-week workshops in books and paper, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking and letterpress, textiles, and wood. The school also offers artists’ residencies, community collaboration programs, and a gallery and information center.

The Penland Gallery & Visitor Center, located at the entrance of Penland School, serves as an inspiring introduction to contemporary craft. The gallery features curated exhibitions from March to December, showcasing the work of current and former Penland instructors, resident artists, and alumni from across the country. The Visitor Center Gallery provides a visual overview of Penland’s history and current programming, while the Lucy Morgan Sales Gallery showcases an impressive collection of functional and sculptural craft created by over one hundred fifty artists.

At Penland, craft involves continuous exploration of materials, techniques, and ideas. The gallery supports both the artists and their works, which embody this creative philosophy.

Bakersville,
NC
Craft School Gallery
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Photo by Houston First Corporation.

As one of the leading craft-collecting institutions in the United States, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) is dedicated to the research and interpretation of contemporary craft. Dating from 1940 to the present and international in scope, the collection represents all media including ceramics, fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, metalwork, sculptural and turned wood and alternative materials. Important collections include the Helen Williams Drutt Collection of jewelry, the Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio Collection of ceramics, the Leatrice and Melvin Eagle Collection of craft, and the Carol Straus Collection of fiber art.

Founded in 1900, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is the oldest museum in Texas, and one of the largest cultural institutions in the United States, with over 270,000 square feet of space dedicated to the display of art. Nearly one million visitors engage annually with the Museum’s permanent collection of more than 70,000 objects. The encyclopedic collections of the MFAH cover world cultures dating from antiquity to the present.

Houston,
TX
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Historic St. George's after the Benjamin Franklin Bridge was built - a mere 14 feet away. HSG Museum & Archives

Explore the historical significance of Methodism in the oldest continuously used Methodist church building in America, purchased in 1769.

Philadelphia,
PA
Museum
Clay Fiber Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Facade of museum featuring roses in the foreground. Couresty of Chuck Barry

The de Saisset Museum provides ambitious and groundbreaking exhibition and educational programing to our diverse publics on and off campus that are timely and multifaceted in nature. We foreground projects that highlight the varied realities lived by our diverse community of practitioners and support Santa Clara University’s goal of educating the whole person through interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships. Our work is experimental; we function as a test-site for new ideas, methodologies, and practices and aspire to be in a constant state of evolution. We are governed by a code of ethics that foreground diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is reflected in all that we do.

Santa Clara,
CA
Museum University or College
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood