medium

: Clay

A collage image featuring a female woodworker with blonde hair, an open book with the phrase "curating Philadelphia as the Craft Capital", a potter at the wheel, a blacksmith's hands and a weaver's hands

CraftNOW unites, celebrates, and supports the people, businesses, and institutions of the craft community of Philadelphia. Through education, curation and economic development, we work to continue Philadelphia’s vibrant history as a capital of craft- a place where craft is learned, created, seen, purchased, collected, and shared.

Philadelphia,
PA
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Winterthur Cecil Bedroom. courtesy of Winterthur

Winterthur is the premier museum of American decorative arts, with an unparalleled collection of nearly 90,000 objects made or used in America since 1640. The collection is displayed in the magnificent 175-room house, much as it was when the family of founder Henry Francis du Pont called it home.

Winterthur is also 1,000 acres of protected meadows, woodlands, ponds, and waterways. The 60-acre garden, designed by du Pont, is among America’s best, with magnificent plantings and massive displays of color throughout the year. The graduate degree programs and extensive research library make Winterthur an important center for the study of American art and culture.

Winterthur,
DE
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Experience American art at The Rockwell Museum, A Smithsonian Affiliate in Downtown Corning. Allison Usavage Photography, 2023.

The Rockwell Museum, in association with the Smithsonian Institution, tells the story of the evolving American experience through the work of American artists. Founded in 1976, The Rockwell is a community hub showcasing the diversity of American experience through compelling exhibitions and imaginative programs. The collection includes a mix of contemporary Native American art with traditional bronze sculptures, landscape paintings, and other works that embody America. Housed in the restored 19th-century Old City Hall building, The Rockwell is active in the local community and holds special events and educational programming with area schools. The Rockwell provokes curiosity, engagement, and reflection about art and the American experience.

The Museum’s campus includes the KIDS ROCKWELL Art Lab, located around the corner at 36 E. Market Street, featuring family-friendly activities, games, and hands-on projects connected to our exciting special exhibitions and collection of American artworks.

Corning,
NY
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Cabarrus Arts Council

Presenting, Promoting and Inspiring Creativity in Our Community

The Cabarrus Arts Council was founded in 1980 in response to the North Carolina Arts Council’s plan to establish a local arts council in every county. In 1982, the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners selected the arts council to serve as its Designated County Partner, receiving and distributing Grassroots funding from the state and the state arts council.Today, the arts council programs and operates the Davis Theatre and The Galleries, conducts one of North Carolina’s largest art-in-education programs for both the Cabarrus County and Kannapolis City school systems, supports arts organizations and artists through grants and workshops, and serves as a catalyst and consultant for public and corporate art.

Concord,
NC
Arts/Cultural Organization Gallery Other
Clay Glass Metal Mixed Media Wood
Exhibits at the Wilson Museum feature fine handcrafted work from around the world and spanning thousands of years.

Founded in 1921 by Castine summer resident and geologist Dr. J. Howard Wilson, the Wilson Museum invites you to forge connections across history, places, and cultures.

From million-year old fossils to Bagaduce River horseshoe crabs, from the tools of early humans to Castine’s local history, from the shores of Penobscot Bay to people around the world, the collections, exhibits, and programs at the Wilson Museum feed curiosity and provide multi-sensory, immersive learning experiences.

Visitors of all ages can tour an early Castine home, watch craftspeople and artisans demonstrate traditional skills and tools, and engage in hands-on learning.

Castine,
ME
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Other Paper Wood
Peabody Essex Museum. Salem, MA.

Founded in 1799, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, is the country’s oldest continuously operating museum. PEM provides thought-provoking experiences of the arts, humanities and sciences to celebrate the creative achievements and potential of people across time, place and culture. By connecting people through inquiry, empathy and dialogue, PEM encourages an understanding of our shared humanity and fosters a sense of belonging in a complex, ever-changing world. We build, steward and share our superlative collection, which includes African, American, Asian Export, Chinese, contemporary, Japanese, Korean, maritime, Native American, Oceanic and South Asian art, as well as architecture, fashion and textiles, photography, natural history and one of the nation’s most important museum-based collections of rare books and manuscripts. PEM offers a varied and unique visitor experience, with hands-on creativity zones, interactive opportunities and performance spaces. The museum’s campus, which offers numerous gardens and green spaces, is an accredited arboretum and features more than a dozen noted historic structures, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese home that is the only example of Chinese domestic architecture in the United States.

Salem,
MA
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Floyd Center for the Arts. Keela Dooley Marshall

Nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Floyd Center for the Arts is a vibrant hub for creativity, learning, and community. Established in 1995 on the site of a former 1940s dairy farm, the Center has transformed the historic barn and surrounding buildings into galleries, classrooms, and working studios that serve artists and the public alike. Today, the campus offers exhibitions, workshops, and free community events that bring people together through the arts, including the annual Floyd Living Traditions Festival, which celebrates the region’s rich heritage of art, craft, and music. Through art education for all ages and abilities, scholarships, and a welcoming environment, the Center ensures that everyone has the opportunity to see, learn, and create!

Mission Statement:
The Floyd Center for the Arts connects people through visual arts, handmade craft, and music – honoring living traditions while embracing innovation.

Floyd,
VA
Arts/Cultural Organization Craft School Gallery
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Susie Rubenstein displays her high fired porcelain table ware. She is based in San Juan Capistrano, California. Photo by Ren Lee

The Association of Clay & Glass Artists of California is dedicated to establishing and maintaining high standards of craftsmanship and design in clay and glass. ACGA began as the Association of San Francisco Potters in 1945. We now have over 300 members including clay and glass artists, students, patrons and supporters, galleries, network organizations and corporate sponsors from throughout California.

A primary goal of ACGA is to provide opportunities for our members to exhibit and sell their work. The Association regularly presents museum and gallery exhibitions of clay and glass, and we present the annual Clay and Glass Festival in July at the Palo Alto Art Center.

We invite you to add your name to our mailing list or join ACGA. All members receive our monthly newsletter. Artists may apply to become exhibiting members at semi-annual jury sessions. Artists, collectors, art professionals, corporate sponsors, students, and friends are always welcome to join our ranks.

Palo Alto,
CA
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Glass
Front entrance to the Denton Maker Center. James Thurman

The Denton Maker Center, a non-profit organization, strives to be the central location for creative making in the greater North Texas region. This is accomplished by providing activities and resources that nurture a community of makers. Activities include workshops (both in-person and online), exhibitions, sales, open studio times, and related special events. Resources include tools/equipment, expertise of personnel, safe workspace, exhibition space, and a retail store. Generation of public interest and appreciation is accomplished through promotion of these activities and resources through personal networking, social media, website, print materials, and shared distribution by aligned institutions.

Denton,
TX
Arts/Cultural Organization Craft School
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Hallie Ford Museum of Art exterior. courtesy of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University

The only liberal arts college art museum in the Northwest, the the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University is located near the Oregon State Capitol in the heart of Salem, Oregon. The museum is a leader in the research on the art of the Northwest, with one of the most significant collections of Northwest art and a history of important publications and exhibitions. The museum’s collections reflect the rich Pacific Northwest culture and explore the history of art around the world.

In 2021, the collection of the former Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland was transferred to the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. It is now part of the museum’s permanent collection.  This collection of over 1300 objects is one of the oldest craft collections in the country.

Salem,
OR
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Wood
Proud graduates. Mississippi State University

The Mississippi State University Department of Art offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the department offers three concentrations:  fine arts (including emphasis areas in ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture), graphic design, and photography.


The Mississippi State University Department of Art is part of the Handwork 2026 Artist Residency Program, pairing master craftspeople, both local and national, with top educational institutions to teach specialized techniques, promote cultural dialogue, and explore American craft traditions.

Mississippi State,
MS
University or College
Clay Metal Other Wood
Image of a booth from The Potters Market at The Mint Museum, 2024. Artist: Trista Hudzik. The Mint Museum

The Mint Museum welcomes all to be inspired and transformed through the power of art and creativity. Among the most significant public institutions in Charlotte, the museum holds a permanent collection of nearly 35,000 objects, one of the largest in the Southeast, spanning art, craft, and design from around the world.
Widely recognized as an invaluable cultural and educational resource, The Mint is committed not only to the growth and quality of its collections but also to nurturing appreciation of the vital role the arts play in our lives.

Each year, the museum celebrates this mission through programs and events such as the annual Potters Market, which showcases exceptional ceramic artistry and supports both artists and the community.
The next Potters Market will be held on September 27, 2025. Guided by values of inclusivity, innovation, collaboration, and empathy, the museum engages communities in lifelong relationships with art, enhancing lives and creating a more connected and welcoming world.

Charlotte,
NC
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Jane Winslow

Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, Ogden Museum of Southern Art holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art and is recognized for its original exhibitions, public events and educational programs, which support its mission to broaden the knowledge, understanding, interpretation and appreciation of the visual arts and culture of the American South.

Located in the Ogden Museum Store, the Center for Southern Craft & Design (CSCD) extends the Museum’s mission by offering Southern artisans and designers a platform from which to showcase and sell their work, and connects the field of craft to Museum visitors through vibrant programming throughout the year. The CSCD features a monthly workshop series called Craft Happy Hour and presents a quarterly Artist Spotlight exhibition, showcasing leaders in craft fields of jewelry, ceramics, glassworks, woodworks, metalworks and textiles, while highlighting the important place of craft at the heart of Southern Art. Since 2008, the CSCD has also presented the annual juried exhibition, Art of the Cup, which celebrates the aesthetic and design freedom the ceramic medium offers to enhance everyday routine and highlights the diverse methods artisans use to blur the boundaries of form and function.

 

New Orleans,
LA
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Arts and Crafts fireplace by Motawi Tileworks featuring Sullivan and Halsted relief tile and raised hearth. Justin Maconochie

Where Craft Meets Character: The Story of Motawi Tileworks

It all started in a garage.

In the early ’90s, Nawal Motawi was handcrafting ceramic tiles in her Ann Arbor garage and selling them at the local farmers market—long before “artisan” was a buzzword. Inspired by the curves of Art Nouveau and the geometry of Midcentury Modern, her designs struck a chord. People couldn’t get enough. In 1992, Motawi Tileworks was born.

Today, over 40 tile lovers carry on the tradition in our Ann Arbor studio, making tiles that are anything but ordinary. Each piece is crafted by hand with intention and artistry. Motawi’s colorful, dimensional tiles appear in gallery displays, kitchen backsplashes, fireplaces, bathrooms, and large-scale public installations across the country.

From original designs to licensed collections with Frank Lloyd Wright and Charley Harper, our tiles are sold in 300+ shops across North America.

As Nawal says, “It’s fun to be good.” We live that out daily through collaboration, artistry, and a culture that values people as much as product.

Ann Arbor,
MI
Other
Clay Other
Building Exterior - South to North view from across Broadway St. Gabe Swinney, Swinney Creative

Mission

The Center for Craft amplifies how and why craft matters by increasing access to resources that catalyze artists and scholars nationwide. Proudly based in Asheville, it has been at the center of the conversation about the future of craft since 1996.

What We Do

The Center for Craft resources the preservation and innovation of craft. We catalyze the makers and thinkers behind the objects that shape our lives. 

How We Do It

  • Grants and fellowships that provide funding, networks, and peer-to-peer learning nationwide
  • Exhibitions that illuminate 21st-century practices of craft
  • Public programs that tell the story of how and why craft matters

Asheville,
NC
Arts/Cultural Organization Gallery
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood