medium

: Clay

Chairman Mao Listening and Talking to the Revolutionary Public, ceramic. Jingdezhen Sculpture Porcelain Factory, n.d. 13.25 x 17.5 x 6 inches. Collection of Fiona Chalom.

Fired in Revolution: Ceramics from the People’s Republic of China presents ceramics created during the Cultural Revolution, 1966-1976.

Varied ceramic works, including molded figures, vessels, wall hangings, posters, molds, and sculptures, will be presented in thematic groupings in Fired in Revolution.

Curated by Dr. Jamie Kwan, Assistant Curator, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Pomona,
CA
Exhibitions + Shows
Clay
Shopper admiring jewelry at Handmade Arcade's 2018 Holiday Market. Photo Credit: Joey Kennedy, courtesy of Handmade Arcade

Applications are open for Handmade Arcade’s new Modern Craft Market, supported by Contemporary Craft. This juried shopping event will connect shoppers, craft collectors, and retail and industry partners with over 150 of the best contemporary craft makers and artists from around the Pittsburgh and greater Appalachian region.

Applications close on November 5, 2025. To apply, please visit:

https://www.handmadearcade.org/modern-craft-market-applications.

Pittsburgh,
PA
Marketplaces + Festivals
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Aerial shot of maker booths and shoppers at Handmade Arcade's 2022 Holiday Market. Photo Credit: Kitoko Chargois, courtesy of Handmade Arcade

Founded in 2004, Handmade Arcade is a nonprofit that provides makers and craftspeople with opportunities to connect with customers and strengthen their small businesses. Handmade Arcade’s flagship event is the annual Holiday Market, which is the region’s largest handmade shopping event, connecting over 275 makers with more than 10,000 shoppers each year.

In addition to the Holiday Market, Handmade Arcade hosts an annual Emerging Craft Market for early career makers and will launch a new fine craft market called the Modern Craft Market in March 2026, supported by Contemporary Craft.

Handmade Arcade also helps makers connect to shoppers through an online Maker Directory, digital maker storytelling, professional development workshops, and more. Additionally, Handmade Arcade leads annual maker accelerator programs, including a BIPOC Maker Accelerator program and a Youth Maker Accelerator program. Handmade Arcade is dedicated to supporting the economic mobility of makers and craftspeople in Pennsylvania and surrounding states.

Pittsburgh,
PA
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Artist in Salem, Massachusetts and India, wedding dress and shawl of Sarah Peirce-Nichols, about 1801. Cotton (dress), cashmere and wool (shawl). Gift of the estate of Charlotte Sanders Nichols, 1938. 123571.W, 123590.2. Peabody Essex Museum. Photographed at Peirce-Nichols House by Dennis Helmar. Courtesy Peabody Essex Museum.

Founded in 1799, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is the nation’s oldest continuously operating museum, dedicated to celebrating creativity across time, place, and culture.

PEM’s Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 audio tour curated by Paula Richter, features nearly 30 objects from six galleries. Spanning 500 years, the tour explores how handcraft—from colonial furniture to contemporary textiles—embodies artistry, identity, and the timeless value of making by hand.

Salem,
MA
Other Talks + Conferences
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Shaker Box Bench by Mark Del Guidice. John Polak

This exhibition brings together highlights from the museum’s Shaker furniture collection alongside a selection of contemporary craft objects, revealing the lasting influence of Shaker design and values on today’s makers. Many of the contemporary works on view entered the museum’s collection after first appearing in past exhibitions, testament to the vibrant collaborations between the museum and the artists we’ve had the privilege to present.

Duxbury,
MA
Exhibitions + Shows
Clay Metal Wood
The Colorado State Capitol. Visit Denver

Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), focuses on strengthening the vitality of visual, performing, and literary arts through promotion, resources, and funding opportunities.

In 2026, the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—our nation’s semiquincentennial. At the same time, Colorado will mark the 150th anniversary of our entrance into the Union—our state’s sesquicentennial. As the Centennial State, Colorado is the only one who will observe twin anniversaries.

Colorado Creative Industries is celebrating this milestone with a Creative Capitol exhibition focused on Colorado’s cultural heritage, highlighting the rich history of folk and traditional arts, as well as the contemporary implementation of these modes of community expression and cultural identity. The selected works will be on display at the Colorado State Capitol Complex, including the Governor’s Office, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, and the basement rotunda from August 2026 through April 2027.

Denver,
CO
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
701 Whaley Exterior. photo by 701 Whaley

We are a non-profit art center in South Carolina that produces contemporary art exhibitions, offers year-round cultural programming, and a variety of events that are free and open to the public. These include performances, workshops and classes that embrace not only visual arts but also theater and dance.

Housing both a gallery and an adjacent live-work studio for an artist-in-residence program, CCA provides artists with resources to develop, create and exhibit their art, frequently in conjunction with performing, literary and media arts.

The Center is financially supported by diverse sources including business, government agencies, foundations and private individuals through memberships, visitor donations, and grants.

Founded in 2007, and opened one year later, CCA continues to be dedicated to enhancing the interaction between artists and the public. The Center is located at 701 Whaley Street, in the former community center of Columbia’s Mill District.

Columbia,
SC
Arts/Cultural Organization Gallery
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Gallery installation image of five individual artworks. There is one ceramic artwork on the wall in the shape of a nopales cactus pad. There are three hanging leather and metal sculptures shaped like a bell, a pocket knife and a tea pot. There is a large wooden table in the foreground with a clay chainlink fence on its surface. Installation view: Crossing the Line, University Art Gallery; Image courtesy San Diego State University School of Art and Design

The School of Art and Design is a creative learning community in which students develop their practice as artists, designers, and art historians who work in and across media while enhancing their technical skills, historical and theoretical knowledge, and visual, material, and conceptual thinking within the context of the School’s commitments to social and environmental justice and innovative entrepreneurship, as well as its location near the U.S.-Mexico Border and on the Pacific Rim.

Our Gallery Program bridges a diverse Southern California university community and public audience through scholarly, experimental, and socially conscious presentations of contemporary art and design.

San Diego,
CA
University or College
Clay Metal Mixed Media Wood
Show floor of American Craft Made Baltimore 2025. Max Franz

Now in its 49th year, American Craft Made Baltimore is the largest juried craft fair on the East Coast. A celebrated local institution, American Craft Made brings together over 400 artists, 10,000 attendees, and dozens of local partner organizations from across the East Coast for shopping, demonstrations, hands-on experiences, and connection through craft.

Baltimore,
MD
Exhibitions + Shows Marketplaces + Festivals
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Moki Cherry, Title Unknown (Dragon), 1975. Textile appliqué tapestry. 78.75 x 137.75 inches. Anders Sune Berg, Galleri Nicolai Wallner

Step inside The Living Temple—a vibrant retrospective celebrating the boundary‑breaking Swedish artist and designer Moki Cherry (1943–2009), whose life was her canvas.

From colorful textiles, costumes, and posters to ceramics, video, and sound, Moki’s work dissolves the line between home and stage, art and everyday life.

Philadelphia,
PA
Exhibitions + Shows
Clay Fiber Mixed Media Other Wood
Clay as Care Information Card. Courtesy of The Clay Studio, featuring work by Jennifer Ling Datchuk

Clay as Care considers ways in which care manifests in ceramic art and how viewing art and working with clay can promote personal and communal health. Featuring artists whose practices address healing, rest, and resilience, including Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Ehren Tool, and Maia Chao. A reflection of the values of care that we see as inherent in the act of making art with clay.

Supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

Philadelphia,
PA
Exhibitions + Shows
Clay Other Paper
Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photo by Blair Clark, courtesy MOIFA

The Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) stewards the world’s largest collection of international folk and traditional arts, including more than 160,000 objects from six continents and over 150 nations. This diverse collection includes dress and textiles, furniture, ceramics, masks, basketry, woodcarving, and metalwork. As one of the few museums in the United States dedicated to folk art from around the world, MOIFA expands the understanding of folk art and encourages dialogue about traditions, cultural identity, community, and aesthetics. The museum is a dynamic, multidimensional learning environment that is an integral part of community life. Our collection and programming provide important connections between past, present, and future folk art and related traditions.

MOIFA’s mission is to connect communities through stories of dynamic cultural traditions, human creativity and resilience. We value and champion dialogue and collaboration with artists and communities; excellence in public engagement and programming; cultural empowerment, social justice, and accessibility to collections. As an artist-centered organization, we believe that folk artists have the power to change lives and the world, and we work to facilitate their creativity and innovation.

Santa Fe,
NM
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Paper Wood
Hot Night in the City. Troy Thompson Photography

Hot Night in the City at the Worcester Center for Crafts is a fiery summer celebration of art, community, and creativity. Enjoy live craft demonstrations, artisan vendors, music, food, drinks, and the opening of a new exhibit—all in one unforgettable night. Free and family-friendly!

Worcester,
MA
Celebrations + Gatherings Marketplaces + Festivals
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Museum of Arts and Design in New York City’s Columbus Circle. Photo: Gustav Liliequist; courtesy Museum of Arts and Design.

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields and presents the work of artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill.

Since the Museum’s founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies.

Today, the Museum’s curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design, and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives.

MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving twenty-first-century innovation, and fosters a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design.

New York,
NY
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Wood
Ohio Craft Museum building. Ohio Craft Museum

Opened in 1993, the Ohio Craft Museum engages and enriches the community through high-quality exhibitions and education programs. Free exhibitions showcase superb examples of fine craft, including works in clay, fiber, metal, wood and glass, by artists from across the country and around the world. Gift shops sell beautiful jewelry, wheel-thrown ceramics, blown glass, leather bags, wooden bowls and cutting boards, and much more, by over 125 artists.

The museum offers educational programming for all ages and skill levels. Artists and curators present lectures and demonstrations during exhibitions; professional artists and art educators teach classes and workshops for adults and teens. Topics have included Pysanky egg design, basketmaking, felted wool projects and polymer clay ornaments. Summer camps for children and teens help foster a life-long interest in fine craft. Workshops for professional artists are offered throughout the year.

The museum provides free exhibition tours to community groups, such as schools, senior centers and organizations serving adults with developmental disabilities.

Columbus,
OH
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Wood