timeline
Our vision for the Clay Center of New Orleans is a big one that will take years to fully realize. You can help us get there by making a donation! To help guide us, we’ve broken down our plans into three distinct phases:
Phase 1: Exhibitions and Supply Shop
We've leased space at ArtEgg Studios for our exhibition space and mini supply shop! Our Exhibitions Program is drawing local and national attention to the Clay Center through social media, show card mailings, and "call for entry" listings online and in Ceramics Monthly magazine.
Our mini supply shop stocks basic clay supplies like boxed clay casting slips, tools, wax resist, commercial underglazes, and plaster. There are currently no dedicated ceramic suppliers in the New Orleans area, so all supplies and materials must be shipped in from online retailers or from suppliers in Baton Rouge or Mississippi. Having a ready supply of clay and supplies in town benefits the ceramic artists and students of the New Orleans metro area.
Phase 2: Community Education and Resident Artists Program
Setting up a classroom space is essential to the development of the Community Education and Resident Artists programs. This phase will require the identification and procurement of a suitable facility, as well as the acquisition of kilns, potter’s wheels, slab rollers, tables, chairs and shelving. We already have some equipment in storage, and have received pledges from community members for other items, such as slab rollers and potter’s wheels. We expect to acquire everything needed for the classroom space through in-kind donations and purchases of used equipment. If you have studio equipment you'd like to donate, please contact us!
As the classroom space comes together, the Clay Center will begin scheduling and advertising community-oriented classes and workshops to be taught by our own Resident Artists, local invited artists and visiting artists. We will also work to develop a fully insured summer art camp program for children. Once we have built up a student base, we will begin inviting nationally recognized clay artists to teach weekend workshops, which will be promoted throughout the Southeast. These visiting artist workshops will connect the Clay Center to the national ceramics community and elevate the level of ceramic art education available in our area.
The Resident Artists program will draw new ceramic talent to New Orleans by offering competitive residency opportunities. Applications for residencies will be accepted yearly and juried by an artistic committee. Chosen artists will be offered a residency of one year with an option to renew for up to three total years in residence. All Resident Artists will receive individual studio spaces, 24/7 facility access, and a solo exhibition during the term of their residencies.
Phase 3: Community Outreach
The first two phases of development are focused on creating and developing ceramic art programming and opportunities that will be available at the Center itself. In Phase 3, we will begin to move beyond our physical space to bring the joy of creating in clay to those who may lack the physical or financial ability to take a class at the Center.
By working with recreation centers, after-school programs and senior centers, we will bring ceramic art classes to a variety of locations around New Orleans. We will work with each individual organization to develop an onsite class or program focused on the needs and interests of their participants, and will provide the necessary instructors and supplies. The instructors will transport finished work to the Clay Center for firing and then return it to the community partner’s location for the participants to keep and enjoy. If you'd like to bring a clay class to your organization, please contact us!
Phase 1: Exhibitions and Supply Shop
We've leased space at ArtEgg Studios for our exhibition space and mini supply shop! Our Exhibitions Program is drawing local and national attention to the Clay Center through social media, show card mailings, and "call for entry" listings online and in Ceramics Monthly magazine.
Our mini supply shop stocks basic clay supplies like boxed clay casting slips, tools, wax resist, commercial underglazes, and plaster. There are currently no dedicated ceramic suppliers in the New Orleans area, so all supplies and materials must be shipped in from online retailers or from suppliers in Baton Rouge or Mississippi. Having a ready supply of clay and supplies in town benefits the ceramic artists and students of the New Orleans metro area.
Phase 2: Community Education and Resident Artists Program
Setting up a classroom space is essential to the development of the Community Education and Resident Artists programs. This phase will require the identification and procurement of a suitable facility, as well as the acquisition of kilns, potter’s wheels, slab rollers, tables, chairs and shelving. We already have some equipment in storage, and have received pledges from community members for other items, such as slab rollers and potter’s wheels. We expect to acquire everything needed for the classroom space through in-kind donations and purchases of used equipment. If you have studio equipment you'd like to donate, please contact us!
As the classroom space comes together, the Clay Center will begin scheduling and advertising community-oriented classes and workshops to be taught by our own Resident Artists, local invited artists and visiting artists. We will also work to develop a fully insured summer art camp program for children. Once we have built up a student base, we will begin inviting nationally recognized clay artists to teach weekend workshops, which will be promoted throughout the Southeast. These visiting artist workshops will connect the Clay Center to the national ceramics community and elevate the level of ceramic art education available in our area.
The Resident Artists program will draw new ceramic talent to New Orleans by offering competitive residency opportunities. Applications for residencies will be accepted yearly and juried by an artistic committee. Chosen artists will be offered a residency of one year with an option to renew for up to three total years in residence. All Resident Artists will receive individual studio spaces, 24/7 facility access, and a solo exhibition during the term of their residencies.
Phase 3: Community Outreach
The first two phases of development are focused on creating and developing ceramic art programming and opportunities that will be available at the Center itself. In Phase 3, we will begin to move beyond our physical space to bring the joy of creating in clay to those who may lack the physical or financial ability to take a class at the Center.
By working with recreation centers, after-school programs and senior centers, we will bring ceramic art classes to a variety of locations around New Orleans. We will work with each individual organization to develop an onsite class or program focused on the needs and interests of their participants, and will provide the necessary instructors and supplies. The instructors will transport finished work to the Clay Center for firing and then return it to the community partner’s location for the participants to keep and enjoy. If you'd like to bring a clay class to your organization, please contact us!