Community Clay Day at Centennial Art Center showcases vibrant pottery programs

• Saturday, April 15, 2023
• Demonstrations: 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
• Gallery event: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

On Saturday April 15, 2023, the staff of Metro Parks Visual Arts and Centennial Art Center will host their first Community Clay Day from 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. spotlighting eight community pottery programs available to residents across Nashville, Davidson County, and Middle Tennessee. Additionally, a gallery opening featuring pottery and clay sculpture from the participating organizations will be held from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. the same evening. This inaugural event will feature a full day of free clay demonstrations, artist talks and hands-on pottery activities celebrating the thriving clay community in Middle Tennessee. The gallery exhibit, Community in Clay, will remain on display April 15 through June 1, 2023.

At Community Clay Day, participants can enjoy watching clay demonstrations by pottery experts from The Clay Lady's Campus, Mud Puddle Pottery, Clay in the Woods, Watkins Community Education at Belmont, Buchanan Arts, Make Nashville, Old School Farm Pottery, Metro Parks Visual Arts and more. Clay is one of oldest and most versatile art mediums in the world. Clay is often used to make functional, decorative, and sculptural objects. Over the years, different cultures have developed a dazzling array of surface decoration, firing techniques, and construction styles--some of which will be demonstrated at Community Clay Day. Wheel throwing and hand-building lessons, large-scale and altered-pottery techniques, handmade ocarinas, and alternative firing processes (such as horsehair and raku) are just a few examples of the exciting demonstrations that will be showcased throughout the day.

Community Clay Day is a perfect opportunity to learn how (and where) to start, resume, or advance your journey in clay. As Nashville's self-proclaimed "introduction to clay," the hardworking team at Metro Parks Visual Arts and Centennial Art Center understands that "it takes a village..." That is why they have gathered local pottery organizations to showcase their offerings. This first of its kind event will give the community the opportunity to converse with people from the top clay programs in Middle Tennessee. Hands-on activities will also let visitors directly experience this awesome material.

In the evening, join the talented students, studio residents, staff and instructors of these Middle Tennessee clay communities for their gallery reception from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The exhibit will showcase a beautiful variety of ceramic artwork from functional ware such as coffee cups and bowls to sculptural and decorative one-of-a-kind art pieces.

Visual Arts Supervisor, Josh Wagner, enthusiastically commented, "This Community Clay Day event is the first of its kind in Nashville-- bringing together all the best pottery programs in Middle Tennessee under one roof. It will be a truly unique event as we showcase Nashville's strong and growing clay community."Join us for Community Clay Day on Saturday, April 15, 2023 for a full day of clay fun - followed by the gallery opening for the Community in Clay exhibit 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Follow on Facebook or Instagram for the latest information on Community Clay Day. For more information, call Centennial Art Center at 615-862-8442, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

The following is a sampling of the beautiful ceramic pieces you will see at the Community in Clay exhibit featuring work by the participating organizations.

This event is sponsored by Metro Parks, Centennial Park Conservancy and Creative Parks Nashville.