At the Clay School, we believe the creative possibilities that art brings should be easily accessible to all. Art holds the power to shape and strengthen individuals as well as the collective and is a potent tool of expression that often honors culture, identity and personal creativity. The reality today is that Western centered ceramics culture and the ceramic industry as a whole is not equitable to or representative of all people. As one of the only community accessible ceramics studios in our local area, we recognize our role in helping to create the local change we want to see in our industry and our society. 

Focusing on the pathways in which we can make intentional shifts, we aim to uplift  and cultivate empowerment for those in our community. We seek to do this by providing subsidized access to connective and encouragingly creative experiences in our studio to those it would otherwise be inaccessible to. Our scholarship offerings are our first step in cultivating more equitable and expansive spaces in our local ceramics art community. Through this resource sharing, we are centering those who hold identities that are often pushed to the margins. We hold scholarship space and encourage those who identify as BIPOC, poor, disabled, and/or LBGTQIA+ to apply.

We are prioritizing access to those who come from communities that suffer greatly from white supremacist and colonial systemic violence. We want the Clay School to be accessible to those  who may experience any barriers that would keep them from participating in the Clay School’s programming. While we understand this is just a first of many steps, we are proud to be making these shifts and to begin the process of opening more ceramic art accessibility to our wider community.

We recognize that this is a white, cis woman owned space and while we do not hold all the answers, we seek to hold our relationships to power with integrity and dignity. We seek to honor those who are most impacted by settler colonialism to the best of our ability and aspire to prioritize their safety and provide access to this creative space. Communities across differences deserve space to express creatively and we commit to our steps forward reflecting this truth. We joyfully commit to learning our responsibility in holding this with care, expanding the training of our staff and continuing to offer resources, scholarships and opportunities to reflect this.

Application Openings (and Deadlines):

• July 1st (closes August 15th)

• Jan 1st (closes Feb 15th)