- Since opening in 2014, over 7,000 students have taken classes at District Clay.
- 156,000 lbs (78 tons of clay) of clay have been made into pots.
- Approximately 75,000 pots have come out of our kilns.
Timeline:
District Clay Studio opened Feb 4, 2014
We opened District Clay Studio with 14 wheels in a 2,400 sq. ft. space at OFBT.
District Clay Center opened on Nov. 19, 2016
In Aug. 2016, we signed a lease for 6,700 sq. ft. space and, over two days, 26 District Clay students, teachers & artists moved everything except our gas kiln downstairs. We re-opened for classes on Tuesday. On Nov. 19, we held a Grand Opening Party for 150 people & opened our first gallery show, Homegrown Talent.
The new District Clay Center included:
2017-19
2020
Because of the pandemic, we started the following new programs: Rent a Wheel (while closed), Online Interactive Classes, a Clay from Home Program, Outdoor Wheel Classes & a Rent a Kiln Program. We temporarily closed our gallery.
Timeline:
District Clay Studio opened Feb 4, 2014
We opened District Clay Studio with 14 wheels in a 2,400 sq. ft. space at OFBT.
- We started with 4 classes, 4 teachers, 42 students.
- Mike Pappas and Jon Kerr were among our original teachers.
- We had our first Spring Sale and our students made $1,591.
- By the end of 2015, we had 140 students, 12 classes and 8 teachers.
District Clay Center opened on Nov. 19, 2016
In Aug. 2016, we signed a lease for 6,700 sq. ft. space and, over two days, 26 District Clay students, teachers & artists moved everything except our gas kiln downstairs. We re-opened for classes on Tuesday. On Nov. 19, we held a Grand Opening Party for 150 people & opened our first gallery show, Homegrown Talent.
The new District Clay Center included:
- A 24/7 Artist Program for 45 studio, associate & community artists.
- We added two kilns, a spray booth, a Peter Pugger,12 new wheels & a raku kiln.
- A dedicated District Clay Gallery and a free lending library for our students.
- A workshop and artist talk program.
2017-19
- Purchased more wheels, improved lighting, added ceiling fans in our wheel rooms and redesigned and rebuilt our gallery.
- We added one shots, raku firings & private parties/corporate events to our roster
- We expanded our class offerings to 24 classes a week.
- We started a resident artist program for BA and MFA ceramics graduates.
- We started offering free classes to underserved kids at THEARC in SE DC.
- We created a slipcasting and moldmaking area.
2020
Because of the pandemic, we started the following new programs: Rent a Wheel (while closed), Online Interactive Classes, a Clay from Home Program, Outdoor Wheel Classes & a Rent a Kiln Program. We temporarily closed our gallery.
District Clay Activities Since 2014
Workshops
John Britt, Blair Clemo, Kevin Crowe, Joe Hicks, Kenyon Hansen, Rebecca Hutchinson (online), Yari Livan, Chris Lively, Mitch Lyons, Roberto Lugo, Akira Satake, Catherine White, Sam Wallace, Adero Willard plus many DCC teacher workshops and intensives.
Collaborative Events
Cross MacKenzie Gallery - Window Show and Contest, Freer Sackler Gallery – Raku Firing on the Mall; Hill Center – Raku Firing for Pottery on the Hill (2018 - ) & Pottery Jams at District Clay, Ikebana International – Workshop and Show; Japanese Information and Cultural Center – Talk and Two Shows (Shino & Ikebana), James Renwick Alliance – Rebecca Hutchinson & Bennett Bean Workshops, USO – classes for military personnel (ongoing), West Elm sales.
Community Clay Activities
Free Clay Classes for Kids at ARTREACH in SE (ongoing); in person and videos for teacher training for DCPS teachers; free clay kits for DC Public Schools; First Responder clay classes with Ashes for Art (2021); Summer Workshop with the Phillips Collection (planned 2021).
District Clay Gallery Shows
Emerging Voices curated by Roberto Lugo, Subversive Nature by Russell Biles, Alleviating Quiet by Adero Willard, Fusion by Joe Hicks, Lies and Veiled curated by Wayne Higby & Kelsey Chase Folsom, Floating Islands curated by Akira Satake, the Space Between by Kevin Crowe, Homegrown Talent curated by Chris Landers, Shino Splendor curated by Joe Hicks, Beer Drinking Vessels curated by Kenyon Hansen, Totem Raku by Thien Nguyen and DCC Teachers on Display. Plus solo shows by resident artists Vicki Lynne Wilson (Vital Breadth), David DaSilva (Past Tense) & Sam Briegel (Blush).
Free Artist Talks
Deb Bedwell (masterclass), John Britt, Cory Brown, Blair Clemo, Kevin Crowe (2x), Kenyon Hansen, Joe Hicks, Rebecca Hutchinson, Yari Livan, Roberto Lugo, Mitch Lyons, Matin Malekzadeh (Afghan potter), Chafar Mohiudin (Pakistani potter), Lindsay Oesterritter (book signing), Mea Rhee (Pricing Your Pots), Akira Satake (2x), Takuro Shibata (Starworks Clay), Penny Simpson (book signing), Catherine White and Adero Willard.
Annual Shows
We have held 12 sales (a spring and holiday sales) since 2014.
