-Courtesy of En Route Marketing
The Clay Studio welcomes people of all ages for a day of creating art and muddy fun on Saturday, June 10, from noon to 5 p.m., during the 8th annual Clay Fest, presented by PNC Arts Alive. This year’s celebration of clay and community takes place at The Clay Studio’s new building in South Kensington, located at 1425 N. American St. Philadelphia, PA 19122. From noon to 5 p.m., guests can participate in a number of free activities for all ages, including hands-on clay projects, wheel throwing demonstrations, a group sculpture extravaganza, artist-led projects, picture frame decorating, an ice cream social, and music.
Throughout the day, families can decorate a handmade picture frame, create their own ceramic Sgraffito tiles, or transform a clay slab into a special bowl that The Clay Studio will glaze and fire for free. Using clay, children can design characters and use stop-motion animation to bring their cinematic vision to life. Visitors can get their hands dirty and work up a sweat with The Clay Studio’s pedal-powered pottery wheel. Children ages three to six are welcome to fill and play with a larger-than-life dollhouse using clay objects and characters of their own creation.
During Clay Fest, interactive artist activations occur from noon to 5 p.m. Participants can join Clay Studio teaching artist Nitza Walesca to craft necklaces with beads and clay pendants while Clay Studio Associate Artist Robin Williams-Turnage leads demonstrations for traditional Ghanaian Pottery techniques. Guest artist and Marine Corps veteran Ehren Tool will throw cups that attendees can decorate to honor the service of Veterans in their lives. Veterans and their families are welcome to bring personal military insignias to make molds or use the ones provided by The Clay Studio. Patrons can also drop into a group sculpting activity and turn 1,000 pounds of clay into a work of art inspired by Roberto Lugo’s mural of Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter from The Roots found on the outside of The Clay Studio’s building.
Additional drop-in activities and workshops take place at this year’s Clay Fest. At 1:30 and 2:30 p.m., pre-school-age children can join Thembi Palmer of Imagine More Story Adventures for a special storytelling experience. If the clay enthusiasts find themselves with a sweet tooth, they can enjoy cold treats provided by Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams from 2 to 4 p.m. Visitors can also take a self-guided tour of The Clay Studio’s new building from noon to 4 p.m., with guided behind-the-scenes tours available at 1 and 3 p.m.
“We’ve long recognized just how vital the arts and cultural sector is to our community,” said Joe Meterchick, PNC regional president for Philadelphia, Delaware and Southern New Jersey. “The PNC team is once again excited to support the arts and cultural organizations in the Delaware Valley. The arts and culture strengthen the local economy and have the power to bring people together. We invite our neighbors to join us and be a part of art.”
Clay Fest 2023 is a rain or shine event and all activities are free. To view the full schedule of events, please click HERE.
This year’s Clay Fest coincides with several other arts events at neighboring organizations along North American Street. Starting at 11 a.m., the Center for Creative Works hosts Arty Party featuring the opening of a new exhibition, Dedicated to the One I Love, artists selling unique works, music, a raffle, and a custom screen printing station. From noon to 6 p.m., InLiquid’s 23rd annual Art for the Cash Poor art fair will take over the 1400 and 1500 blocks of North American Street, with local artists selling works for $250 or less. Then, from 4 to 6 p.m., the Northern Liberties CDC presents a neighborhood art crawl, Artists At Work, which features live creation by over a dozen local artists and a performance from the Philadelphia-based touring circus, the Almanac Dance Circus Theater. All events are free and open to the public.
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