Sharing Exciting News - Hand In Hand 2023

Clay Art Center Board Members (L-R) Jessie Berkowitz, Laura Mackenzie (Vice President), Michael Carter, Executive Director Emily Peck, Sally Ng (Board President), Rose Foley, Carol Chevlowe, Valerie Calloway, Emma McKee and Diana Santamaria Clay.

At our 2023 Hand In Hand Benefit and Auction, Executive Director Emily Peck shared some exciting news!

“More than 65 years ago, Katherine Choy and Henry Okamoto had the vision for a community ceramic art studio where ceramic artists could work collaboratively. Reena Kashyap expanded upon their legacy and transformed Clay Art Center into a nonprofit organization with the vision for stronger community engagement.

Over the years, Clay Art Center has grown to offer artist residencies that provide emerging and established artists with a space to explore, create, and innovate. Our community programs bring the joy of ceramics to people of all ages and backgrounds. Our exhibitions showcase the talent and diversity within our community, and our classes ignite the spark of creativity in our students.

As many of you know, we are bursting at the seams. Our classes sell out in minutes, our artist programs have waitlists, and we have more requests for community programs than we have studio space to program them in. We have some exciting news to share with all of you! We have recently acquired a property across the street from Clay Art Center that will allow us to expand!

These plans are not just about expanding a physical space; they are about expanding our vision, our reach, and our impact. We are in a remarkable stage of growth and we are excited about what this expansion will enable us to do.”

Enjoy some photos from the event!

Photos: Alex Acaro

Three people pose at Clay Art Center Hand In hand 2023 Benefit and Auction

(L-R) Emily Peck (Clay Art Center Executive Director), Shelley B. Mayer (New York State Senator), Wendy Weinstein (Clay Art Center Director of Development).