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  • About
  • Shop
    • Bray Gallery
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  • Residencies
    • Apply
    • Long-Term Residencies
    • Summer Residencies
    • Visiting Artists
    • Writers Residencies
    • Past Residents
    • Resident FAQ
    • Studio Facilities
  • Education
    • Artist Amplified Series
    • Adult Continuing Education Classes
    • Educational Fellowship
    • First Fire; Indigenous Pit Firing Site and Programming
    • Engagement Programming
    • Experience Classes
    • The Bray Incubator
    • Our Teachers
    • Educator Professional Development
    • Seminars and Workshops
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    • Events
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Connecting the world through clay

The Bray offers short and long-term artist residencies, state-of-the-art ceramic studios, fellowships and artist stipends, a full curriculum of continuing education classes, a visiting artist program, and a robust gallery and exhibitions program featuring world-class ceramic art.

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Upcoming Events

View the events calendar.

Community Bowl Fest

March 15 @ 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Archie Bray Foundation
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Exiting Fellows Exhibition

April 9 @ 8:00 am - May 23 @ 5:00 pm
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Artist Amplified; Eva Kwong

April 9 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Frances Senska Center for Education and Engagement
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Pots & Plants Sale

May 9 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
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    employment opportunities

    Please visit our employment opportunities page to view our open positions.

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    PODCASTS

    Join us to listen and learn from our groundbreaking clay podcasts on The Bray's own Brickyard Network. Our podcasts can be found on your favorite podcast apps. 

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Diversity and Inclusion at The Bray

The Bray exists to promote excellence and enhance commitment and investment in the ceramic arts while actively working towards increased inclusion, representation, belonging and equity in the ceramics community. See our Strategic Plan to learn more.

The Bray respectfully acknowledges all Indigenous communities — past, present, future — whose land we reside on in what is now known as Helena, Montana, including the Salish, Crow, Bannock, and Blackfeet tribes. See our Native Lands Acknowledgement to learn more.

Get to Know Us

InstagramArchie Bray on Instagram  FacebookArchie Bray on Facebook  YoutubeArchie Bray on Youtube

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The Bray exists to promote excellence and enhance commitment and investment in the ceramic arts.

Kim Tucker’s figures are outsiders caught in momen Kim Tucker’s figures are outsiders caught in moments of vulnerability, and her works are influenced by Beatrice Wood, Viola Frey, cave paintings, and vintage figurines. She creates portraits of humans feeling weird, happy, lost, joyful, and sometimes uncomfortable. Often with a female subject at the center, she uses figuration as a gestural means of expression to dig deeper into the psyche.

@loudmouthghosts
Meet Beth Lo — ceramist, educator, musician, and M Meet Beth Lo — ceramist, educator, musician, and Montana Potter Laureate.

Beth earned her MFA from the University of Montana and went on to take her place as Professor of Ceramics — shaping generations of artists in her own right.

Her work explores identity, family, and the beautiful tension between cultures, rendered in vibrant high-fire porcelain. She's served on the Archie Bray Foundation's board, juried fellowships, and shown up year after year at the Brickyard Bash — both as an artist and as a musician with the Big Sky Mudflaps.

@bethloceramics
Before her work was in major museums, ceramic scul Before her work was in major museums, ceramic sculptor Patti Warashina spent time working at The Bray here in Helena.

She first came to the Archie Bray Foundation in 1973, joining a community of artists experimenting with what clay could be. Known for her expressive figures and sharp sense of humor, Warashina used ceramics to tell stories about human behavior, culture, and the absurdities of everyday life.

Her connection to The Bray didn’t end there—she returned for later residencies and eventually served on the Bray’s Board of Directors, helping support future generations of ceramic artists.

From the studio kilns in Helena to museum collections around the world, Warashina’s work continues to show how clay can be both playful and profound.
Sana Musasama first came to The Bray in the 80s an Sana Musasama first came to The Bray in the 80s and was recently one of our Visiting Artists in 2024. She describes herself as a clay artist, humanitarian, and global trotter. 🌎

Her work centers on the lives of other women who were, and are still, her mentors. She intends to bring awareness to the human condition beyond the comfort zones that we may or may not live within. 

Sana, along with 8 other women, created the Apron Project in Cambodia, which is a sustainable, entrepreneurial project that aids girls and young women reintegrated back into society after being forced into the commercial sex industry, by creating one-of-a-kind aprons to sell. 

In recent years, she has decided to focus on work that simultaneously contains social commentary and is heart-warming. We are proud to be part of Sana's journey and love to see her thrive and support women all around the world. 🩷

@sanamusasama
Carol Roorbach left The Bray stronger than she fou Carol Roorbach left The Bray stronger than she found it. As Resident Director from 1989 to 1992, she created a permanent endowment, improved storage and documentation of the extensive permanent collection, and established an on-site gallery featuring artwork left behind by resident artists. Under her leadership, professionalism across the foundation grew — leaving a more stable and organized institution for the artists who came after her.
Lillian Boschen served as the first official Resid Lillian Boschen served as the first official Resident Director of The Bray from 1951 to 1952. She had met Frances Senska while both served in the U.S. Navy — and studied ceramics alongside Peter Voulkos. When Peter and Rudy Autio left for grad school, she was recommended for the role.

She made the most of it. As recounted in Rudy Autio's biography, Lillian set up a slip casting operation, threw pots, and developed The Bray's first plan of operation essentially from scratch. After her time as Resident Director, she went on to open her own pottery studio in Virginia City, Montana.
Frances Senska was a true trailblazer of ceramic a Frances Senska was a true trailblazer of ceramic arts in Montana. The teacher of Rudy Autio and Peter Voulkos, she sent them to the brickyard that would become the Archie Bray Foundation. Senska taught at Montana State College (now Montana State University) in Bozeman, where she stated she "learned right along with the class" since she had two quarters of experience in the field. Teaching more by example than instruction, she introduced Montana ceramists to the aesthetics and ideas of European artists who fled their homelands during World War II.

The Frances Senska Center for Education and Engagement is named after her because of her influence and indispensable role in shaping the Archie Bray Foundation — and the artists who built it. This Women's History Month, we're proud to celebrate the woman who helped launch The Bray and still inspires artists across generations and across the country.
Create for a cause! Join The Bray for a hands-on Create for a cause! 

Join The Bray for a hands-on opportunity to craft beautiful bowls that will be donated to Helena Food Share’s impactful Empty Bowls fundraiser. Come together, get creative, and help make a difference in the community. See you at the Frances Senska Center for Education and Engagement on Sunday, March 15, from 11 am to 2 pm! 

No experience or registration is necessary. Suggested donation of $5 helps us cover material and firing fees. Drip in for 1, 2, or 3 hours of fun with the community!

@helenafoodshare 🫶❤
Add a little style to your life with handmade bell Add a little style to your life with handmade bells and buttons! 🔔

Stop by The Bray, Friday, March 6th, from 6-8 pm and get creative!

Guided by Bray Educational Fellow alumni, Muriel Condon, students will explore hand-building techniques to create small, decorative, and functional clay objects full of charm and personality. Whether you’re looking to experience clay for the first time or are seeking a fun filled creative activity — our Experience Classes offer hands-on learning for a variety of student types, abilities, and interests.

Register now using the link in our bio!
The Montana winter can be brutal, but we will alwa The Montana winter can be brutal, but we will always find the beauty in it too ❄️
Today is your last chance to shop for artwork at a Today is your last chance to shop for artwork at a discounted price! 

Don't miss this chance, stop by The Bray Gallery and Visitor Center today!

Thank you for supporting our artists!
Two days left to shop the For the Love of Art Sale Two days left to shop the For the Love of Art Sale at The Bray Gallery and Visitor Center!
It's the final few days of the For the Love of Art It's the final few days of the For the Love of Art Sale!

Don't miss your chance to get handcrafted work at a discounted price. All work is 25% off today through Friday!

Stop by The Bray Gallery and Visitor Center today and shop the sale!
Recently, The Bray had the pleasure of having Kim Recently, The Bray had the pleasure of having Kim Dickey as our Visiting Artist! 

While at The Bray, Kim Dickey has been working on an ongoing series of vessels she thinks of as a journal. The building process and resulting pieces have multiple references to the patterns seen in our landscapes, to the form of our writing, and to the multitude of plant and architectural forms that surround us.

@kimpdickey
For the Love of Art Sale has officially begun! 🩷 For the Love of Art Sale has officially begun! 🩷

From now until February 13, all artwork will be offered at graduated pricing. This is an in-person offer, so stop by the Bray Gallery Tuesday-Friday from 11 am to 5 pm and find the perfect piece you’ve been missing! 🤩

Please note, the discount is taken from The Bray’s portion of the sale and all artist earnings remain unchanged. ✨
For the Love of Art Sale - starting next week!✨🫶💕 For the Love of Art Sale - starting next week!✨🫶💕

For a limited time, all work in the gallery will be offered at graduated pricing. This one-time, in-person opportunity invites visitors and collectors to browse a wide range of ceramic work, with increasing discounts as we consolidate inventory.

🩷February 3-6, 15% off work🩷
❤️February 10-13, 25% off work❤️

✨Please note that all artist earnings remain unchanged. The discount comes entirely from The Bray's portion of sales.✨
Standing tall since the early 2000’s, Bray Odyssey Standing tall since the early 2000’s, Bray Odyssey Arch by Chip Clawson has seen every season of The Bray. ☀️

From beautiful Montana sunsets to heavy snow in the winter, it remains a piece of our history. 🌨️
There are still spots available in Creating a Canv There are still spots available in Creating a Canvas - Surface Exploration and Design with Marian Draper!

Discover limitless finishing opportunities for your ceramic wares in this surface-focused class and explore a variety of techniques with Bray Resident Marian Draper as your guide. From individualized, handmade stamps and water etching to the traditional techniques of sgraffito and Mishima, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to create depth and meaning within their ceramic canvas. Marian will also showcase underglazes and her expertise in newsprint transfers.

Sign up today using the link in our bio!
Adult Continuing Education Classes are back! Check Adult Continuing Education Classes are back! Check out Tools of the Trade, taught by Ayla Murray!

Take your handbuilding to the next level by crafting the very tools that shape your work. Learn to design and build custom templates, ribs, and molds that open new possibilities in form and texture. Whether you’re a total beginner or have previous experience, this class blends creativity and problem-solving. Perfect for potters and sculptors alike who love to experiment and refine the creative process. Join Bray staff member and local area artist, Ayla Murray, for demonstrations in hand-building and tool making to elevate your handmade wares.

Register today using the link in our bio!
Gallery Update‼️ The Bray Gallery will temporaril Gallery Update‼️

The Bray Gallery will temporarily be closed on Saturdays in the upcoming months of January and February. 

The gallery team appreciates your understanding and apologizes for any inconvenience! We look forward to seeing you during our regular operating hours, 11:00-5:00. 🕐

As always, self-guided tour maps will be available outside our main lobby. 🗺
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Helena MT. 59602
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All content is © 2026 The Bray All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Tax ID Number 81-028-4022 (GuideStar) | Form 990
The Bray is a 501(c)(3) exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code and all contributions to the Bray are deductible to the full extent allowed by law. For more information contact the Bray Development Office.