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The Brickyard Bash Is Back

Join us for The Bray’s annual summer celebration, bringing our community together for an evening of art, music, food, and fun on our historic brickyard campus. Enjoy delicious offerings from local food trucks, beverages, and live music from the band Big Sky Mudflaps while gathering with friends and fellow supporters of the ceramic arts.

Buy Tickets Now
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Upcoming Events

View the events calendar.

Exiting Fellows Exhibition

April 9 @ 8:00 am - May 23 @ 5:00 pm
Learn More about Exiting Fellows Exhibition

Pots & Plants Market

May 9 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Learn More about Pots & Plants Market

Artist Amplified; Bray Staff Showcase

May 14 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Frances Senska Center for Education and Engagement
Learn More about Artist Amplified; Bray Staff Showcase

Bray Closed – Memorial Day

May 25 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Learn More about Bray Closed – Memorial Day
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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.

Kaitlin Smrcina, Long-Term Resident Born in Milwa Kaitlin Smrcina, Long-Term Resident

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Kaitlin Smrcina makes ceramic sculptures referencing film, video games, and emerging digital realities, using gardens as a setting for the manicured suburban uncanny.

Smrcina received her BFA in 2015 from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with focuses in Ceramics and Fiber Arts and Material Studies, and an MA and MFA with honors distinction from The University of Iowa in 2026. Smrcina has been awarded various grants, scholarships, and fellowships during her time at Iowa including the Digital Scholarship and Publishing Summer Fellowship, and is a 2026-2027 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities Award Semi-finalist. Since 2012, Smrcina has exhibited across America, in Canada, and with Lefebvre et Fils in Paris, France.
Art transforms. Community sustains it. 🤝 Greater Art transforms. Community sustains it. 🤝

Greater Helena Gives is our chance to rally together — and we're asking you to be part of something meaningful. Your donation to the Archie Bray Foundation directly supports working artists, creative residencies, and a legacy that belongs to all of Helena.

Whether you've walked our grounds, attended a workshop, or simply believe in the power of art to bring people together, your support means the world to this community.

🗓️ May 6–7 | 8pm–8pm
👉 www.greaterhelenagives.org/organizations/archie-bray-foundation
Pots & Plants Market is one week away! We have a Pots & Plants Market is one week away! 

We have a great collection of planters and vases, filled with plants and ready to be taken home. Whether you are looking for someone special or yourself, you're sure to find something great.

While you're here, grab a bite to eat from Blissful Berry Bowls and a coffee from The Jitter Buggy. 

See you next Saturday, May 9, from 10 am-3 pm!
A small collection of some of Dante's favorite wor A small collection of some of Dante's favorite works during his time at The Bray.

@dantegambardella
Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate our ex Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate our exiting fellows last night at The Bray! This was a wonderful way to celebrate all that these artists have accomplished and we can’t wait to see what they do next. ✨

The Exiting Fellows Exhibition is still open in The Bray’s North Gallery until May 23. Stop by and check out the pieces that are on display. 

Thank you for all your hard work!
Lexus Giles @lexus.giles 
Eliza Weber @_elizaweber 
Jason Lee Starin @jasonleestarin 
Kim Tucker @loudmouthghosts 
Dante Gambardella @dantegambardella 
Carey Nathanson @head.road.puddles
The Bray’s Exiting Fellows Exhibition is now on vi The Bray’s Exiting Fellows Exhibition is now on view. Join us Thursday, April 23, from 6–8 pm to celebrate six resident artists at the culmination of their two-year residencies. The evening includes a reception and gallery talks, offering the opportunity to hear directly from the artists about their work and evolving practices.

On view: April 9 – May 23, 2026
Reception: Thursday, April 23, 6–8 pm
Gallery Talks: Begin at 6:30 pm

Image: work by Jason Lee Starin and Eliza Weber
Looking for a fun and creative activity? Try an ex Looking for a fun and creative activity? Try an experience class at The Bray!

These 2-hour classes offer an introduction to working with clay on the wheel while being able to fire and bring home a piece of your own. Register now before they fill up!

Dirty Date Night - May 1, 6-8 pm
Coffee & Clay - May 2, 10 am-12 pm
Spun Out - May 22, 6-8 pm
Dirty Date Night - May 23, 6-8 pm

Register for a class at the link in our bio!
Currently on view in the Pottery Gallery is the co Currently on view in the Pottery Gallery is the collection of our Friends of the Bray cups! 

Established in 1995, the Friends of the Bray Gift Program supports the Archie Bray Foundation's residency program through a simple yet meaningful exchange. Initiated by Robert Taunt III, then a member of the Bray's Board of Directors, the program was rooted in the idea that resident artists would create small, functional ceramic works, often cups or tea bowls, as tangible expressions of appreciation for those who support the program. 

These objects serve as gestures of gratitude and points of connection, linking donors directly to the artists and the moment in which each work was made. Proceeds from the Friends of the Bray program directly support the residents with an opportunity to engage with the community that sustains their work.

The first Friends of the Bray cups were made in 1995 by resident director Josh Deweese. Since then, one resident artist has been invited each year to contribute a cup, or small object, to the program. The most recent gifts were wall tiles, created by long-term resident Lexus Giles @lexus.giles. Together, these works form a chronological record, reflecting three decades of sustained practice and individual expression within a shared ceramic tradition.

Stop by the Pottery Gallery and view the pieces we have on display, and learn about supporting the Friends of the Bray program using the link in our bio!
Looking to shake up your studio practice or try so Looking to shake up your studio practice or try something new with clay? Join The Bray and long-term Resident Artist Eliza Weber for a fun, hands-on day of making ceramic wall pieces, from frames and plaques to decorative tiles and more in Frames, Plaques, Wall Tiles, Oh My! Explore surface design, text in clay, underglaze painting, and techniques for creating work that’s ready to hang and display. Bring your ideas, favorite textures, sketches, or images, and spend the day making something uniquely your own in a welcoming, creative environment.
 
Some clay experience is recommended, but all skill levels are welcome, including adventurous beginners! Montana educators can also earn OPI Renewal Units through this workshop. Join us on May 16 from 10am–4pm. Spots are limited, so learn more and register on our website today!

Reserve your spot today using the link in our bio!
Jami Porter Lara, Long-Term Resident Jami Porter Jami Porter Lara, Long-Term Resident

Jami Porter Lara is a New Mexico-based conceptual artist. Working across media such as ceramics, drawing, signage, textiles, and lithography, she tries to unbend normal, unsettle natural, and unwind beauty from its logic of power. She uses frictions between objects and ideas to stage moments of contradiction and instability, pursuing spaces where art makes more possible than language can hold.

Recent exhibitions include the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC; the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt in New York City; the Center for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh; the New Mexico Museum of Art; and Craft Contemporary in Los Angeles, CA. Reviews of the work have appeared in Hyperallergic, Art21 Magazine, American Craft, American Art Collector, and Ceramics Monthly. Her work is held in the public collections of the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt; the National Museum of Women in the Arts; the U.S. Department of State; the Albuquerque Museum; and the New Mexico Museum of Art, among others. Residencies include MacDowell, Yaddo, SFAI, Arquetopia, and the Tamarind Institute.
Caroline Roberts, Long-Term Resident Caroline Rob Caroline Roberts, Long-Term Resident

Caroline Roberts is an artist potter, born in Wisconsin and raised across the upper Midwest. She completed her B.S. in Fine Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2020 and is currently an MFA candidate at Utah State University. Roberts has completed residencies at Cub Creek Foundation in Virginia and at Pleasant Hill Pottery in Oregon. She has taught atmospheric firing workshops as well as participated in numerous exhibitions nationwide.
SunYoung Park, Long-Term Resident SunYoung Park i SunYoung Park, Long-Term Resident

SunYoung Park is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores hybridity, memory, and cultural identity through ceramics and mixed media. Combining clay with fabric, wood, and botanical elements, she creates sculptures that evoke hybrid bodies and environments, blurring boundaries between the organic and the constructed, the personal and the cultural. Park was selected as a 2026 NCECA Emerging Artist and received the 2026 Studio MASS MoCA Fellowship and 2023 Wassaic Project Fellowship. She has held residencies at the Interdisciplinary Ceramic Research Center, Charlotte Street Foundation, and Clayarch Gimhae Museum. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including in Belgium, China, and Korea.
There are ceramic arts programs all over the world There are ceramic arts programs all over the world, but there is only one Archie Bray Foundation. A big part of what makes it so special? It's here — in Helena, Montana, surrounded by the kind of landscape that has a way of showing up in the work. 🌄

Since 1951, The Bray has been host to generations of remarkable talent. Many of them are Montana-made ceramic artists, such as Sue Tirrell, Rosalie Wynkoop, and Josh DeWeese, among many others. 

Happy 406 Day, Montana, and thank you for being our home.❤

Photos 2, 3, 5, and 7:
Art by Sue Tirrell
Photo by Adam Field
Art by Rosalie Wynkoop
Art by Josh DeWeese
Ariana Stein, Long-Term Resident Ariana Stein (Sh Ariana Stein, Long-Term Resident

Ariana Stein (She/They) is a Hungarian-American ceramic artist formerly based in North Carolina. They apprenticed in Seagrove, NC, and learned traditional methods of woodfiring and vessel-making under Kate Waltman. Ari enjoys the physical challenge of large pots paired with elaborate folkloric decoration. In 2025, Ariana received the First Annual Creative Research Fellowship through NCECA to attend a residency in Hungary. She was most recently a six-month resident at Sonoma Community Center, and completed her first solo exhibition there. Ariana has exhibited and taught workshops across the US and internationally.
Exiting Fellows Exhibition 2026!✨ For the past tw Exiting Fellows Exhibition 2026!✨

For the past two years, these six artists have been hard at work at The Bray, and it's time to celebrate all they have accomplished. Join us for the Exiting Fellows Exhibition Reception on April 23, 6-8 pm, in the North Gallery. View the artwork and listen to the residents talk about their time at The Bray during gallery talks at 6:30 pm. 

On View: April 9-May 23
Reception: April 23, 6-8 pm

Artists Featured:
Kim Tucker @loudmouthghosts 
Carey Nathanson @head.road.puddles 
Eliza Weber @_elizaweber 
Lexus Giles @lexus.giles 
Jason Lee Starin @jasonleestarin 
Dante Gambardella @dantegambardella
For almost 75 years, the Archie Bray Foundation ha For almost 75 years, the Archie Bray Foundation has hosted thousands of artists from around the world. From the very beginning, in 1951, each artist left a piece they made at The Bray, becoming our permanent collection. ✨

View the collection now using the link in our bio!

Please note: this website is still in progress; there may be some errors. We appreciate your patience while we work through them. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out.✨
Alexandra Barao, Summer Resident Alexandra Barao Alexandra Barao, Summer Resident

Alexandra Barao is a potter and educator based in Western North Carolina. She was born and raised in Virginia and received her BFA in Sculpture + Extended Media at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010. She then spent a decade in the San Francisco Bay Area learning, teaching, and building community through clay. Since returning to the Southeast in 2022, she has been exploring new connections to this craft in a region with a deep and rich history. She has been an artist in residence at Cub Creek Foundation in Virginia and Township 10 in Marshall, North Carolina, and has taught workshops on atmospheric firing at The Oki Doki Studio and the Clay Studio of Missoula.

#archiebrayfoundation #ceramicart
Corwyn Lund, Summer Resident Corwyn Lund is Toron Corwyn Lund, Summer Resident

Corwyn Lund is Toronto-based visual artist. He received his MFA in Ceramic Art from Alfred University in 2022, after studying sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with the support of a Fulbright Scholarship. Lund has participated in ceramic residencies around the world, including in Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, and China. In April 2024, his ceramic work was featured on the cover of Ceramics Monthly magazine, which contained an article on his practice. In 2025, he received the runner-up prize for the Winifred Shantz Award for Canadian ceramics. Corwyn’s ceramic work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Alberta University of the Arts in Calgary, Headstone Gallery in New York state, and Zalucky Contemporary in Toronto, and is held in the permanent collections of the Boijmans Museum in Rotterdam, Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, and Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery. Works in other media are held in several prominent Canadian corporate and private collections.

#archiebrayfoundation #ceramicart
Amy Sanders, Summer Resident Amy Sanders was born Amy Sanders, Summer Resident

Amy Sanders was born in Yueyang, Hunan, China, and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. She holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts with a concentration in Ceramics from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. In 2022, she completed a year as a post- baccalaureate student at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. From 2022-2024, she served as a long-term Artist in Residence at the Morean Center for Clay in St. Petersburg, FL. She served as an invited artist at the 2025 winter Pentaculum short-term residency at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg. Recently, Amy attended a Resident Artist program at Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Shiga, Japan. Amy has shown in exhibitions nationally and internationally. Her article "Harmonious Pouring Vessels" was included in the September 2025 issue of Ceramics Monthly. Currently, she is attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a Master's of Fine Arts candidate.

#archiebrayfoundation #ceramicart
Faye Hadfield, Summer Resident Faye Hadfield (b.1 Faye Hadfield, Summer Resident

Faye Hadfield (b.1996) is a ceramic artist from the north east of England, whose work explores emotion, while blending Rococo aesthetics with crude hand-built textures to create material dichotomies between surface and decoration. In Faye’s work, memories of the British countryside resurface as motifs through gestures in the foliaged decoration, giving homage to the bucolic landscape of England where she grew up. 

Faye completed her BFA in Ceramics at Bath Spa University (Bath, UK), and the Kunst University (Linz, Austria), 2018. Faye holds an MFA in ceramics from The University of Iowa (Iowa, USA), 2026. Faye has exhibited her artwork internationally and nationally at: Collect (London), Le Delta (Belgium), Soho Review (London), Ceramic Art Fair (Paris), Culture Object (New York), HAGD Gallery & Galerie Worlfsen (Denmark), Nomad ST Moritz (Switzerland), Side Gallery (Spain), and annually at Paris Art & Design, in Paris and London. Faye has received international and national research grants to expand her research in ceramics and Rococo Ornamentation. Hadfield has been awarded residencies at Ceramica Suro (Guadalajara, Mexico), The Clay Shed (Bristol, UK) and CRICA exchange residency (Nebraska Lincoln, USA).

#archiebrayfoundation #ceramicart
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