Our Mission

Mission

Clayworks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ceramic arts, advancing artists and students, and enriching the communities it serves.

VISION

Clayworks engages, enriches, and inspires diverse populations in the discovery, creation and celebration of the ceramic arts.

Impact Statement

Clayworks is a leader in the field of ceramic arts, providing its students and artists unparalleled access to top-quality facilities, equipment, and instruction. It provides robust arts education programming, centered on hands-on experiences with clay, to diverse populations across our region with many programs at low cost, or no cost, to the participant. Clayworks enriches its community by helping individuals reach their potential for creativity and personal growth and connecting people from a variety of backgrounds and abilities.

Clayworks History

For nearly five decades, Clayworks, the one of the largest nonprofit teaching facility in the U.S., has promoted ceramic art and art education in the Charlotte community. Established in 1977 under the auspices of Spirit Square Center for Arts & Education, the studio offered courses at the center’s original North Tryon Street location. From 1996 to 1997, Clayworks operated in the same location under the Arts & Science Council. In 1998 the organization was absorbed under the McColl Center for Visual Art and relocated to studio space on East 9th Street. In 2004, Clayworks became an independent organization, maintaining its same location, but establishing its own 501(c)3 status. Clayworks moved to its current Monroe location and purchased the building in 2011, creating a permanent home for the organization.

Throughout its history, Clayworks has strategically expanded its offerings beyond ceramics classes to include specialized workshops, studio space rental for individual ceramists, and a gallery to promote and sell the work of both faculty and professional artists.

Today, Clayworks' reach into the Charlotte community is a significant part of is day-to-day operations. Through its mobile classroom, Monroe Road studio, and relationships with local Y’s, libraries, and schools, Clayworks brings self-confidence, motivation, and creative skills to the many participants in its programs, including those in under-served communities and those with cognitive/developmental disabilities.