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  • About
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    • Bray Gallery
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  • Education
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The Brickyard Bash Is Back

Join us July 25th 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. Don't forget to dress up for the Homecoming theme!

Buy Tickets Now
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Upcoming Events

View the events calendar.

Resident Artists Exhibition

June 11 @ 11:00 am - August 15 @ 5:00 pm
Learn More about Resident Artists Exhibition

Artist Amplified; Summer Residents Part I

June 11 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Frances Senska Center for Education and Engagement
Learn More about Artist Amplified; Summer Residents Part I

Now, Next, Always: The Bray 2000-2025

June 12 @ 11:00 am - August 2 @ 5:00 pm
Holter Museum of Art
Learn More about Now, Next, Always: The Bray 2000-2025

Bray Closed – Juneteenth

June 19 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Learn More about Bray Closed – Juneteenth
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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

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Promoting excellence in the ceramic arts since 1951🏺
Education | Residencies | Gallery | Clay Business
"... a fine place to work" - Archie Bray Sr.

Functional art rooted in the natural world. Meet A Functional art rooted in the natural world. Meet Adi Rex, one of The Bray's Educational Fellows for the first half of 2026, whose work bridges ecology, place, and the rituals of everyday life. 🌿

Adi Rex grew up in Montana, where the landscapes, mountains, skies, and rivers provided the first (and ongoing) inspiration for their pottery. They became involved in the local ceramic arts community as a teenager, taking classes at the Archie Bray Foundation. Adi studied ecology and botany at the Evergreen State College in the temperate rainforest of Washington, along with a year in Roskilde, Denmark. Their pottery exists as a reflection of places loved, lived, or visited. They have worked numerous ecology and botany field jobs, which further provide inspiration for their pottery. Adi currently lives in Missoula and, when not making pots, is out birding, camping, hiking, paddleboarding, skiing, or generally existing outside!

"My work seeks to bring joy and wonder to the common rituals of everyday life - from making morning tea or coffee, to a warm meal in the evening. My work as a potter is inseparable from my work as an ecologist, drawing inspiration from - and paying homage to - the beauty of natural landscapes through functional porcelain pieces. I create pottery with the intention of telling a story of a specific moment in time and place, presenting it in intricate detail. Through everyday pottery, I wish to remind people of the beauty of the areas surrounding and supporting us and their inherent worthiness of protection as the climate crisis worsens. Above all else, my work exists as a raw expression for the profound awe, love, and respect I have for the natural world in which we exist."

@magpie.pottery
Now on view, recent acquisitions to the permanent Now on view, recent acquisitions to the permanent collection!

This exhibition features work created by our more recent resident artists. Check it out in The Bray's North Gallery.

Artists Featured:
Sarah Alsaied @saalsaied 
Spencer Cheek @specialchestnut 
Colby Charpentier @colbycharpentier 
Caleb Considine @caleb.consi 
Austin Coudriet @austincoudriet 
Corinna Cowles @corinna.cowles.clay 
Laura Dirksen @laurjanedirk._studio 
Rachel A. Donner @racheladonner 
Avi Farber @avi.farber.studio 
Vincent Frimpong @sniper_ceramica 
Dante Gambardella @dantegambardella 
Jeanine Hill @jeanine_m_hill 
Aida Lizalde @___volcanica 
Tommy Lomeli @lomelitommy 
Simphiwe Mbunyuza @simphiwembunyuza 
Carey Nathanson @head.road.puddles 
Marcè Nixon-Washington @marce_clay 
Austin Riddle @austinriddlepottery 
Jason Lee Starin @jasonleestarin 
Kim Tucker @loudmouthghosts 
Eliza Weber @_elizaweber 
Maura Wright @maura_wright
It's almost time for our annual summer celebration It's almost time for our annual summer celebration! Purchase your tickets today!✨🎟

Join us for The Bray's Brickyard Bash, 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, beer and wine from Blackfoot River Brewing Co., and live music from the Big Sky Mudflaps while gathering with friends and fellow supporters of the ceramic arts. 🎶🍷🍺

This year's theme, Homecoming, embodies the nostalgia of reuniting with the people and places that have shaped you. From first firings, late nights in the studios, and the community that made you who you are as an artist — we're so ready to welcome you home. Dust off your best homecoming dress or suit, cheerleader uniform, or whatever feels most like you, and get ready for a night of fun. 👗👔📣👑

This evening will also feature a live auction of one-of-a-kind collaborative artworks - pieces you won't find anywhere else! Proceeds from the event help support The Bray's mission to provide a creative environment where artists can live, work, and push the boundaries of ceramics. Join us for a lively summer night in the brickyard as we celebrate art, community, and the artists who make it all possible! ❤

Purchase tickets and register to bid using the link in our bio! 🔗
Our Summer Experience Classes are available now! ☀ Our Summer Experience Classes are available now! ☀️

The Bray's Education department offers a wide variety of one-time experience classes for anyone to get acquainted with clay. From hand-building to wheel throwing, we have classes for all skill levels. ✨

Sign up for a class today using the link in our bio! 🔗
Nathan Anthony, Long-Term Resident Nathan Anthony Nathan Anthony, Long-Term Resident

Nathan Anthony is an artist from the UK currently living in Austin, Texas. He completed a joint MA (Hons) in Fine Art & Art History at Edinburgh University in 2014 and an MFA in Studio Art at The University of Texas at Austin in 2025. He was included in the 2016 - 2017 Jerwood Drawing Prize, and had a solo exhibition at Generator Projects, Dundee, in 2017. He was Artist-in-Residence at Christ’s Hospital School, West Sussex, from 2017 - 2019, and Artist-in-Residence at Eltham College in London from 2019 - 2022, where he made an exhibition of artwork called ‘Muscled Memory’ at the Gerald Moore Gallery in 2021. In 2023, he received a Gilbert Bayes Award for early-career sculptors from the Royal Society of Sculptors. He is currently an Artist-in-Residence at the Dougherty Arts Centre in Austin, Texas.
If you haven't seen it yet, we have a new gallery If you haven't seen it yet, we have a new gallery website! 

To celebrate, we are offering a 10% discount on all of our merchandise online. Use code NEWSTORE10 at checkout! 

This discount is valid until the end of the day on June 7, 2026.

Shop now using the link in our bio!
This is the last week to get a planter at 15% off! This is the last week to get a planter at 15% off!🌸

Stop by and browse our selection before the end of the month!🌷

Please note, this is an in-store discount.
There is still space in Marian Draper's upcoming w There is still space in Marian Draper's upcoming workshop, Print Your Landscape: Floral Design With Clay!🌸🌼🌷🌻

In this hands-on workshop, students will hike nearby Helena trails to gather inspiration for their pieces. Back in the studio, you'll learn and explore a variety of techniques, including throwing, altering, carving, inlay, and more. The final day of this workshop consists of arranging cut flowers in finished bisque vases made on the first day of class. 

Don't miss your chance to participate in one of our most immersive workshops for the 2026 session!

The full workshop takes place June 4-7, 2026
Learn more and register using the link in our bio!
If you weren't able to stop by Pots & Plants last If you weren't able to stop by Pots & Plants last week, don't worry! We still have pieces in the gallery for you to take home, with a little bonus...

For the rest of May, the remaining planters are 15% off! Don't miss this opportunity to bring home a piece of art for you or someone special! 🌼🌸

The Bray Gallery and Visitor Center is open Tuesday-Friday, 11:00-5:00.

Please note, this discount is in-store only.
I view my current artistic practice as a way of bu I view my current artistic practice as a way of building archives for future generations. I am utilizing ceramics to construct vessels and objects that serve as containers for other media—literature, cinema, performance, and music—projected into an uncertain future. Above all, my primary focus is seeking new ways to tell stories.

Being an artist-in-residence at the Archie Bray Foundation has allowed me to further professionalize my practice, providing me with technical tools that empower me to take my work to the next level. Venues in New York, Amsterdam, Paris, and Brussels have served as stages where I share these narratives from an intersectional perspective, both as an artist and as an individual.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has supported the development of my work during this wonderful residency. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any artist looking to explore ceramics as a primary form of expression.

@samuelsarmientostudio
Explore the beauty of Montana's landscape while le Explore the beauty of Montana's landscape while learning how to bring nature into your ceramics in Print Your Landscape: Floral Design With Clay, taught by Marian Draper! 

In this hands-on workshop, students will hike nearby Helena trails to gather inspiration for creating. Back in the studio, you’ll learn and explore a variety of techniques, including throwing, altering, carving, inlay, newspaper transfers, and the use of spring molds. On the final day, students will design and arrange cut flowers in finished bisque vases made on the first day of class.

This immersive experience combines Montana’s natural beauty with creative exploration, giving students the opportunity to develop skills, experiment with form and surface, and enjoy a truly inspiring artistic process.

This workshop takes place June 4-7, 2026.
Learn more and register using the link in our bio!
🌿 Our Pots & Plants Market is THIS Saturday! 🌿 S 🌿 Our Pots & Plants Market is THIS Saturday! 🌿 

Stop by May 9 from 10 AM–3 PM and find the perfect planter or vase bursting with color to take home. With Mother's Day right around the corner, it's the ideal time to pick up something beautiful for yourself or someone you love. 🌸

Plus, we've got two food trucks on site — grab a bite and a coffee while you shop! ☕🍴

We'll see you then! 🪴
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!
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Helena MT. 59602
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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.