With a new expanded residency program, the District Clay Center now supports up to three new and emerging ceramic artists by giving them the opportunity to work on their craft for a one year period of time at no charge. This program is designed to help post-BAC and MFA students create a body of work that will further them in their career while giving them 24/7 access to private studio space and the Center’s facilities. In addition to free studio space (approx 8’x11′), the Center provides up to 500 lbs of free clay and firing costs and a stipend of $800/month. Discussion/critiques with visiting artists, exhibitors and workshop leaders are also included. In addition, we offer a profit sharing arrangement for resident artist led workshops and intensive classes.
Learn more about the Resident Artist program
In return, the Center asks each resident artist to contribute 20 hours a week of assistance to the center and, at the end of their year, to participate in a DCC gallery show highlighting the work they produced at the District Clay Center
We are looking for artists who want to take the next step in their career, have developed a body of work and want to push forward to the next level. We are also looking for artists that enjoy working in a dynamic community arts setting and will add to the collaborative atmosphere necessary to making a metropolitan clay center work.
The new DCC residencies begin August 2018.
Finally, our resident artist program is brand new and we look forward to working with our newest resident artists to help mold this program – and the new District Clay Center – into something boosts their creative output, benefits future residents and supports DCC’s fellow students, artists and teachers. If that kind of challenge excites you, we hope you will apply!
For more information and to apply, go here: https://www.districtclaycenter.com/resident-artists.html
Background on the District Clay Center:
The District Clay Center is both relatively new (opened Nov. 2016) and also the largest ceramic facility in Washington DC. It features 20 weekly community classes, regular workshops and intensives, an 24/7 access artist program for 47 ceramic artists (3 levels: community, associate and studio artists), regular artist talks, a 500 volume ceramic library and a 500 square foot gallery space (the District Clay Gallery) with national juried and curated shows.  We have a close working association with the Sackler/Freer Gallery at the Smithsonian and the Renwick Alliance. We have a non-profit arm that supports a program called Community Clay which supports underserved kids, among other activities.
In terms of ceramic equipment, the Center has 18 wheels, including 2 Brent EX wheels, a 32 cubic ft gas kiln, 10 and 18 cubic ft (oval) Skutt electric kilns, a clay mixer, a glaze booth, a raku kiln, a glaze test kiln, a slab roller, an extruder, two pugmills and a glaze making area. The District Clay Center has restrooms, a kitchen, loading dock access, free wi-fi and a DCC computer and printer.
Submitted by Cass Johnson