About The Clay Studio

The Clay Studio inspires curiosity and discovery around the art and craft of clay, drawing together students, artists, and an engaged public into a welcoming community. Every day, in our classrooms, studios, galleries, and neighborhoods, we deepen the connection between people and clay with the highest quality programs and exhibitions. Founded in 1974, The Clay Studio continues in the belief that shared creativity, so fundamental to humanity, is a critical force for good.

The Gallery Shop - A Functional Ceramics Showcase

The Gallery Shop is the "storefront" for The Clay Studio, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024. In April of 2022 we moved into our stunning, purpose built, four story, 34,000 square-foot building in the South Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. The Clay Studio Shop is a place where every person who walks into our building (including over 600 enrolled students each quarter) has a chance to see the wide variety of functional ceramic art being made today. We have worked hard to engage with the residential community in our new neighborhood, and the Philadelphia region, while we also cultivate relationships with those who appreciate ceramic art all over the world. We believe the Gallery Shop inspires and serves as a resource for all of our visitors, in person and online. 

We currently carry work from about 75 artists from across the country. The space includes a Featured Artist space with bimonthly exhibitions, a massive mug wall of 168 pieces, and our Project Space, which serves as a pop-up studio for a rotating slate of The Clay Studio community members. The adjacent gallery hosts exhibitions on a quarterly basis, with openings and gallery talks each 2nd Thursday of the month. We highly recommend this 6-minute video tour of the new building.

We offer each Gallery Shop artist:

  • Guarantee that their artwork will be on display in person and on a dedicated webpage
  • Professional photographs of each work
  • Attention of the staff to connect your work to interested buyers
  • Marketing of your work through our social media channels
  • Paid return shipping after the end of consignment
  • Minimum six month term of consignment
  • Full insurance of artwork while in The Clay Studio’s possession
  • 50/50 Commission split with any discounts coming out of The Clay Studio’s commission

Secure commission payments through bill.com disbursed mid-month for the previous month’s sales

Artist Responsibilities Include

  • Delivery of a body of work (approximately 20-50 pieces) within three months of acceptance
  • Maintain an up-to-date artist biography and headshot on file at TCS
  • Immediately notificy Shop staff of any changes to contact information
  • Timely delivery of work, in accordance with schedule as established with Shop Manager
  • Digital submission of an Inventory Intake spreadsheet with each delivery
  • Retail prices which match pricing in all other outlets including other stockists and the artist's personal website

 

Applications Reviewed Semi-Annually 

Apply at any time. Applications will be reviewed by TCS Curatorial staff twice-yearly, in January and June.

How to Apply

Submit a single PDF by email to shopsubmissions@theclaystudio.org that includes the following: 

  • Personal contact information (email, phone, mailing address)
  • Legal Name
  • Public Name
  • Pronouns
  • Artist Statement
  • Resume or CV
  • Five to 10 images of recent work; Images should be of work made within the past 3 years and representative of work that you would send to our Shop.
  • Image list which includes: dimensions, materials and pertinent methods, and retail price for each item

Notification

Notification will be made via email in February and July (beginning July 2024).

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