About Us

The Clay Studio of Missoula strengthens community by cultivating creativity and connection through ceramic arts education, exhibitions, and support for artists.

Our Mission & History

The Clay Studio of Missoula’s goal is to provide the general public with access to high-quality ceramic art instruction and access. We strive to fulfill this goal by: 1) offering a wide array of ceramics classes and workshops to adults and children of all levels of skill; 2) providing local ceramicists with access to studio space and professional quality equipment; 3) hosting resident artists who are able to share their ideas, experiences, and techniques with our community; and 4) holding exhibitions of contemporary ceramic works and representing an array of regional ceramic artists in our gallery.

Founded in 1998 by former University of Montana students, the Clay Studio of Missoula was established to fill a void in Missoula’s growing community—the need for a comprehensive ceramic center where community classes could be held and where serious but less established ceramicists could access studio space and professional quality equipment at a reasonable cost. On March 1, 1999, the Clay Studio of Missoula was incorporated as a Montana non-profit corporation and a 501(C)(3) charitable entity recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Situated on the traditional, ancestral territories of the Séliš (Salish or “Flathead”) and Qlispé (upper Kalispel or Pend d’Oreille) peoples, The Clay Studio of Missoula is committed to respecting the Indigenous stewards of the land it occupies.

Programs at The Clay Studio of Missoula are supported in part by the Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana and the National Endowment for the Arts

Additional support from coal tax placed into Montana's Cultural and Aesthetic Projects Trust Fund.

The Clay Studio of Missoula Staff

For general inquiries, work pick up, and class enrollment questions, please email info@theclaystudioofmissoula.org.
Thank you!

Shalene Valenzuela

Executive Director

director@theclaystudioofmissoula.org

Shalene joined The Clay Studio of Missoula as an artist‑in‑residence in 2007, served on its board in 2011–12, and became Executive Director in 2012. She holds a BA in Art Practice from UC Berkeley and an MFA in Ceramics from California College of Arts and Crafts. From 2000–2007 she managed a cooperative gallery in Oakland and worked at UC Berkeley’s Consortium for the Arts/Arts Research Center. Shalene has taught at several institutions including Flathead Valley Community College, University of Montana, Oregon College of Art and Craft, and the Missoula Art Museum, and has been a guest artist at several art centers and colleges nationwide. Her work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and is included in many public and private collections. She has been at artist residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation, LH Project, Red Lodge Clay Center, and Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, and won the Montana Arts Council’s Jessie Wilber & Frances Senska Innovation Award in 2013.

Kelly Seitz

Education and Outreach Coordinator

fire@theclaystudioofmissoula.org

Kelly is a passionate educator focused on bringing creative thinking to young people. They began as a Clay Studio UM Summer Resident in 2018, then interned on outreach and taught youth programs. After several years as a K–12 art teacher in White Sulphur Springs, MT, they returned to Missoula in 2021.

A University of Montana alum with a BFA in Ceramics and art‑education endorsement, Kelly has volunteered with the Flagship Program, Stevens Youth Center, and ZACC. As an emerging ceramic and digital artist, they're committed to making art accessible to Missoula’s next generation.

Joseph Pesina

Studio Manager

studiomanager@theclaystudioofmissoula.org

Joseph is a ceramic artist from northeast Wisconsin with a BFA from Utah State University and an MFA from NSCAD University. After residencies at the Clay Studio of Missoula, Jingdezhen’s Pottery Workshop & Experimental Factory (China), and the Peninsula School of Art (WI), his work examines vessel abstraction, architecture, geometry, and spatial relationships through modular formalist principles. Having relocated from Halifax to Missoula, he now serves as Studio Manager.

Kaitlynn Webster -

Office & Reception Coordinator

office@theclaystudioofmissoula.org

Kaitlynn is a multi‑disciplinary artist and curator specializing in non‑profit arts administration and grant‑writing. She holds a BA in Art from CSU Fresno, an MFA in Studio Art from Burren College of Art (NUIG), and a curation certificate from the School for Curatorial Studies, Venice. After serving on the board of 126 Artist‑Run Gallery & Studios in Galway and receiving an Arts Council of Ireland bursary, she relocated to Missoula in 2023. Her current practice focuses on experimental film photography and community zines, and she looks forward to reconnecting with ceramics at the Clay Studio.

Interns at The Clay Studio of Missoula

Skylar Clarke (Woodfire)

Kaley Cross (Studio)

Tatum Ernst (Potsketch/Outreach)

Owen Gauthier (Studio)

Greg Morris (Studio)

Julie Shea (Studio)

Marion Talmo (Studio)

The Clay Studio of Missoula Board of Directors

Susan Maruca (President)
Nadia White (Vice President)
Jason Neal (Treasurer)
Anne Hughes (Secretary)

Kim Anderson
Marianne Forrest

Joe Godfrey

Nicolle Hamm

Haley Hanson

Gita Saedi Kiely

Amanda Krolczyk

Courtney Murphy

Contact Us

Please note our office & gallery are closed most major holidays and we are generally closed between Christmas and New Years Day. For assistance during closures. please contact us by phone or email and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Questions about accessibility? Visit our Accessibility page to learn more

We can be hard to find, so don't hesitate to call for directions!