Outreach
The Clay Studio of Missoula offers community programming throughout the year to increase art access for all. This includes monthly gallery openings, a free-of-charge activities booth for clay exploration at local events, seasonal open house events, and partnerships with local organizations, schools, and programs.
Clay Studio After School & Outreach Program
Our After School Program provides K-12 grade students immersive experiences in the visual arts, improving their understanding of contemporary fine art and providing hands-on experiences in clay weekdays after school. Students learn from artists working in the ceramic field, who are equally committed to provide an exciting and educational experience in the classroom. Youth are given the chance to pursue intellectual stimulation through the arts during at-risk hours after school. Our program ensures they are in a healthy, safe environment while learning about visual art, the robust community around ceramics in Montana, and themselves as emotional creative beings. Students gain experiences the multicultural nature of ceramics and investigate the artwork of other cultures in artist-led projects.
​
To provide programming effectively and accessibly, we partner with Missoula Parks & Recreation to gain a platform directly within Missoula County Public Schools and with students in the highest need in our regional Title 1 Public Schools. The partners we collaborate with to offer outreach workshops are local service organizations that work with youth largely facing socio-economic barriers to accessing paid arts programming. Recent outreach partners include Missoula Soft Landing, YWCA GUTS, Watson Children's Shelter, and the Boys and Girls Club.
Our 2025 After School & Outreach Programs have been made possible thanks to support from The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and Missoula Community Foundation LoLA (Legacy of Living Art) Grant.
We are actively seeking additional support to continue and grow this impactful program! To learn more about the program, please contact Kelly Seitz (fire@theclaystudioofmissoula.org)
Outreach Booth
A big part of our community outreach is our traveling booth! You'll find the Clay Studio of Missoula Outreach Booth at several events in Missoula throughout the summer, and occasional events throughout the year! We bring raw clay activities along with us to delight children and adults! This allows extra education and access beyond the studio walls, and helps spread the word about the studio and the programs we offer! All activities are free to participate in, with optional donation available
to help supply the booth, with any extra given to the Youth Scholarship Program.
​
Though the outreach booth predominantly operates during the summer, events in the fall, winter, and spring can be arranged for special circumstances. If you have an event that serves a part of Missoula you think may be interested in the Clay Studio, email Kelly Seitz at least a month in advance to inquire if the outreach booth can be available to make an appearance. Please note, we've been short on volunteers as of late, so events depend on the availability of the education and outreach coordinator.
​
If you or people you know would love to get their hands messy and teach clay to people in the community, sign up at the link below!
Want to help out the studio by being an outreach volunteer? SIGN UP HERE!
Missoula Food Bank Empty Bowls Full Souls
The Clay Studio of Missoula assists with The Missoula Food Bank’s annual “Empty Bowls, Full Souls” fundraiser. Guests to the fundraising dinner choose a handmade bowl with which to eat a simple meal together. The purpose is to raise awareness on food insecurity in our community. The Clay Studio hosts free bowl making and glazing activities ahead of this event. Over 100 bowls are handcrafted and donated every year by Clay Studio of Missoula artists and the local clay community.