CLAY NATIONAL XVIV
2026 Exhibition Theme:
HEIRLOOMS
Juried by Dara Hartman
Exhibition on display
July 3rd - August 28th
First Friday Reception July 3rd, 6-8PM @ Main St. Gallery & The Framer, 399 Main St., Carbondale, CO
Carbondale Clay National is an exhibition of ceramic art held annually. Each year CCC’s selected juror(s) develop a theme for the exhibition, invite a handful of contemporary ceramic artists who emulate the theme, and select works from the pool of national juried submission.
Like a tenuous thread that weaves together the past and present “Porcelain Threads”, my current body of work, references the memories of objects my grandmothers made. These ceramic sculptures draw inspiration from the quilts, toys, and clothes that my grandmothers lovingly stitched. I can remember sleeping under these beautiful quilts and playing with handmade dolls. These pieces were once part of my everyday experience, used without thought of the care that went into creating them. Now, they are prized possessions in my home; heirlooms passed from one generation to the next.
These memories live within me, my sister, and our cousins. A thread of our family story that I want to continue. By making these quilts I hope to share a bit of the the work and stories of these incredible craftswomen. Women who did not consider themselves artists but women passing their craft down through generations.
- Dara Hartman
JURIED ARTISTS
Antra Sinha
Betsy Alwin Casey Whittier Heather Kaplan Janice Jakielski Kai Fukunaga Kara Artman Luciano Pimienta Olivia Dawson Sam McCall
INVITED ARTISTS
April Felipe
Janice Jakielski
Miranda Howe Pattie Chalmers
AWARDS
Best in Show: $500
Staff Selection: $250
People’s Choice: $100
Photography by: Bailey Rigby at Modern West Fine Art & images provided by the artists.
Thank you to our Sponsors:
2026 Exhibition Sponsor, Larry Cohen.
2026 Gallery Sponsors, Silfer, Smith & Frampton
Photography by: Bailey Rigby at Modern West Fine Art
JUROR BIOGRAPHY
Dara Hartman is a full time studio artist in Salt Lake City, UT and the Director of the Women Working With Clay Symposium at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. In 2026 Dara will be the Frances Niederer Artist-in-Residence at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. She served as the Exhibitions Committee Chair and regional team support for the 2025 Salt Lake City NCECA. She received a BFA from Virginia Tech and an MFA from Montana State University. In 2005, she was an Artist in Residence at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana. She has taught at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Clark College in Vancouver, WA, and Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, OR. Dara’s career includes a stint as a product designer and design team leader which led to traveling in China and working with factories on model design and production. In 2018, Dara was a Resident Artist at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in Jingdezhen, China.