2026 Pittsburgh Potters Tour — Artist Prospectus
Dates
Tour Dates: November 21st – 22nd (11am – 5pm each day)
Application deadline: June 27th
Notification of acceptance: July 15th
About the Tour
The Pittsburgh Potters Tour is an annual two-day sales event, inviting visitors to shop for pottery and ceramic art directly from local artists, while enjoying a behind-the-scenes look at their studios and creative processes. Host studios all throughout the city welcome guest artists to share their space for the weekend, together showcasing an incredible variety of functional and sculptural work for sale. The Pittsburgh Potters Tour offers visitors a unique opportunity to support and connect with local artists, while deepening their understanding and appreciation of the craftsmanship behind every piece.
Why Participate?
Clay Pittsburgh organized the first Potters Tour in 2023, with the goal of facilitating meaningful connections between local potters and the wider public. The tour functions as both a buzz-worthy sales event, and as a way for visitors—buyers and collectors, fellow artists, students and the clay-curious alike—to connect more deeply with your work, and with you as an artist.
Over the past three tours, hundreds of attendees have expressed how much they enjoy discovering the immense variety and creativity on display, and learning more about the ceramic process as a whole through an immersive experience. Admiring your work in context gives buyers a greater sense of investment in the pieces they take home. Customers become part of the story of that new favorite mug or vase or centerpiece, forging a more memorable with the object and with you as the maker.
Agreements
To create the strongest experience for buyers — and the best sales results for you — participating artists agree to:
- Submit the highest-quality photos possible in your application, for use in printed advertising materials and on the website.
- Help distribute all promotional materials provided through your own channels — mailing lists, social media, business partnerships, etc.
- Remain open and accessible to the public from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm each day, with all participating artists present for the duration of the event.
Participation Fees
There is no fee to submit an application. Entry fees apply only to participating artists and studios:
| Role | Fee |
| Host Studio | $100 |
| Guest Artist | $50 |
Entry fees help cover printing, design, and other advertising costs. Payment details will be provided with notification of acceptance.
How to Apply
Click Here to apply as a Host Studio
Click Here to apply as a Guest Artist
You will be asked to provide the following.
- Studio name, address, and contact information
- A brief description of your work (2–3 sentences)
- A price range for your work (for example, $25–$400)
- Hosts: whether you plan to invite guest artists, and/or if you’ll have available space to host guest applicants
- Guests: whether you’re already made arrangements with a host studio, or if you’d like to be paired up
- 8 photos, each at least 1MB: two photos of you in your studio, three shots of individual pieces, and three shots of small groupings of work
Acceptance is at the discretion of the Tour Committee of the Board of Clay Pittsburgh. All applicants will be notified of acceptance and host/guest pairings by July 15th.
Promotion
Clay Pittsburgh will run a coordinated promotional campaign beginning in August, utilizing various printed materials which will be shared with participating artists and posted throughout the city; a dedicated tour page on claypittsburgh.org, featuring information and photos of each artist’s work; as well as targeted digital campaigns via social media, email, and other broadcasting outlets.
All accepted artists will receive a Promotional Toolkit with ready-to-use social content, caption suggestions, and messaging — so promoting the tour through your own channels is as easy as possible.
Questions
If you have questions about the tour or the application process, please email tour@claypittsburgh.org
Rebranding the Clay Pittsburgh Potters Tour
As part of the ongoing evolution of the Clay Pittsburgh Potters Tour, we are rebranding the event to place greater emphasis on connecting artists with buyers and collectors. While visitors will still have the opportunity to see studios, learn about processes, and meet artists, the tour is increasingly being presented as a sales event rather than primarily a behind-the-scenes studio experience.
Historically, many visitors selected studios based largely on geography, often stopping at locations that were nearby or convenient. While this approach encouraged exploration, it did not always help visitors discover the artists and work that most interested them.
Our goal is to help visitors make more informed choices before and during the tour. Through the website, visitors can preview participating artists, view examples of their work, learn about their artistic interests and techniques, and identify the studios they most want to visit. This allows them to plan a tour experience that reflects their interests as collectors, buyers, and supporters of ceramic art.
We recognize that we cannot control where visitors choose to go or how many people visit each studio. However, by providing better information and encouraging advance planning, we can help visitors shop more intentionally and connect with the artists whose work resonates most strongly with them.
The website is becoming the primary tool for discovery and planning. Rather than simply serving as a directory of tour stops, it is intended to help visitors explore the full range of participating artists and make thoughtful decisions about how they spend their time during the tour.
Ultimately, the success of the Potters Tour depends on creating meaningful connections between artists and buyers. This rebranding reflects our commitment to supporting artists, increasing sales opportunities, and helping visitors discover exceptional ceramic work throughout the region.
Behind-the-scenes studio visits will be addressed in an exciting new series of programs. Stay tuned for more information about that.