Helenans are Lucky to Have World-renowned Ceramic Arts Center

Arch sculpture at the Bray


From the Bray website:

The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts is a public, nonprofit, educational institution founded in 1951 by brickmaker Archie Bray, who intended it to be "a place to make available for all who are seriously and sincerely interested in any of the branches of the ceramic arts, a fine place to work." It's primary mission is to provide an environment that stimulates creative work in ceramics.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Bray is located three miles from downtown Helena, Montana, on the site of the former Western Clay Manufacturing Company. Set against the wooded foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the 26-acre former brickyard is internationally recognized as a gathering place for emerging and established ceramic artists. The nearby mountains and brick factory ruins provide a backdrop for the creative environment; more important is the dynamic arts community created by the resident artists that come to the Bray to work, share experiences, and explore new ideas.

Richard Swanson, a longtime Helena resident, has these "dervishes" in unexpected places around the grounds of the Bray - you have to keep your eyes open to notice the off-balance spinning top shape in a high window, at the top of a smoke stack, on a fence post ...

For more photos of the ceramic arts around the grounds of the Bray ... and photos of the old brick kiln structures, click here