The 2026 Montana Clay Tour runs Saturday and Sunday, July 25 and 26, with six host studios across the Helena area opening their doors to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The tour is free and features pottery, ceramic sculpture, and installation art by more than 40 artists. No tickets are required.
The self-guided format lets visitors move between studios at their own pace, and work is available for purchase directly from artists throughout the weekend. The Clay Tour has become a reliable fixture on Helena's summer arts calendar, giving ceramic artists who work outside of gallery settings a chance to show work in the spaces where it's actually made. For buyers, it's one of the few opportunities in a given year to walk into a working studio, see the equipment, and talk with artists about process and material in a low-pressure setting.
The six studio locations have not been fully detailed in advance materials available at press time; the Montana Clay Tour website or social media channels should have the full studio map ahead of Saturday's opening. The tour runs concurrently with the Archie Bray Foundation's Brickyard Bash on Saturday evening, making for a full day of ceramics for anyone inclined to make the rounds.