Nov. 17, 2023

Clay Club to host winter art show and sale, Empty Cups

By Georgia McGonigle, communication assistant

Northwest Missouri State University’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts will host its annual winter art show and sale, in conjunction with the Clay Club’s Empty Cups fundraiser.

Northwest's annual winter art show and sale in the Fire Arts Building offers handmade gifts and promotes the work of student artists. (Photo by Lauren Adams/Northwest Missouri State University)

The art show and sale, which features a variety of art made by students, is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, in the foyer of the Fire Arts Building, located south of the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building.

The Empty Cups fundraiser, hosted by Northwest’s Clay Club, is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, and Friday, Dec. 1, on the second floor of the J.W. Jones Student Union. Guests are invited to purchase handmade ceramics, and a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Maryville Ministry Center and Northwest’s Bearcat Food Pantry.

Both events are free and open to the public.

As the holiday season approaches, Watkins believes these events serve as an opportunity to find exclusive, handmade gifts and promote the work of rising artists.

“You’re supporting local artists that are learning and progressing, but also you’re going to find unique items,” Veronica Watkins, a Northwest assistant professor of ceramics and Clay Club advisor, said. “In the time that we live, there are so many mass-produced objects that are just not one-of-a-kind, and this is a handmade thing that connects the artist with the user, and that’s a really unique opportunity.”

The Clay Club is an organization for ceramics students at an intermediate or advanced level. Clay Club supports ceramics studio events at Northwest and co-curricular activities beyond campus, such as field trips to regional ceramics shows, artist studios and galleries, and symposia and lectures. Clay Club also helps ceramics students with opportunities to sell their work to offset the costs of tuition and art materials.

For more information about Empty Cups or the art show and sale, contact Watkins at watkins@nwmissouri.edu.