Carbondale's Clay Season Now Runs on Two Kilns and Two Addresses

A student who throws a mug at the Carbondale Clay Center's new studio on 12th Street can't take it to Main Street to be glazed, because the two studios now fire at different temperatures. The new 12th Street Annex runs a Cone 6, or mid-fire, program. The Main Street studio stays at Cone 10, high-fire oxidation, and the Center says plainly that "glazes are not compatible" between the two.

That split in firing temperature is the clearest sign of where the Center stands this winter. It has run out of room at 135 Main Street and is raising money for a permanent home. In the meantime it has opened a second working studio across town, and between now and mid-December its holiday calendar runs through both buildings.

Cone 10 on Main, Cone 6 on 12th

The Annex is at 215 12th Street, Unit D. The Center calls it "the newest studio addition" and describes it as a second working space for wheel and handbuilding. It offers what Main Street offers: adult and youth classes, shelf rentals, independent study, Makers Membership and open studio access. Both locations sell the same clay.

The firing temperature decides how the two studios work together. Students and independent-study participants work only in the studio where their class is held, because their shelf, glaze setup and kiln are all there. Monthly shelf and studio renters and Makers Members can use both buildings, as long as each piece is glazed and fired in the studio where it was made.

Neither studio takes drop-ins. People who want to work in clay can book a private lesson, register for a class, or sign up as a monthly shelf renter or Maker Member. The Annex has two reserved parking spots at its entrance plus shared parking beside the building, and the Center encourages walking, biking, carpooling or riding the Downtowner.

Why a Second Studio, and Why Now

The Center has been in Carbondale since 1997, when Diane Kenney served as founding director. On the Annex FAQ it says outright that it is "bursting at the seams and cannot meet current demand." Executive Director Angela Bruno described the problem in detail to Aspen Public Radio in November 2025. One classroom was serving classes, artist studios and gallery space, and the waitlist had reached 150. "We are desperate for the space," she said.

The long-term answer is the Center's Shaping the Future Capital Campaign for a new campus. The Annex is the short-term answer. In a September report, The Sopris Sun quoted Bruno's newsletter:

"This space allows us flexibility to meet the increasing demand for more programming and outreach, classes, shelf rentals and studio time as we address waitlists and continue to fundraise toward a new building. The additional space makes creating with you here at Carbondale Clay Center even easier, and allow[s] us the flexibility to keep Carbondale dirty."

According to the Center, no capital campaign funds are being used to operate the Annex. Its operating costs come from programming and scholarship funds.

The Annex also gives the Center a fallback. As it works toward a new permanent home in 2027, it may go through a stretch without access to the Main Street studio. If that happens, the Annex would cut back its own programming and take in all current shelf and studio renters, and Makers Members could work there too. Any Main Street closure depends on decisions in the capital campaign, and the Center says its stakeholders are still weighing "building designs, locations, timelines, and financial feasibility."

So the second studio comes before the new building, and this holiday season is the first in which both studios are running.

One Weekend Opens Both Doors

The holiday season starts in earnest Friday, November 13, and runs through Sunday. Over those three days, the Center's two addresses and Carbondale Arts' gallery each hold an opening.

1. Friday, November 13, 6 to 8 p.m. The Clay Center's Holiday Invitational holds its opening reception. The cash-and-carry show is hung at the Main Street Gallery and at The Framer, and runs from November 9 through December 23. More than 10 local and national artists are showing mugs, butter dishes, ceramic jewelry and other handmade gifts.
2. The same Friday, at The Launchpad. Carbondale Arts' annual Deck the Walls holiday market opens to members at 76 South 4th Street. It then opens to the public "almost every day" through December 24. The market typically carries handmade candles and cards, jewelry, chocolates, soaps and ceramics. Holiday hours are listed as coming soon.
3. Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. Deck the Walls opens to the public, according to The Sopris Sun's calendar.
4. Sunday, November 15, 1 to 4 p.m. The Clay Center holds an open house at the 12th Street Annex. Visitors can tour the new studio and paint ceramic ornaments while supplies last, with hot cocoa served.

Since neither studio takes drop-ins, Sunday is the easiest way for someone who isn't enrolled to see the Annex. It is also a good chance to see the Cone 6 setup in person before signing up for a class there. The fall-session classes and independent study listed for the Annex run from mid-October to mid-December.

December Moves From Main Street to River Valley Ranch

After opening weekend, the Center's December dates fall on three evenings, each at a different scale.

• Friday, December 4, 6 to 8 p.m. The Holiday Invitational holds a special sale. That is also the night of Light Up Carbondale. Carbondale Arts lists a 5:30 p.m. tree lighting at Weant Boulevard and Main Street, along with free Santa sleigh rides, caroling and food trucks. The tree lighting comes half an hour before the sale opens, and both are on Main Street.
• Friday, December 11, 6 to 9 p.m. The 29th Annual Cup Auction moves out of town to the Old Thompson Barn at River Valley Ranch, 333 River Valley Ranch Road. About 250 handmade cups from artists across the country go up for bid. Bidding closes at 8:30 p.m., and the dance party is back this year. A donor preview takes place December 10. Proceeds support the Center's programs, artist residencies, exhibitions and outreach.
• Tuesday, December 15, 4 to 5:30 p.m. The Kids' Holiday Sale returns to the Main Street studio. Everything is priced at $10 or less, and there is ornament painting while supplies last.

The Holiday Invitational stays up at the Main Street Gallery and The Framer until December 23, and Deck the Walls closes December 24. Someone who misses opening weekend can still buy from both shows until the day before Christmas Eve.

Even the busiest gallery nights depend on the studios behind them, and those studios are running near capacity. The Cup Auction is the Center's largest public fundraiser, and its proceeds pay for the same classes and outreach that filled Main Street to begin with. The Annex runs on programming and scholarship funds and keeps students working in the meantime.

If you're bidding at the Old Thompson Barn this December, or wondering what Main Street's next chapter means for the Carbondale you call home, we would be glad to talk it over at your convenience. Tara Slidell follows these changes across the Roaring Fork Valley. Schedule a Consultation whenever it suits you.