Winterfest 2026 opens at Baltimore Clayworks on Friday, November 13, and runs through December 23. It combines a national ceramics exhibition with a holiday market of work by the studio's local artists. The sale is an annual event. The ground outside the gallery is what's new this year. In October, Clayworks finished the last piece of The Gathering Ground, a garden on the Gallery green that opened in May 2025.
So the walk to the gallery door at 5707 Smith Avenue now goes through a public space that neighbors helped design. That makes the season's first Winterfest visit a good time to spend a few minutes outside before shopping, and the bench is the place to start.
The Bench Was the Last Piece
Clayworks calls The Gathering Ground a "Sacred Place." It opened in May 2025 in front of the Gallery building and was built with Nature Sacred, the organization behind these contemplative green spaces. The final addition, a community-designed mosaic bench, was completed in October 2026.
The bench was designed with Empact Art and inspired by the Jones Falls Watershed. Its surface is made of thousands of handmade tesserae, cut from glass tile and 300 pounds of recycled clay. According to Clayworks' project page, hundreds of community members shaped it through design workshops, charrettes and mosaic-making events.
There are a few things hidden in the pattern. Clayworks invites visitors to look for a rockfish, a turtle and a bed of oysters, which stand for a healthy ecosystem downstream. If you come with children before a gallery visit, that's a good small project to give them.
The list of supporters is long and mostly local. It includes Nature Sacred, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Blue Water Baltimore, the Baltimore Development Corporation, Towson University, Camp Small and Eden Brothers. The mosaic itself is a Gutierrez Legacy Project. Some of the trees and plants on the green were donated by exhibitors at MANTS, the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, and Clayworks also thanks the Baltimore Convention Center.
Two Gardens, Two Buildings
The Gathering Ground is the second space of its kind on the campus. Clayworks installed its first Sacred Place in summer 2011 in front of the studio building. It has a flagstone pathway, bluestone stairs and native plantings leading into the Nurturing Nature Fountain Garden, which has mosaic garden benches and a Nature Sacred bench with a journal.
In 2025, Clayworks restored that fountain at the same time it started building the second garden in front of the Gallery. This is the first holiday season with both buildings fronted by a finished garden. The studio garden has been there for fifteen years. The gallery garden was completed weeks before the sale opens.
That matters for how you plan a visit. The gallery is where Winterfest happens, and The Gathering Ground is right outside it. The older fountain garden is in front of the studios, where the year-round classes run. One stop on Smith Avenue now covers the exhibition, the market and both gardens.
What's Inside the Gallery
Winterfest has two parts. The national invitational exhibition shows work by 17 contemporary ceramic artists from across the country. Among them are Sara Ballek of Illinois, Ray Brown of Mississippi, Peter Karner and Polina Miller of Virginia, Brad Schwieger of Ohio, Kate Waltman of North Carolina and Ali Schorman of Arizona, who is the featured artist for this year's announcement.
The Winterfest Holiday Market is the local half. It sells work by Clayworks' own associated artists, including residents, fellows and teaching artists, with functional pottery, decorative ceramics, ornaments and one-of-a-kind gifts.
Both parts tie back to the garden outside. The mosaic was made by neighbors working in clay on this campus, and the market sells work by artists who teach and make work in the same buildings. One is the community's work installed outdoors, and the other is the studio's work for sale indoors.
Preview Night or Opening Day
Shoppers who want first pick have one evening for it. The Winterfest Preview Party is Thursday, November 12, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the night before the public opening. Guests can shop both the exhibition and the market, and purchases are available for same-day pickup.
| Preview Party | Winterfest public run | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Thursday, November 12 | November 13 through December 23 |
| Time | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Regular gallery and shop hours |
| Cost | $50 nonmembers, $45 members, $50 at the door | See Clayworks for details |
| Pickup | Same-day pickup on purchases | Check with Clayworks |
Exhibition Patron Members get into the preview free. For everyone else, the choice comes down to how much you care about first pick. Ornaments and small one-of-a-kind pieces are the kind of inventory that sells first. A gift for a specific person is a better reason to buy a preview ticket than general browsing.
Hours, Parking and the Short Trip
Clayworks' visit page lists Gallery and Shop hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Since the gallery is open seven days a week, a weekday stop is easy to fit in.
Parking takes a little planning. The campus lot is paid through a mobile app, with rates effective May 1, 2026, of $3 for four hours or $5.50 for the day through 10 p.m., plus transaction, processing and city-tax charges. The lot has four accessible spaces. There is also paid street parking on Smith Avenue and one free accessible space off Greely Road. The four-hour rate easily covers a gallery visit, a few minutes on the new bench and a coffee in the Village afterward.
For questions about a specific visit, Clayworks takes calls at 410-578-1919.
The Rest of Mount Washington's November
Two neighborhood dates fall on either side of the Winterfest opening.
Saturday, November 7: NovemBEER. The Mount Washington Improvement Association has announced that NovemBEER is back this Saturday. MWIA describes it as its annual event at the Mt. Washington Arboretum. Times and tickets are posted through MWIA.
Saturday, November 21: Dumpster Days. MWIA's free neighborhood disposal service has one more date left in 2026. If you're clearing space before the holidays, that's the last chance until next year.
The order of the month is convenient. NovemBEER is outdoors at the Arboretum on the 7th, the Clayworks preview and opening are on the 12th and 13th, and the cleanout is on the 21st. That leaves the rest of the market's run, through December 23, for unhurried visits to Smith Avenue.
If you'd like to talk about how Mount Washington's community spaces, from The Gathering Ground to the Arboretum, factor into life on a particular street, William Weeks is glad to share what he knows about the neighborhood. Schedule a Consultation whenever the timing suits you, even between Winterfest stops.
