HELENA — If you are looking for something to add to your summer bucket list, mark your calendars for July 19th and 20th.
Those are the days the Montana Clay Tour returns to Helena, now celebrating its 9th year.
“Works of art, vessels, whatever it may be, are so important to that balance of life and reality,” said Robert Harrison.
You may not recognize his name, but chances are you have seen his work.
“I think it was the City of Helena that gave me my first commission here in town,” said Harrison.
His art can be seen at the Archie Bray, ExplorationWorks, and the Bicycle Fire Tower.
He said, “Architecture is one thing, but for me it’s about balancing these very different approaches.”
While he is best known for his outdoor sculptures and arches, Harrison also makes smaller pieces.
Some are inspired by the generation that came before him, and some by the generation after.
“I want to make something like that – like she made,” Harrison said.
His porcelain collages take inspiration from his mom.
He said, “She taught me how to cut shapes out of the cards and then take those shapes and reassemble them.”
His series of windows and doors takes inspiration from his daughter, who used to play with clay while he worked in his studio.
“It had this very naive, sort of intuitive quality to it that I had lost touch with,” Harrison said.
In Clancy, another artist draws inspiration from the women in her life.
Tara Wilson specializes in woodfiring her art.
“It’s a very male-dominated field,” she said.
To shine a light on women who woodfire, she started making a list and created an Instagram page.
Wilson said, “Men in that field traditionally have gotten all of the attention.”
Bringing attention to artists is what the Montana Clay Tour is all about: amazing art, crafted right here in our community.
The Montana Clay Tour will take place from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on both July 19th and 20th, featuring over 40 artists in five different host studios.
You can find more information about the tour here.
