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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm

Clay AKAR

AKAR Art, Architecture & Design. Building blocks for a richer life. ClayAKAR is located in downtown Iowa City and focuses on all things Clay.

09/04/2026

We showed you the still—but this one really needed a video.

David Swenson’s Double Ewer is best understood in motion. And after a little break from videos, this felt like the perfect one to bring them back.

From But I Think More Is More, now open at ClayAKAR.

09/03/2026

DAVID SWENSON | “But I Think More Is More”

Tomorrow ✨

For David Swenson, more really is more. His richly decorated surfaces bring together medieval marginalia and drolleries, rosemaling, folk art, textiles, calligraphy, ironwork, and brushwork, mixing a love of history with a distinctly contemporary approach.

David describes his studio practice as a little like jazz improvisation. He works on many ideas at once, allowing forms, patterns, colors, and surfaces to inform one another along the way.

“I want them to feel the nostalgia and love of history mixed with a contemporary kind of mindset and techniques. Old but new.”

And despite the complexity of his surfaces, spontaneity is important to David. He continues to experiment with color, pattern, and decoration, never quite knowing where all the pieces will lead.

“But I Think More Is More” opens tomorrow, September 4.
In gallery at 9:30 AM CST
Online at 10:00 AM CST

09/01/2026

Teapot Tuesday ✨

A little teapot appreciation today.

Form, handle, spout, surface. So many decisions come together in one beautiful, functional object.

There’s something about a handmade teapot that invites you to slow down and enjoy the ritual.

08/31/2026

Sandra Torres | Yunomi

From the 2026 Teapot + Yunomi Invitational

Slip-cast porcelain, soluble salts, and a little magic from the light. Sandra’s surfaces shift and come alive when held up to it.

Explore available work and learn more about Sandra Torres at clayakar.com.

08/26/2026

Ending the day with a view that pretty much says it all. 📦📦📦

The Teapot + Yunomi Invitational may be online, but behind the scenes it looks a little more like this.

So many boxes. So many pots. So many orders headed to new homes.

We’re packing carefully and working through everything as efficiently as we can. Thank you for your patience — and especially for supporting the incredible artists in this year’s Invitational.

Calling it a day… and back at it tomorrow. ❤️

BehindTheScenes

08/24/2026

Still so much to discover. 🧡

The 20th Annual Teapot + Yunomi Invitational is still full of remarkable work waiting to be found, from quiet functional forms to bold, playful, and highly individual interpretations.

This teapot by Sam Briegel is one example. Working in porcelain, Sam brings together pattern, texture, and references to clothing and fabric in a way that makes functional pottery feel both familiar and unexpected.

If you haven’t had a chance to explore the show yet, or want to take another look, there is still so much to see.

Explore available work at ClayAKAR.

08/22/2026

Alea is wearing a few different hats this week. 🧡

She’s a participating artist in the Invitational, has been helping keep things organized behind the scenes, answering your calls and questions, checking work and paperwork, and now helping us get your orders packed and on their way.

There are a lot of moving parts after a show like this, and Alea has been right there helping with all of it, always with a smile and a happy face.

Artist. Organizer. Packer. Shipper.
Our very own Alea, helping us keep it all moving. 🧡

Thank you, Alea!

08/21/2026

TWO WAYS TO EXPLORE THE SHOW ONLINE 🧡

The 20th Annual Teapot + Yunomi Invitational opens tomorrow! Here are two ways to explore 1,128 works by 193 artists.

VIEW SHOW BY ARTIST
Have particular artists in mind? Browse our participating artist list and select the artist you’d like to see. Their Invitational work will appear first, followed by other available work by that artist.

VIEW THE ENTIRE SHOW
Want to see everything? Browse all 1,128 works in one place. Works are arranged alphabetically by the artist’s last name, with several pages to explore.

TOMORROW, FRIDAY, AUGUST 21
10:00 AM CST • ONLINE ONLY

See you tomorrow! 🧡

08/19/2026

It’s almost time.

From studios across the country and beyond, 193 artists have been making, glazing, firing, packing, and sending work our way.

The result: 1,055 yunomi + 73 teapots, coming together for our 20th Annual Teapot + Yunomi Invitational.

And this year, participating artists have generously made 150 donations to The Studio Potter through the Invitational. We’re proud to help support this effort and the broader ceramics community.

Here’s a little glimpse of what our artists have been sharing from their studios.

Friday, August 21 • 10:00 am CST • Online Only

# Clayakaryunomi2026

08/14/2026

NEW WORK: MARGARET BOHLS

New work by Margaret Bohls is now available.

From Margaret’s Modernist Series, these handbuilt pots grew from her study of objects designed and manufactured in the early to mid-20th century. While inspired by the clean forms of modernist design, Bohls uses dark, rich, textured, and variable clay surfaces to emphasize the materiality and handmade qualities of each piece.

Each pot is built by hand using pinch pots and coils, creating subtle variations that reveal the process of making.

HandbuiltCeramics ModernistDesign CLAYAKAR

Address

Iowa City, IA

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+13193511227

Website

http://www.clayakar.com/

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