Buy a gift for mom, enjoy activities at Archie Bray

The Archie Bray Foundation rings in spring Saturday, with a pottery sale for Mother’s Day and activities for children.

Mother’s Day Pots and Plants Sale takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Bray at 2915 Country Club Ave.

Pots made by Bray resident artists and planted with flowers raised by residents at West Mont’s Farm and Gardens, which provides vocational and other services for people with disabilities, will be on sale throughout the day.

Family activities include play with raw clay, in which children can experience working with clay with tools. Children also can make pieces that will be raku fired, a process where clay is removed from a kiln at its maximum temperature and cooled rapidly by being placed in an organic material like leaves or sawdust.

“They come out shiny black or silver, and you can watch that happen, which is cool,” said Rachel Hicks, director of communications at the Archie Bray Foundation.

The raku-fired pieces will be ready later in the day for the kids to take home.

Wood-fired pizza will be served for those who need some lunch, and a jazz band composed of area high school students will provide music throughout the event.

Many participants take the opportunity to explore the galleries and outdoor artwork at the Bray.

Some use the event to purchase Mother’s Day gifts as well. The pots, vases and ceramics pieces will be available for prices that are affordable, even to kids who want to get a present for mom.

The Bray donates clay and materials to artists, who are then able to charge lower amounts for their work.

“You’re still getting a one-of-a-kind object, made here at the Bray, but the Bray absorbs a lot of the costs,” Hicks said. “So it’s anywhere from a pot that’s $15 to all the way up to ones that are maybe $300.”

“A lot of times (the artists) do an amazing job representing their work and what they do,” she continued.

Saturday’s activities represent one of the largest of the Bray’s community outreach events.

The collection often sells out on Saturday, so Hicks encourages shoppers to arrive early.

Proceeds from the sale benefit the resident artist program at the Bray and the West Mont Farm and Gardens vocational program.