Event Details

10th ANNUAL FLOWER CITY POTTERY INVITATIONAL

OCTOBER 9-11, 2026 • 713 MONROE AVE • ROCHESTER, NY • 14607

Flower City Arts Center is proud to welcome, FOR OUR TENTH YEAR, 20 premier ceramic artists from across North America for a long weekend celebrating the best in contemporary clay. The event includes a special artist reception and a huge pottery sale during the weekend!

This is a unique opportunity for collectors, clay enthusiasts, and anyone who appreciates finely crafted, handmade work to meet and talk with masters of the field and see a large body of their work. Whether you prefer contemporary design or rustic tableware, hundreds of hand-crafted pots will be exhibited and available for purchase, and their makers will be on-site to talk about and demonstrate their work. For those of you who are new to contemporary ceramics, this is the perfect opportunity to see the range of work being made with this extremely versatile material.

SCHEDULE:

Artist Workshops - Thursday

TBD

Opening Night Reception - Friday, October 9 from 6 - 9pm

  • Tickets will be available at the door. Preorder is encouraged as space is limited.

An opening reception and fundraiser for the Center will take place on Friday, Oct. 9, with live music, drinks, bites, and a chance to preview the pottery before the crowds There will also be fun activities such as painting a large pot and block printing free canvas pouches! The exhibition and SALE follow on Saturday and Sunday.

Free Pottery Exhibitions, Demos, & Artist TalkS

Saturday, Oct 11

Sale is open from 10:00 - 5:00 pm

SUNDAY, Oct 12

Sale is open from 11:00 - 4:00 pm

Virtual ShopPing Appointments: Sunday, October 11, 10 – 11am

2026 CURATORIAL TEAM:

A LITTLE HISTORY:

Planning for the Flower City Pottery Invitational began in early 2014 when area potters Matt Metz and Richard Aerni discussed bringing fellow esteemed ceramic artists together for a weekend exhibit, following the example of similar shows like the Old Church Pottery Invitational in Demarest, NJ, and the popular American Pottery Festival in Minneapolis. Rochester seemed like the perfect city to hold a similar event, being in the middle of a clay mecca, with RIT's School for American Craft and Alfred University close by, as well as strong clay programs in Syracuse and Buffalo. Metz and Aerni partnered with Flower City Arts Center and, together with artist Peter Pincus, invited colleagues from around the country to participate in the inaugural event in October 2015.

PREVIOUS EVENTS:

Artists

Olivia Avery • Hayne Bayless • Paul Briggs S Wes Brown • Yoshi Fujii • Sam Harvey • Kelly Justice • Kate Marotz • Shalya Marsh • Kate Maury • Colleen McCall • Candice Methe • Lisa Naples • Hannah Niswonger • Lisa Orr • Jeremy Randall • Ali Saunders • John Vorstadt • Nick Weddell

Schedule

Friday Opening Night: 6-9 pm Saturday: 10:00-5:00 pm Sunday: 11:00-4:00 pm

Artist Workshops - Thursday, October 8 (Pre-Registration Required)

TBD

OPENING Reception FUNDRAISER - Friday, October 9 from 6 - 9pm

  • Tickets will be available at the door. Preorder is encouraged as space is limited.

Join us Friday October 9, for a night of celebrating our 10th year of FCPI! This is a unique opportunity to not only meet our exhibition artists who have traveled across the country, but also engage with local Flower City Arts makers.

There will be live music, drinks, food, pottery for sale, and more!! Come and hang out with the clay community!

Pottery Sale! 20 Artists

SATURDAY OCTOBER 1 1

10:00AM - 5:00PM


SUNDAY OCTOBER 12

11:00AM - 4:00PM

Virtual Shopping Appointments: Sunday, October 12, 10 – 11am

Plan Your Visit

Address

Flower City Arts Center
713 Monroe Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607

We are located just outside downtown Rochester, NY, Conveniently located off the I-490 Monroe Ave Exit and on RTS Bus Route Monroe 11L.

Monroe Avenue starts downtown at the Strong Museum and reaches the border with the town of Brighton near Cobbs Hill Park.

Our eclectic neighborhood includes diverse eateries and small shops. Local cultural attractions like Park Avenue, George Eastman Museum, Memorial Art Gallery, and the Neighborhood of the Arts are just blocks away!

The historic, brick firehouse building that houses Flower City Arts Center dates to the early 1890s, with both stories dedicated to arts programming.

Parking

Free on-street parking is available on Monroe Avenue and Wilcox Street. You may also utilize the Blessed Sacrament Church parking lot across the street. Please cross at the crosswalk.

Accessibility

Flower City Arts Center is fully accessible for wheelchair users with a reserved parking space at the front of the building, a front entrance ramp, an elevator, and gender-neutral restrooms.

Volunteer

Become A Volunteer!

Many hands make light work and many friends have helped us out, so we have closed our volunteer registration for this year. If you still want to help, don't hesitate to stop by the event and check in at Ceramics Gallery Store. That is our Volunteer Central, and we might be able to find a spot for you!



THANK YOU TO OUR sPONSORS!


To become a sponsor, please email kwhorton@flowercityarts.org