School for Advanced Research Santa Fe, New Mexico
Vilcek Foundation
School for Advanced Research Santa Fe, New Mexico
Vilcek Foundation

Grounded in Clay is a collaborative exhibit curated by the Pueblo Pottery Collective and organized by the School for Advanced Research and the Vilcek Foundation.

EXHIBITION TOUR

MAR 21 – SEPT 14, 2025

Saint Louis Art Museum

Saint Louis, Missouri

MAR 2026 – FEB 2027

INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

An impressive survey of more than 100 pieces of historic Pueblo pottery, Grounded in Clay is remarkable for the fact that its content has been selected by Pueblo community members. Rather than relying on Anglo-American art historical interpretations, this book foreground Native American voices and perspectives. More than 60 participants from 21 Pueblo communities in the Southwest – among them potters and other artists, as well as writers, curators and community leaders – chose one or two pieces from the collections of the Indian Arts Research Center at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Vilcek Collection in New York. They were then given the freedom to express their thoughts in whichever written form they wished, prose or poem. Their lively, varied contributions reveal the pottery to be not only a utilitarian art form but also a powerfully intangible element that sits at the heart of Pueblo cultures. With magnificent photography throughout, Grounded in Clay showcases the extraordinary history and beauty of Pueblo pottery while bringing to life the complex narratives and stories of this most essential of Native American arts.

GROUNDED IN CLAY IN THE WILD

When Clay Becomes a Circuit Breaker for My Brain

There’s something about working with clay that does more than just spark dopamine—it untangles my neural pathways. As someone with ADHD, I can feel when my thoughts start stacking on top of each other instead of flowing. It’s like a ‘flare-up moment’ in my brain, usually at the end of a long day, when executive functioning fatigue kicks in.

But the moment I press my hands into clay—pinching a tiny bowl, shaping a mini house, or carving a coaster—something shifts. The texture, the movement, the creative synapses firing seem to give my prefrontal cortex a break. It’s like my brain finds an off-ramp from chaos and into calm.

It’s not just a hobby; it’s my anchor. The kind of grounding that feels almost addictive in the best way. And I’m so grateful I came back to it after studying ceramics all the way back in Year 12.

If you’ve ever felt this, tell me—what creative ritual helps your brain untangle?

#ADHDCreativity #NeurodivergentMind #GroundedInClay #ADHDBrain #ClayTherapy #CreativeFlow #SensoryRegulation #MindfulMaking #TactileTherapy #CeramicHealing

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