From August 7 to September 16, 2026, New City Arts will present an exhibition of work by Emma Terry.
Keepers of Wonder, Emma shares, “is a ceramic exhibition that will transform the gallery into an intimate cabinet of curiosities, featuring whimsical creatures, miniature worlds, and quiet shrines that explore imagination, memory, and the creative process shaped by aphantasia.”
Community Ceramic Pin Making
Saturday, August 22nd from 12-2pm
Pop in anytime for a tiny adventure in clay! Join ceramic artist Emma Terry to create your own whimsical ceramic pins using stamps, letters, textures, and colorful inks. Mix, match, and play as you make little wearable treasures to brighten your jacket, backpack, or favorite tote. Perfect for makers of all ages—no experience needed!
Pop-up Ceramic Market
Friday, September 4 from 5-7:30pm
Saturday, September 5 from 10am - 5pm
Browse a delightful collection of handmade ceramics from artists of Milkweed Clay Studio! From mugs and bowls to whimsical sculptures, tiny pins, and curious creations, you'll find unique work by a collection of local artists. Whether you're searching for a thoughtful gift or a new favorite mug, there's a little something for everyone - all thoughtfully crafted and perfect for bringing a little more beauty & joy into your life.
Artist Statement:
I make objects as vessels for wonder :: sculptural worlds and portals to places that exist just outside reality. My work is rooted in clay but stretches toward story, memory, and the quiet magic embedded in ordinary things.
Not long ago, I learned I have aphantasia, the inability to summon mental images. This absence has only sharpened my desire to make the unseen tangible. Clay becomes my way of thinking in three dimensions, building forms I cannot visualize, but can come to know through making. Whether it is an underwater seascape inspired by a magical snorkeling trip, mid-century modern dollhouse rooms, Gimmies from the planet Glona, or Mother Mary protesting the current state of our world, each becomes a sculptural world that translates my conceptual imagination into physical form through clay.
I am also drawn to making shrines of all sorts, wonderkeepers, as I call them - containers and compositions for awe. They are my way of holding onto the fleeting beauty I find in both the natural and the made world: a seedpod’s spiral, the patina of a weathered tool, or the well-worn handle of a broken coffee cup. Through form, texture, and scale, I try to hold these moments still long enough to be savored.
Clay is my constant collaborator. I favor clean lines, wild and joyful glazes, and forms that invite inspection. While much of my work begins on the slab table, I embrace experimentation: altering shapes, layering hand-built elements on wheel-thrown vessels, and inventing new uses for familiar tools. I believe in the value of play, not as a frivolity (though sometimes that’s enough on its own) but as a method for discovery. Play lets me bypass the part of my brain that craves certainty, opening a path to work that feels alive and full of whimsy.
I hope each piece carries a small invitation to pause, to notice, to connect with something beyond the pace of the day. My work is not only about the object itself but about the spark it carries: a silly companion, a keeper of wonder, a reminder of the strange and beautiful world we share.
