Sacred Places at Baltimore Clayworks
The Gathering Ground
A community-designed mosaic bench, completed in October 2026, is the final addition to The Gathering Ground, the Sacred Place that opened in May 2025 on Baltimore Clayworks’ gallery green.
Designed in partnership with Empact Art and inspired by the Jones Falls Watershed, the surface design for this public artwork is composed of thousands of handmade tesserae, made from glass tiles and 300 pounds of recycled clay. Hundreds of community members contributed to the work with their ideas, creativity, and hands through design workshops, charrettes, and mosaic-making events.
The completed installation becomes the portal for a beautiful new destination on our campus: a welcoming gathering space that reflects environmental stewardship, connection, and collective creativity. We invite neighbors and visitors alike to pause and experience the healing role that nature can play in their lives and to contemplate the role that individuals can play in protecting our waterways.
See if you can spot a rockfish, a turtle or a bed of oysters as reflections of the life of a healthy ecosystem hidden among the tesserae.
Our Sacred Places are supported by Nature Sacred, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Blue Water Baltimore, Baltimore Development Corporation, Towson University, Camp Small, Eden Brothers, and individual donors. Baltimore Clayworks is also grateful for the support of Baltimore Community Foundation. We also thank the Baltimore Convention Center and the generous exhibitors from MANTS (Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show) that donated their trees and plants for our project.
This mosaic project is a Gutierrez Legacy Project. Additional funding was provided by Nature Sacred, Blue Water Baltimore, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Mt. Washington
How can you support the Sacred Places at Baltimore Clayworks
If you are interested in supporting Clayworks’ Sacred Places, you can make a donation here. We appreciate gifts of any size. If you would like to donate your time, ideas, or become actively involved please contact for more information:
Holly Jackson, Development Associate
Holly.jackson@baltimoreclayworks.org
410.578.1919, x218
Nurturing Nature Fountain Garden
Baltimore Clayworks’ first Sacred Place, located in front of our studio building, was installed in the summer of 2011. The flagstone pathway, bluestone stairs, and native plantings provide an inviting portal to the Nurturing Nature Fountain Garden. In 2025, Baltimore Clayworks restored this fountain with support from Nature Sacred. The original artist, Maman Rikin, and volunteer potters created new work to repair the tile boxes that had sustained damage over many Maryland winters. In this Sacred Place, visitors can access mosaic garden benches and the Nature Sacred bench and journal.
Thank You to our Funders
Our Sacred Places are supported by Nature Sacred, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Blue Water Baltimore, Baltimore Development Corporation, Towson University, Camp Small, Eden Brothers, and individual donors. Baltimore Clayworks is also grateful for the support of Baltimore Community Foundation. We also thank the Baltimore Convention Center and the generous exhibitors from MANTS (Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show) that donated their trees and plants for our project.
