30th Annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch
2025-09-27 10:00 - 2025-09-28 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Who doesn’t love a pumpkin patch? Especially one made of thousands of hand-crafted glass pumpkins!

The 30th annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch returns to Palo Alto Sept. 27 & 28, 2025 from 10am to 5pm. Benefitting the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI), the Palo Alto Art Center, the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation, and the participating glass artists, this pumpkin patch features more than 10,000 unique glass pumpkins, gourds, and autumnal keepsakes for sale, glass demonstrations, treats, and more!
DETAILS:
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 27 & 28, 2025
WHERE: Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303
ADMISSION: Free
DIRECTIONS: The Palo Alto Art Center is at the corner of Embarcadero and Newell roads in Palo Alto.
PARKING: Plenty of free street parking is available at the Palo Alto Art Center.

PAACF Member Travel Program: Exploring Southern California’s Art Biennials and Culture, Cuisine and Creativity
2025-10-08 - 2025-10-13 | Los Angeles
Southern California 2025

Members-Only Presale and Breakfast at the Annual Studio Holiday Sale
2025-12-06 08:30 - 10:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join us for a members-exclusive breakfast and early-bird shop!

If you are looking for handmade gifts for the holidays, the Art Center Studio Holiday Sale is your one-stop shop. Our sale showcases unique artwork created by local artists working in the studios at the Palo Alto Art Center.
TIME SUBJECTED TO CHANGE! We will update soon!
This is a members-only early shop opportunity and breakfast. Please renew your membership through your member portal, or s increase your support with an upgraded membership at www.paacf.org .
RSVP TODAY!

Palo Alto Art Center Annual Studio Holiday Sale
2025-12-06 10:00 - 16:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join us at our annual sale to find the perfect gift or keepsake for the holiday season!

If you are looking for handmade gifts for the holidays, the Art Center Studio Holiday Sale is your one-stop shop. Our sale showcases unique artwork created by local artists working in the studios at the Palo Alto Art Center.
The free Holiday Sale opens to the public on Saturday, December 6 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
RSVP TODAY!
Want a chance to shop early before the public??
Palo Alto Art Center Foundation members get a opportunity to shop early from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and a special members breakfast at 8:30 a.m.. Sign up to become a new member today at www.paacf.org, it could be as low as $6.25/month and you get other perks as well!

Pushing Boundaries: Artist Panel Discussion
2025-12-07 13:00 - 15:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join Pushing Boundaries guest curator Demetri Broxton for a panel discussion focused on the connections between ceramics and identity.

Pushing Boundaries: Artist Panel Discussion

Join Pushing Boundaries guest curator Demetri Broxton for a panel discussion focused on the connections between ceramics and identity, featuring artists Maryam Yousif and Wanxin Zhang.

Connect with Clay! Monthly Artist-led Air-Dry Clay Workshops
2026-01-09 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-13 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-13 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-04-10 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-05-08 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-12 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Connect with Clay! Monthly Artist-led Air-Dry Clay Workshops at the Palo Alto Art Center
FREE

Connect with Clay!
Monthly Artist-led Air-Dry Clay Workshops at the Palo Alto Art Center
FREE – Made Possible by Palo Alto Art Center Foundation
Every second Friday of the month (November 14, December 12, January 9, February 13, March 13, April 10, May 8, June 12, July 17*)
6- 8 p.m.
All materials provided
All ages; children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult
Space is limited, advance registration required for each individual session

Come together around clay in community at a series of creative workshops led by Centering exhibiting artists Timna Naim and Larisa Usich. Each workshop will feature different projects inspired by themes in the current exhibitions at the Art Center. Visit the exhibition after hours with an exclusive tour by the teaching artists, sketch out your ideas, and then make your own creation in clay that you can take home, and contribute to a collective artwork creation for the Center.

Throughout the series, Timna and Larisa will explore how small-scale decorations can hold powerful meaning, exploring the history of trinkets, miniatures and other forms of adornment as important tools of self-expression.

Bring your friends, and come ready to learn, explore, and create!
Timna Naim, a San Jose-based artist, explores identity, play, and community through interdisciplinary work integrating ceramic sculpture, installation, and performance that centers on tactility, storytelling, and participation, using vibrant colors, abstract forms, and interactive elements to spark the imagination. Timna Naim holds an MFA in Spatial Art and an MA in Teaching from SJSU.
Larisa Usich is a sculptor and social practice artist working in a range of media from clay, metal and textiles to found objects and natural matter. Her work emerges from the intersection of the personal and political and is influenced by immersion in the natural world. Usich earned an MFA from San José State University, a BA from Brown University, and has taught art to all ages and levels

*Note updated session date

Air-dry clay generously donated by Laguna Clay Company.

Friday Night at the Art Center—"Clay Sustains" Members-Only Preview
2026-01-23 17:00 - 18:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Celebrate “Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change” Enjoy artmaking, a cash bar including wine by Comartin Cellars, a live performance & food!

Friday Night at the Art Center: Members-Only Preview

🗓️ Friday, Jan 23 | 🕕 5–6 PM | 📍 Palo Alto Art Center

Join us for an exclusive Members-Only Preview of the exhibition Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change — with a wine bar by Comartin Cellars, our Featured Drink Partner bringing handcrafted local wines to the evening.
Enjoy a special welcome and introduction from guest curator Rina Faletti, Ph.D., along with the opportunity to hear from some of the featured artists themselves.
🍸 Enjoy complimentary drink tickets as part of your membership!
Want to share the experience? Invite a friend to join as a member and enjoy the perks together!
Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change brings together 15–20 established ceramic artists whose works explore themes of environmental crisis and cultural sustainability. The exhibition invites us to consider clay not only as a material shaped by earth, water, mineral, fire, and air — but as a vessel for understanding sustainability in our contemporary world. Through diverse processes, forms, and ideas, these artists ask:

How can earth itself be fashioned into art that sustains us?

What does “sustainability” mean across cultures facing rapid ecological change?

This exhibition continues the Palo Alto Art Center’s Centering series.
✨ What to Expect

🎨 Art Activity (FREE)
Hands-on clay-inspired activity connected to the exhibition.
🎸 Music by Liquor Store

🍷 Wine Bar by Comartin Cellars (2 Free Drink Tickets Included for members!)

Sip award-winning local wines — with wine sales supporting the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation and helping keep exhibitions free and accessible to the community.
Each membership entails to two complimentary drink tickets to enjoy at the bar. (Drinks available for purchase, including wine, beer and non-alcoholic options.)
We’re thrilled to welcome Comartin Cellars as our Featured Wine Partner for the evening. Comartin Cellars is a local winery in San Carlos focused on producing high-end wines expressing the site (terroir) from which they were grown. From the vineyard to the winemaking, all wines are created respecting sustainability and environmental preservation. Many vineyards are farmed organically to preserve our land and all wines are made with a minimalistic vision to harness purity —values that resonate deeply with the themes of Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change.
Check their wine club exclusive offerings here: Club – Comartin Cellars

Friday Night at the Art Center—"Clay Sustains" Opening Reception
2026-01-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Celebrate “Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change” Enjoy artmaking, a cash bar including wine by Comartin Cellars, a live performance & food!

Friday Night at the Art Center Opening Celebration

🗓️ Friday, Jan 23 | 🕕 6–8 PM | 📍 Palo Alto Art Center
🎟️ FREE & open to all!

Join us for a free opening celebration of the exhibition Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change — with a wine bar by Comartin Cellars, our Featured Drink Partner bringing handcrafted local wines to the evening.
Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change brings together 15–20 established ceramic artists whose works explore themes of environmental crisis and cultural sustainability. The exhibition invites us to consider clay not only as a material shaped by earth, water, mineral, fire, and air — but as a vessel for understanding sustainability in our contemporary world. Through diverse processes, forms, and ideas, these artists ask:

How can earth itself be fashioned into art that sustains us?

What does “sustainability” mean across cultures facing rapid ecological change?

This exhibition continues the Palo Alto Art Center’s Centering series and is guest curated by Rina Faletti, Ph.D.
✨ What to Expect

🎨 Art Activity (FREE)
Hands-on clay-inspired activity connected to the exhibition.
🎸 Music by Liquor Store

🍷 Wine Bar by Comartin Cellars ($)

Sip award-winning local wines — with wine sales supporting the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation and helping keep exhibitions free and accessible to the community.
(Drinks available for purchase, including wine, beer and non-alcoholic options.)
We’re thrilled to welcome Comartin Cellars as our Featured Wine Partner for the evening. Comartin Cellars is a local winery in San Carlos focused on producing high-end wines expressing the site (terroir) from which they were grown. From the vineyard to the winemaking, all wines are created respecting sustainability and environmental preservation. Many vineyards are farmed organically to preserve our land and all wines are made with a minimalistic vision to harness purity —values that resonate deeply with the themes of Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change.
Check their wine club exclusive offerings here: Club – Comartin Cellars

💛 Want FREE Drinks?
Become a Palo Alto Art Center Foundation member! Members enjoy:

Early access to the opening, where you’ll meet the curator and artists & get behind-the-scenes insights

Two complimentary drink tickets at Friday Night events

Exclusive experiences year-round Memberships start at just $6.25/month. Join today →

Inside the Exhibition: A Board-Hosted Walkthrough
2026-02-17 15:30 - 16:30 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join us for an in-person walkthrough of our newest exhibition, led by PAACF board members and guest curator Rina Faletti—welcoming new faces

Join Our Board-Hosted Exhibition Walkthrough!
Come hang out with us in person for an board-hosted exhibition walkthrough designed especially for new members, prospective members, and friends of the Foundation.
Enjoy a guided tour of our latest exhibition Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change with insights from guest curator Rina Faletti, followed by the opportunity to connect with PAACF board members and fellow art enthusiasts. This relaxed gathering offers a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibition and a chance to learn more about the Foundation’s mission and impact.
Light refreshments, wine, and beverages will be provided.
Space is limited—advance registration is encouraged.

Coming Home: A Tour of Local Ceramic Studios – Activist/Collector Members
2026-02-20 13:00 - 15:30 | CA
Join us for a lively progressive afternoon visiting local ceramic artists home studios.

Join us for a lively progressive afternoon visiting local ceramic artists home studios. Sally Jackson and Jan Schachter have distinct and unique approaches to ceramics and will showcase the spaces where they create. Both artists have worked to develop their craft at the Palo Alto Art Center at various points in their career.

Coming Home: A Tour of Local Ceramic Studios – Circle & Alliance Members
2026-02-20 13:00 - 17:30 | CA
Join us for a lively progressive afternoon visiting local ceramic artists home studios.

Join us for a lively progressive afternoon visiting local ceramic artists home studios. Sally Jackson, Jan Schachter and Peggy Dalal have distinct and unique approaches to ceramics and will showcase the spaces where they create. All three artists have worked to develop their craft at the Palo Alto Art Center at various points in their career.

Material Matters: An Artist Panel Discussion
2026-03-04 18:00 - 19:30 | CA
Curator Rina Faletti & ‘Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change’ artists discuss the power of clay to spark dialogue regarding the climate crisis.

Material Matters: An Artist Panel Discussion

Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 6 p.m. Zoom, FREE

Curator Rina Faletti and artists in the Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change exhibition engage in a lovely discussion about the power of clay to spark dialogue around the climate crisis.

More Clay in the Bay - Circle & Alliance Members
2026-05-08 11:00 - 17:00 | Private: Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102, United States
Join us for a special day in San Francisco, exploring more clay and craft exhibitions, artists studios, and more!

Join us for a special day in San Francisco, exploring more clay and craft exhibitions, artists studios, and more! We’ll start with a visit to the Asian Art Museum, where we will explore the lauded New Japanese Clay exhibition followed by lunch on your own. Next, we’ll visit Pushing Boundaries artist Wanxin Zhang’s studio in Bayview, followed by a few surprises in Dogpatch, before we end with a guided tour of the Museum of Craft and Design’s current exhibition led by their guest curator. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to experience the best of ceramic and craft in San Francisco!

PAACF Member Travel Program: The Best of Art and Glass in the Pacific Northwest
2026-05-13 - 2026-05-17 | Seattle
Seattle 2026

Inside the Exhibition: A Board-Hosted Walkthrough of Creative Connections
2026-05-20 17:00 - 18:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join us for an in-person walkthrough of our newest exhibition, led by PAACF board members and Director of School Programs, Heewon Park.

Join Our Board-Hosted Exhibition Walkthrough!
Come hang out with us in person for an board-hosted exhibition walkthrough designed especially for new members, prospective members, and friends of the Foundation.
Learn more about the Art Center’s Creative Connections artists-in-the-schools program, supported by the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. After a brief introduction to the program in the meeting room, we’ll receive a walkthrough of the culminating exhibition by Director of School Programs Heewon Park.
Light refreshments, wine, and beverages will be provided.
Space is limited—advance registration is encouraged.

Friday Night at the Art Center Members-Only Preview on June 26
2026-06-26 17:00 - 18:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join us for an exclusive Members-Only Preview exhibition “Thrown, Stamped, Stacked, and Poured: Ceramic Performance and Installation.”

Friday Night at the Art Center: Members-Only Preview

🗓️ Friday, June 26 | 🕕 5–6 PM | 📍 Palo Alto Art Center
Celebrate our summer ceramic performance and installation exhibition with a special welcome and introduction from guest curator John Toki, along with the opportunity to hear from some of the featured artists themselves.
🍸 Enjoy complimentary drink tickets as part of your membership!
Want to share the experience? Invite a friend to join as a member and enjoy the perks together!
This exhibition continues the Palo Alto Art Center’s Centering series.
✨ What to Expect

🎨 Art Activity (FREE) Hands-on clay-inspired activity connected to the exhibition.
🎸 Performance by Elana Mann at 6:30 p.m.

🍷 Bar (2 Free Drink Tickets Included for members!)

Sip drinks while supporting the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation and helping keep exhibitions free and accessible to the community.
Each membership entails to two complimentary drink tickets to enjoy at the bar. (Drinks available for purchase, including wine, beer and non-alcoholic options.)

Friday Night at the Art Center on June 26
2026-06-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join us for a free opening party for the summer exhibition “Thrown, Stamped, Stacked, and Poured: Ceramic Performance and Installation.”

Celebrate our summer ceramic performance and installation exhibition with free opening party featuring hands-on art activities, a cash bar, and opportunities to meet the artists. Featuring a special performance by Elana Mann at 6:30 p.m.

Lecture: Ashwini Bhat
2026-08-15 15:00 - 16:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join us for a special lecture by Ashwini Bhat to mark the closing of her exhibition “Being, Longing…” at the Palo Alto Art Center.

After thirty-five years in Southern India, multidisciplinary artist Ashwini Bhat now lives and works in the foothills of Sonoma Mountain, California. Coming from a background in literature and classical Indian dance, Bhat works in sculpture, installation, ceramics, video, text, and performance developing a unique visual language to explore the intersections between body and nature, self and other.

Ashwini Bhat: Being, Longing… is supported by the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation through a gift from SACHI, Society for Art & Cultural Heritage of India in celebration of its 25th anniversary (1997-2022).
