Guests are welcome to tour Watershed’s new studio and learn about ceramics at the fundraiser. Courtesy of Watershed Ceramics

Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts invites visitors to its 55-acre campus in Newcastle for the 27th annual Salad Days celebration and fundraiser.

This clay-centric festival offers an opportunity to get to know the arts nonprofit that attracts artists from across the US and abroad. Guests can shop the event’s pottery sale, enjoy a picnic brunch and explore the center’s new studio during a tour.

Every year, Watershed commissions an artist to make hundreds of earthenware plates for the Salad Days event. The artist resides at Watershed during production and becomes an integral part of the campus community. At Salad Days, guests select their favorite plate and indulge in sweet and savory treats. While this year’s plates by artist Grace Tessein have all been spoken for via advance plate ticket sales, visitors will find more work by Tessein – and thirty other artists – in the Salad Days pottery sale.

In addition to browsing for fabulous ceramic pieces at the fundraiser, guests can catch pottery demonstrations by master ceramists, learn about the organization’s mission and roots, view the current exhibition in the center’s gallery, and win prizes in the art raffle.

Most of the event takes place outdoors in an expansive field dotted with tents. Guests are welcome to dine at communal tables or bring a blanket to picnic on the lawn. “After two years of celebrating Salad Days online, we are thrilled to welcome guests back to campus for an in-person celebration,” said Courtney Norian, Watershed’s associate director of development and special events. “We look forward to sharing our new studio and offering an opportunity for the public to get to know the artists who make Watershed special.”

Funds raised during Salad Days support Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts’ education programs and residencies for artists working in clay.

Visit the center’s main campus, 19 Brick Hill Road in Newcastle, on July 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for all the Salad Days festivities. Directions to Watershed and more event details can be found at watershedceramics.org/events/salad-days/.