Silver City, NM - CLAY had a tent with demonstrations and free hands-on activities at last weekend's Blues Festival. Local artists Krissy Ramirez, Patty Countryman, and Zoe Wolfe demonstrated hand-building and wheel throwing techniques, and children were encouraged to take a whirl at throwing on the wheel! Children of all ages - and a few adults - were thrilled to have a chance to get their hands dirty for 5-10 minutes on the wheel.

There will be more opportunities for hands-on experiences and many demonstrations during CLAY Festival. CLAYPlay will return to three Grant County libraries and will feature a theme based on the children's book The Moon was at Fiesta. Mud Fun! - a yearly favorite and chance for children to experience hand-building with clay - will take place on Saturday, July 29 in conjunction with the CLAYFest Market, Mud Pie Contest, Silver City Farmer's Market, and Oralia Lopez, Mata Ortiz Demonstration hosted by the Silver City Museum. There will be demonstrations at the CLAYFest Market and possibly another opportunity for children and adults to experience throwing clay on the wheel - stay tuned!

On Saturday, July 22, local gold panner David Rinch will demonstrate gold panning at the Silver City Museum courtyard and children will be able to try it out themselves!

All hands-on activities are free and open to the public; signing a waiver and holding a spot on a sign-up sheet is required.

For more information on these hands-on activities, demonstrations and more, visit www.clayfestival.com.