Welcome to NCECA’s 60th Annual Conference, Volumes, in Detroit, Michigan, March 25-28, 2026.
2026 Collectors Tour and Pricing Information
Single-Day Discover Detroit Clay Experience Passes
A limited number of single-day pass opportunities are available only for Monday, March 23, Tuesday, March 24, and Thursday, March 26.
Only a few spaces remain for the Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience! Contact Jacqueline Hardy at jacqueline@nceca.net, to register today.
2026 NCECA Annual Artist: Irén Tété, Memories, Thoughts, Dreams (and all that gets lost). Photo credit: McKinna Anderson
2026 NCECA COLLECTORS TOUR
PRICING AND INFORMATION
Led by Kate Lydon and Judy Barie with curatorial support by NCECA Exhibitions Director Adam Chau, Detroit ceramic artists and Onsite Conference Liaisons, Ebitenyefa Baralaye and Jessika Edgar, with Special Guides from the Detroit Arts Community.
To mark NCECA’s 60th year, NCECA has exceptional collector-focused opportunities available for the 2026 conference in Detroit:
Only a few spaces remain for the Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience!
Monday morning, March 23 – Thursday, March 26, 2026- Fee $2,000 per person* Almost Sold Out! [6] Available Only
To register contact: jacqueline@nceca.netSingle-Day Discover Detroit Clay Experience Passes
A limited number of single-day pass opportunities are available only for Monday, March 23, Tuesday, March 24, and Thursday, March 26. Purchase online on the NCECA Store.NCECA60 Friday Add-On Experience on Friday, March 27, 2026- Fee $500 per person* SOLD OUT (Waitlist Only)
The 2026 NCECA Collectors Tour promises an exciting week of experiences specially curated for ceramic art collectors. The itinerary offers insider opportunities to collect from dozens of exhibitions throughout the region during Volumes, the 60th annual NCECA conference. Exclusive studio and collection visits, curator and creative community connections, and shared meals will be threaded throughout the week. (One group dinner and four lunches are included.)
These opportunities promise an exciting week of specially curated experiences for both new and deeply experienced collectors of contemporary ceramic art.
The Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience begins with a full day of studio visits and exhibitions, followed by an opening dinner overlooking Detroit’s scenic riverfront on Monday, March 23, 2026.
The itinerary encompasses studio, collection, curator, and exhibition visits through Thursday, March 26, with opportunities to explore conference programming and ceramic art showcases throughout the Greater Detroit region.
SPECIAL BONUS
PREFERRED SEATING DURING OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES
Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience registrants enjoy seating near the front of the hall reserved seats for Wednesday evening ceremonies with opening keynote by Hank Willis Thomas, and Saturday morning, Emerging Artist presentations, ceremonies, and closing keynote presentation by Jenni Sorkin.
Registration for the Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience will be limited to 30 or fewer people.
Five or fewer Single-Day Discover Detroit Clay Experience Passes will be available for those wishing to participate in only one or two days.
Participants will gain early access to thoughtfully selected exhibitions and enjoy purchasing opportunities while sharing meals, conversations, and thought-provoking presentations with an evolving daily line-up of dynamic, informed, and engaging special guests. Travel throughout the region will be provided to most locations via luxury motorcoach. Smaller vehicles may be used to reach special destinations.
Every minute of the tour will foster relationships around shared passions, opening new insights into the evolution of ceramic art and the work and people involved in its creation, exhibition, scholarship, and appreciation.
The NCECA60 Friday Add-On Experience takes place on March 27, 2026 and features a visit to the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Collection in Bloomfield Hills, followed by a unique tour of the collection at Flint Institute of Art. This exceptional experience will be limited to 15 participants. [SOLD OUT].
To register and learn more about NCECA, contact Jacqueline Hardy at jacqueline@nceca.net.
Contact Kate Lydon at lydon8@gmail.com for questions about the tour itinerary.
2026 NCECA Annual Artist: Natalia Arbelaez, De la Tierra al Espiritu
Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience
Tentative Itinerary Framework
MONDAY, MARCH 23
Special Day Guide, Margeaux Claude
Two studio visits
Exhibition visits and lunch at Eastern Michigan University
Opening Dinner for Tour
TUESDAY, MARCH 24
Special Day Guide, Grace Serra
Anders Herwald Ruhwald studio visit and site-specific project
Guided tour of NCECA Annual at Wasserman Projects and catered lunch
Gallery Expo and NCECA Special Exhibitions VIP Preview
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25
Special Day Guide, Lauren Kalman
Behind-the-scenes tour at the Detroit Institute of Art
Special VIP seating for conference Opening Ceremonies and Keynote presentation by Hank Willis Thomas
THURSDAY, MARCH 26
Special Day Guide, Claire Thibodeau
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Ceramics studio visits, and the Cranbrook Art Museum vault visit
Featured Exhibition visits in Birmingham and Dearborn
Studio visits
FRIDAY, MARCH 27
NCECA60 Friday Add-On Experience Itinerary
Discover and explore the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Collection and Flint Institute of Art
Studio visits
Learn More About Tour Leaders Judy Barie and Kate Lydon
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An artist who creates contemporary abstract works. Judy Barie also acts as a consultant for Contemporary Craft and Oxford Development. She splits her time between Pittsburgh and Chautauqua, New York, where she serves as the Susan and John Turben Director of CVA Galleries and curates several exhibitions each summer for Chautauqua Institution. After earning a BFA from West Virginia University, Barie spent a year-long printmaking residency at Atelier 17, now known as Atelier Contrepoint in Paris, France. Barie is represented by Artists Circle Gallery in Bethesda, Maryland; Bonfoey Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio; and Zynka Gallery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has had solo exhibitions at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts in New York, Cumberland Gallery in Nashville, Tennessee, and G2 Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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For more than three decades, Kate Lydon was Director of Exhibitions at Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, where she oversaw the installation of exhibitions mounted at CC’s main gallery and at the BNY Mellon satellite gallery. Involved in all decisions regarding exhibition development, selection of work, touring of exhibitions and development of public programming, Lydon earned dual degrees in Art History and French at Denison University in Ohio and her master’s degree from the Archival, Museum and Editing Program at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Lydon’s breadth of knowledge in the contemporary craft field, including artists and processes, as well as public education about craft, is extensive. She has been an adjudicator for numerous national shows.
Lydon served on the Board of Governors of Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN, from 2006 to 2016, and on the Board of Directors of The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) as the 2018 On-site Liaison for Pittsburgh.
FEE, ACCOMMODATIONS, POLICIES, AND REGISTRATION
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The fee for the Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience is $2,000 per person, including one group dinner, three lunches, ground transportation for the itinerary, conference registration, one-year membership in NCECA, and a $300 donation to the organisation.
A limited number of Single-Day Discover Detroit Clay Experience Passes are available for $310 per person, per day. No more than two Single-Day passes will be available for any individual registrant. (Single-Day registration fees are non-refundable and do not include NCECA conference registration, membership, or print publications, which are available at additional costs.)
* Travel to Detroit and lodging are not included in the fee.
NCECA is holding a special block of rooms at one of our main conference hotels for 2026 Collectors Tour registrants, available only until February 27. Please contact Jacqueline Hardy (jacqueline@nceca.net) when you register for information about booking these rooms.
All participants must comply with state, city, and county health and safety regulations. By registering for this experience, you agree to permit NCECA to share your name and contact information with our hosts of private studio and collection visits.
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A minimum of 18 people must register for the Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience to run. The NCECA60 Friday Add-On Experience requires a minimum of 10 registrants to run.
Because the NCECA 2026 Collectors Tour is designed with exclusive experiences with limited capacity, NCECA respectfully establishes the following cancellation policy:
For the Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience
Cancellation requests received by midnight EST on Monday, February 2, 2026, will incur a $125 fee, in addition to the $300 tax-deductible donation included in the registration fee. Those requesting a refund by this deadline, if already paid in full ($2,000), will receive $1,585.Cancellation requests received after midnight EST on Monday, February 2, 2026 and before midnight EST on February 11, 2026, will be assessed a $625 fee plus a $300 tax-deductible donation to NCECA (a refund of $1,000 if paid in full).
After February 12, 2026, fees paid for the Monday-Thursday Discover Detroit Clay Tour Experience and Single-Day passes are non-refundable.
For the NCECA60 Friday Add-On Experience
Fees for the NCECA60 Friday Add-On Experience are non-refundable.Retention of fees or portions of fees is necessary because the NCECA Collectors’ Tour includes special experiences that require NCECA to limit the number of registrants and make financial commitments to service providers and vendors. NCECA memberships are non-refundable.