River Clay Fine Arts Festival opened its eleventh season, and it did so in school hallways rather than at a podium. Before the first artist is announced or the first ticket is sold, festival organizers spent the morning handing classroom grants directly to teachers at four North Alabama school systems during the first week of the new school year.
Teachers at Decatur City Schools, Morgan County Schools, Decatur Heritage Christian Academy and Hartselle City Schools received a combined $15,700 across 17 awards, spanning pre-K through twelfth grade. Requests ranged from foundational supplies like clay, paint and printmaking materials to equipment that opens up entirely new capabilities, including a 3D printer, a set of digital drawing tablets and a replacement ceramic kiln. Several teachers proposed projects with a public dimension, from a permanent clay and wood installation at a school entrance to student sculptures of cranes built from recycled newspaper and plastics, inspired by Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and the Tennessee River.
“We could have opened this year with a poster, but we’d rather open it with a check to a teacher,” said River Clay Board President Holly Whitt. “Everything River Clay does in October exists so that a classroom in this community can start the year with something it did not have before. That is why we do this, and it felt right to begin the eleventh year there.”
Since its founding, River Clay has invested more than $65,000 in arts education across North Alabama through classroom grants, student programming and community arts initiatives.
River Clay returns to downtown Decatur October 23 to 25, 2026. Held on the grounds of City Hall, the eleventh event will feature more than 75 juried artists from across the country, live music, chalk art, food and family programming, with the Rendezvous preview party opening the weekend Friday evening and giving patrons the first look at the work before the festival opens to the public.
The festival also confirmed that PRSEI, Plastic Recyclers Southeast Inc., returns as presenting sponsor for 2026, the second year of a three-year commitment and the first presenting sponsorship in River Clay history.
PRSEI’s sponsorship extends beyond the festival grounds. The company presents a student arts competition for high school and college artists working in recycled plastics, connecting River Clay’s arts mission to science and engineering education. Performing plastics artist Jamie Grimes will demonstrate on site Friday and Saturday, and spray paint artist Chandler Hayes will demonstrate Sunday.
“For thirty-five years, our business has come down to finding value in what other people were ready to throw away,” said PRSEI President Grant McKelvey. “That’s why presenting the River Clay Fine Arts Festival was an easy decision. Although a bit out of the ordinary, this year, our student competition hands kids recycled plastic and asks what they can make of it. When those kids turn it into something they are proud to hang on a wall, it’s demonstrating our philosophy through their creativity. The next generation of artists does not arrive on its own. Somebody has to fund it, and we would rather that happen here at home, on a weekend when this whole community turns out for what it built together.”
The full artist roster will be announced in September. Festival details, patron packages and sponsorship information are available at riverclay.org.
About River Clay Fine Arts Festival
River Clay Fine Arts Festival is a juried fine arts festival held each October in downtown Decatur, Alabama. Now in its eleventh year, River Clay welcomes more than 75 artists from across the country for a weekend of original work, live music, chalk art, food and family programming. Proceeds support arts education in North Alabama through classroom grants, student programming and community arts initiatives. Learn more at riverclay.org.
https://riverclay.org/