Carefully crafted ceramics greet you as you enter the historic Clay Art Center in Port Chester.

"Most people are a little bit in awe because when they take the tour here, we don't just show them the gallery," said Regina Farrell-Fagan, exhibitions and marketing director at Clay Art Center. "We also take them through the glaze room, the kiln room [and] the artist studios. Most people are just enthralled with the whole process. They're completely blown away by the scale of what's going on behind the doors."

The shop has celebrated the ceramic arts since 1957, showcasing work by emerging artists not only from the Hudson Valley, but also from the entire nation. Many of them are part of the center’s longtime residency program.

"It's a great stepping stone into a professional art life," said Farrell-Fagan. "The artists come here and they work in their studio for the year. They create their work; they develop their work. They also teach in our classrooms and develop as art professionals."

That means visitors can learn from the best and take a spin at the potter’s wheel.

"They teach private lessons, weekly classes [and] group lessons," Farrell-Fagan said. "We do birthday parties, and we also do one-time classes so people can come in and try clay with their family and friends and have a fun evening."

Whether it’s weekly classes or gazing at different sculptures in the gallery, the artists over at Clay Art Center hope they leave visitors feeling touched.

"Our goal is to ignite a passion for clay and that goes across all the programs at Clay Arts Center," said Farrell-Fagan. "We just want to see everybody get the opportunity to work with clay and be inspired by clay and to enjoy it."

Clay Art Center is located at 40 Beech St. in Port Chester and has multiple new exhibitions coming up this fall. To learn more about upcoming shows and classes, head to its website.