Community Collaboration: Jellyfish Brewing Company
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Rain City Clay + Jellyfish Brewing: Craft, Community, and the Annual RCC Cup Show
For the third year in a row, Rain City Clay is proud to partner with Jellyfish Brewing Company for the RCC Community Cup Showcase, an annual celebration of handmade ceramics, local artists, and community connection.
Throughout May, hundreds of handmade cups created by Rain City Clay & Rat City Studios participants, staff, and the wider ceramic community filled the walls of Jellyfish's Georgetown taproom, transforming the brewery into a gallery of functional art.
The Cup Show began with a vision from Rain City Clay founder Deb Schwartzkopf: to create a full-circle experience for people learning and working in clay. Making pottery involves much more than throwing or handbuilding. There is learning, practice, glazing, firing, problem-solving, pricing and presenting work for sale, and ultimately sharing finished work with the community. It’s important for artists of all levels to have a way to get feedback on what they have made. The Community Cup Showcase allows artists to experience every step of that journey, from wet clay to a finished piece finding a new home.
When it came time to find a venue, Jellyfish Brewing proved to be a perfect partner.
Jellyfish Brewing Company
917 S Nebraska St, Seattle, WA 98108
jellyfishbrewing.com
(206) 397-4999
IG: @jellyfishbrewing
Community has always been central to Jellyfish's story. They often speak about their gratitude for the neighborhoods that have supported them and the relationships they have built along the way. That commitment to creating welcoming spaces makes them an ideal partner for the Cup Show.
Their Georgetown taproom offers expansive wall space, colors that beautifully complement ceramic work, and enough room for visitors to meander through the exhibition, discover new artists, and enjoy the work at their own pace. The atmosphere encourages conversation and connection. And perhaps most fittingly, guests can enjoy a beverage while browsing a show dedicated entirely to handmade cups.
This year's exhibition featured more than 300 cups, each reflecting the unique voice of its maker. Some were elegant and refined, others playful and unexpected. Together they showcased the creativity, skill, and diversity of Seattle's clay community.
The Cup Show is more than an exhibition. It is an opportunity for artists to share their work with a broader audience, for visitors to discover handmade ceramics, and for two local businesses built around craft to celebrate the communities that support them. Whether through clay or beer, both Rain City Clay and Jellyfish Brewing believe that thoughtfully made objects and shared experiences bring people together.
We are grateful to the team at Jellyfish Brewing for once again opening their doors and helping create a space where art, craft, and community can thrive. We look forward to many more years of filling their walls—and their tables—with handmade cups.
A Brewery With Deep Seattle Roots
Like pottery, craft beer is built on a foundation of skill, experimentation, patience, and continual refinement. Jellyfish Brewing began with a simple goal: make great beer. What they didn't have was a name.
After months of brainstorming, searching for locations, and navigating the inevitable setbacks of starting a business, founders Tom Stevens and Mark Burr found themselves at a standstill. Inspiration arrived in an unexpected place: a billboard advertising a jellyfish exhibit at the Seattle Aquarium. Feeling, in their words, "aimless, brainless, bloodless, and spineless," they jokingly began tossing around the name Jellyfish. What started as a laugh slowly became something that fit. The name stuck, and Jellyfish Brewing was born.
Today, that once-small brewery has become a beloved Seattle institution. From its Georgetown brewery and taproom to its newer Green Lake location, Jellyfish has built a reputation for thoughtful brewing, welcoming spaces, and a commitment to bringing people together. Their tap lists typically feature 13–15 beers, ranging from award-winning German-style pilsners and robust porters to Northwest IPAs and seasonal experiments. Yet despite their growth, they have maintained the spirit of a neighborhood brewery: approachable, creative, and community-focused.
More Than an Exhibition
The Community Cup Showcase has grown into more than an art exhibition. It has become an annual community tradition.
Throughout the month, visitors can browse cups while enjoying a pint, attend the artist reception, and participate in special clay-focused events. This year's exhibition included an all-ages "Try Clay" event, inviting community members to get their hands dirty and experience the joy of working with clay firsthand. These events create opportunities for conversation, connection, and creative exploration—whether someone is a longtime potter or touching clay for the first time.
The partnership also introduces new audiences to both organizations. Brewery patrons discover local ceramic artists. Clay enthusiasts discover a neighborhood brewery they may not have visited before. The result is a collaboration that strengthens the creative ecosystem of Seattle by helping people connect across communities.
The Handmade Cup
The RCC Community Cup Show centers around one of pottery's most beloved forms: the cup.
Cups are personal. They are part of daily rituals—morning coffee, afternoon tea, a favorite beer shared with friends. Unlike many art objects, cups are meant to be held, used, and incorporated into everyday life. They quietly accompany some of our most meaningful moments.
The Cup Show celebrates this intersection of art and function. Visitors encounter hundreds of unique interpretations of the same basic form. Some are playful, some elegant, some meticulously crafted, and others wonderfully quirky. Together they represent the diverse voices and creative approaches that make up our clay community.
For many participating artists, the exhibition provides a rare opportunity to share their work with a broader audience. For visitors, it offers a chance to discover and purchase handmade pottery while meeting the people who created it.
There is something special about drinking from a cup made by human hands. Every piece carries the marks of its maker—the decisions, discoveries, and hours of work that brought it into being. When someone chooses a handmade cup, they become part of that story, continuing the journey that began as a lump of clay in the studio.
That connection—between maker and user, artist and community—is at the heart of the RCC Community Cup Show. We hope to see you there in future years. Come be part of the collaboration!