In 1928 Dorothea Denslow (1900-1971), a sculptor working in Brooklyn, opened her studio to students and local artists as a place to work and learn about sculpture and art, founding the vibrant network and resource that would become SculptureCenter. The growing group of artists operated under the name Clay Club, and in 1930, moved to a carriage house on West 8th street to open a studio and gallery space. During this period they had ongoing solo, group, thematic, and traveling exhibitions, as well as room to teach classes and give artists studio space. From 1928 to 1939, they had annual picnics on Staten Island where members would gather at a natural clay site and construct monumental sculptures.