Clayton Bailey's World of Wonders AKRON

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• Temporarily closedper Google Maps
• Art museum
• Under 1 kmfrom Akron center
• Wheelchair accessentrance
• Official site
• 4.9 / 510 reviews
• Akron

The Art of Controlled Chaos

Clayton Bailey approached ceramics the way an inventor approaches a garage — with a healthy disregard for what a pot is supposed to look like. His signature "Exploding Pots" were made from hyperthermic clay that deliberately melted, slumped, and cracked in the kiln, often labeled with decals reading "Danger!" and "Radioactive" to suggest something hazardous was oozing from the vessel. These intentional malfunctions required extraordinary skill to achieve, and works like the Photon Bottle Distillation Apparatus (1990) feature a round glass window set into the clay so viewers can peer inside at the "hazardous" material brewing within.↗

The Burping Bowl is one of Bailey's most beloved kinetic sculptures — a grotesque creature floating in a water fountain, connected to an aquarium pump that builds pressure until the creature releases a mighty belch, settles back, and repeats endlessly. Bailey created a series of these in the 1960s, and one still bubbles for visitors in Akron.↗

Robots, Bigfoot, and the Kaolithic Age

In the 1970s, Bailey invented an alter ego — Dr. George Gladstone, a pseudo-archaeologist dressed in a lab coat and pith helmet — and staged the discovery of a Bigfoot skeleton on his California property, complete with press invitations and school field trips. The Bigfoot Skeleton (1972), made from thermally metamorphosed mud, is a centerpiece of the Akron museum, displayed alongside Giant Skull (1975), Cyclops (1976), and dozens of other "kaolithic" fossils from Bailey's imaginary Bone Age. Visitors can test their belief using Bailey's Fossil Tester: place an object in the machine, press a button, and watch the needle jump to "genuine."↗↗

Bailey's robot series emerged from his love of junkyard chrome and found metal. On/Off (1976) was a wearable robot suit that served as a carnival barker — Bailey or his son would wear the life-sized contraption and chase down passersby, dispensing souvenir postcards from its chest when a coin was inserted. What followed was an entire cast of robot characters assembled from the shiniest cast-off appliances and restaurant ware, each one a commentary on the excesses and foibles of consumer society.↗

A Funk Art Pioneer

Born in Antigo, Wisconsin, in 1939, Bailey absorbed the culture of Mad magazine, Popular Science, hot rods, and rock and roll before earning his MFA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1962. He became arguably the first artist to wedge Funk's signature humor and absurdity into clay, predating even the Bay Area artists typically credited with launching the movement. His Nite Pots (1964) — tall urinals adorned with brightly colored lips — sent midwestern audiences into a tizzy.↗↗

After settling in California in the late 1960s, Bailey taught at California State University, Hayward, for twenty-six years and became a leading figure in the Funk and Nut art movements alongside Robert Arneson, Roy De Forest, and David Gilhooly. He even received a U.S. patent for a novelty mug that sprays water in the user's face. His work appeared in more than 150 group shows and over 30 solo exhibitions, and is held in collections from the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.↗↗

Visiting the Museum

The World of Wonders is set in the historic Polsky Building, a short walk from Lock 3 park and Akron's cluster of cultural institutions — the Akron Children's Museum, Akron History Center, Akron Soul Train, and Akron Civic Theatre. Admission is always free, making it an easy addition to any day exploring downtown Akron. The museum is a stop on the Ohio Creativity Trail, a statewide driving trail highlighting the state's arts and cultural attractions.↗↗

The exhibition ran seasonal hours (May through October), with the most recent season closing on August 1, 2026, at the Polsky Building location. Curated Storefront has announced that the collection's new home will be revealed at a later date. In the meantime, free private tours for community and professional organizations can be arranged year-round by calling 330-800-0342. Follow Curated Storefront on social media for updates on the reopening.↗↗

What Makes It Special

This is not a quiet museum where children whisper and adults check their phones. Bailey's work demands engagement — the Burping Bowl actually burps, the Fossil Tester invites you to push its button, the robots seem ready to lurch forward and greet you. It's a space designed to spark curiosity for all ages and to remind visitors that art doesn't have to take itself seriously to be deeply serious about craft.↗↗

For Bailey, humor was a vehicle for teaching, entertaining, shocking, and occasionally raising consciousness. The museum channels his eccentric vision and invites people of all ages to escape the mundanity of everyday life and step into a world of the provocatively weird.↗↗