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Lexus Giles
From Mississippi to Montana: Lexus Giles’s Journey to the Archie Bray Foundation

Sometimes the right opportunity shows up at just the right time. For ceramic artist Lexus Giles, that moment came fresh out of graduate school at the University of Florida. She was tired from her demanding Master’s program, but hopeful and eager to find a space where she could grow as an artist. While scrolling through fine art residency opportunities, one name kept catching her eye: the Archie Bray Foundation right here in Helena, MT. 

The residency at the Archie Bray Foundation is a highly sought-after, internationally recognized ceramics-focused program that provides artists with time, a studio, and a supportive community to create new work and advance their careers. 

With more than 300 applicants and only 15–20 slots, Lexus felt as though the odds were steep. But she took a chance on herself and applied anyway. “I just told myself, we’re going to apply, and we’re going to pray, and we’ll see what happens,” she said. 

When the acceptance letter came, her excitement was impossible to contain. “I was like, oh yes, let’s pack up and go!” she remembered with a grin. 

Making the move to Montana felt like stepping into the unknown. She loaded her car with her dog and the essentials, said goodbye to familiar Southern landscapes, and pointed herself toward the West. All she had to go on were the images in her imagination, and maybe a few scenes from “Yellowstone.” 

“In my mind, it was cowboys and prairies,” she laughed. 

What she found instead were towering mountains, open skies, a group of artists waiting to welcome her into the community, and a town that began to feel like home.

Bringing Southern Roots to the Mountain West

Before Helena, life for Lexus was rooted in the South. She grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, later spending time in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before moving to Florida for graduate school. The South shaped her identity, her taste in food, her art, and her hospitality, all of which she carried with her to Montana. 

“It’s definitely a culture shift,” she said. “There are similarities. The open space, the country living vibe. But it’s also completely new. I’ve found ways to bring the South with me.”

At her very first potluck at the Bray, Lexus cooked a Mississippi “junk pot” for her residency cohort of fellow Helena artists: turkey necks, shrimp, and potatoes slow-cooked together. “They were quiet, just tearing that food up,” she laughed. “It felt good to give them a piece of me while I was receiving a piece of Helena.” 

That same sense of Southern warmth shows up at her job as a server at The Union, where her cheerful “hey y’all” greets customers before menus even hit the table. “People always ask, ‘Where are you from?’” she said. “I tell them Mississippi, and by the end of the meal, we’re talking like cousins.” 

One night, she even taught two customers how to spell Mississippi the Southern way, “M-I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I…” Later that month, she ran into one of them at church. “We did it all over again,” she laughed. “Those moments make me feel at home.”

Holding History, Honoring Pause

Graduate school left Lexus exhausted. Her thesis on the Jackson Water Crisis was powerful but heavy, and she came to Helena looking for renewal. 

What emerged was a new body of work: face jugs. While the form traces back to enslaved African American potters in the South, who used clay as one of the few avenues for cultural expression and remembrance, Lexus reclaims and reimagines it for her own storytelling. In her hands, the tradition evolves into vessels of memory and resilience–bright, expressive, and deeply personal. One piece, carved from a family photograph, honors her Uncle Timmy. “My work is about preserving history,” she explained. “Once we leave, what will the next generation have to know we existed? These face jugs hold those stories.” 

That act of preservation requires patience. Her process now is rooted in listening; listening to her own energy, to her materials, and to her environment. Rather than forcing progress, Lexus has discovered the value of stepping back. “I put so much love into each piece that if I’m not in that space, I won’t work,” she said. “Grad school taught me to work, work, work. But here, I’ve learned it’s okay to pause.” 

Her studio is filled with clay dust, ceramic jugs, and bursts of color waiting to be glazed when the time is right. On days she needs a break, she’ll walk the path at Tenmile Creek Park or head up to the trails on Mount Helena, letting her mind clear. That rhythm of rest and creation has allowed her to make some of her most vibrant work yet. 

When Lexus reflects on her time at the Bray, and the new perspective it’s provided, her gratitude surfaces instantly. While the Bray is a landmark in Helena ceramics and admired by artists around the globe, it still feels to her like “a hidden gem right here in town,” she said.

A Shared Welcome

During her first Montana winter, Lexus felt the weight of short days and heavy snow. “It was fine until February,” she recalled. “Then the sun didn’t come up until eight and went down at four. That was tough.” 

What helped her through was the support of those around her. Her cohort at the Bray checked in often, staff members made sure she was okay, and locals reached out with care. “They were checking on me over the holidays and during the winter… yeah, that was cool,” she said. 

That same generosity carried into summer, when she was offered a free place to stay in a yurt in the South Hills in exchange for dog-sitting and pulling weeds. “I had already said I wanted to start hiking more,” she explained. “And then here comes this opportunity to live right on the mountain. Gratitude doesn’t even begin to cover it.” 

She’s also found steady connections at The Union. Working there, she’s become a part of Helena’s fabric, sharing conversations with coworkers and customers, and discovering local food that surprised her. “The smoked sausage with cabbage and the golden beet salad—I never thought I’d love beets, but the chef is a genius,” she said. For Lexus, meals like that aren’t only about taste; they represent the creativity and care of the community she’s come to call home. 

If Helena has welcomed Lexus, she has welcomed Helena right back. Hiking has turned into a favorite ritual, often taking her dog up the LaGrande or Tubbs trailheads, gravel crunching underfoot as the views open wide around her. “One of my cohorts said, sometimes we walk and never look up,” she remembered. “So I started looking up. And it’s incredible. The detail, the patience, the love in the landscape… it’s everything I try to possess in my work.” 

Her vision of an ideal Montana day reflects both her embrace of the community and the community’s embrace of her: a morning hike, a big home-cooked Southern breakfast, a tour of the Archie Bray, dinner at The Union, and ending the night with pool at The Gold Bar or karaoke at Rialto. 

When a close friend visited from Mississippi, Lexus loved playing tour guide. They skied, soaked at Broadwater Hot Springs, and capped the day with Helena’s small-town nightlife. “He was knocked out after that,” she laughed. “That’s the perfect Montana day.” 

Trusting the Next Step, Guided by Faith

Lexus is clear about one thing: she lets faith guide her path. “I move on prayer,” she said. “When it’s time to go, I’ll know. When it’s time to stay, I’ll know.” 

For now, her heart is rooted in Helena. The Bray provides her the structure and spark to keep creating, while the town offers nourishment in many forms, from flavorful food to breathtaking landscapes to a community invested in her well-being. Her art is finding new homes, her ideas are stretching in fresh directions, and she is learning, day by day, to balance challenges with patience, presence, and perseverance. 

“Helena reminds me of my great-grandparents’ home,” she reflected quietly. “It smells like memory. It feels like a Hallmark movie downtown in the winter. It’s nostalgic, even though I’ve only been here a year. That’s how I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be.” 

Through her clay, her kindness, and her energy, she has given the community new stories to hold on to and reminders of resilience, joy, and connection. In return, Helena has given her belonging, encouragement, and the freedom to keep becoming the artist and person she’s meant to be.

Faces of Helena