John Clay is an artist, writer, editor, and web designer. After formal training in anthropology at Notre Dame University and in music composition at New England Conservatory and Washington State University, he began pursuing visual art and philosophy. Theory, design, and application are the constants among these pursuits.

He writes on life, art, democracy, political economy, and philosophy of knowledge. His writing on employment policy has been published at jobsnowcoalition.org and workdayminnesota.org, and his article "The Deep Difference Between Labor and Use-Value" was published in July 2006 in Science & Society journal. His interview with artist Chuck Close is published online at Artzar.com and bhag.net.

His art has shown at Chashama in New York City, at Georgian Court University Library in New Jersey, at Out of the Blue Studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the Vasaloppet Art Show in Mora, Minnesota, and at cafes and open studios in New York City, Boston, and Minneapolis.

John is founder and webmaster of bhag.net, democraticpromise.org, and riverhousearts.net, and he is director of policy and communications for JOBS NOW Coalition in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is a member of the League of Longfellow Artists (LoLa) in Minneapolis and the Kanabec County Art Association in Mora, Minnesota and is a founding member of the Bhag Art Group, which meets alternate months in Minneapolis and Ogilvie, Minnesota. John is co-owner of River House Arts LLC.