Arts and Heritage Center in North Augusta, SC, Features Clay in A Can, on View Sept. 14 – Nov. 13, 2010

This can be considered another in our series of reporting on clay exhibits taking place in the Carolinas, although this notice came from an area we don’t often hear from much – North Augusta, SC. Border towns in South Carolina like to think of themselves as part of bigger cities close to them. North Augusta is more akin to Augusta, GA – they share names. Hilton Head, SC, likes to associate itself with Savannah, GA. Rock Hill, SC, likes to think of itself as part of metropolitan Charlotte, NC.

Actually, this notice came from someone in Augusta, GA, as this event is part of a festival in GA, but that’s OK – the exhibit is still taking place in SC. And, it’s not often you’ll be able to see a show like this with works from across the country. They may be small works but many are made by big names in the pottery world.

Here it is:

The Arts and Heritage Center in North Augusta, SC, will present the invitational traveling exhibit, Clay in A Can,  featuring works by members of the Clay Artists of the Southeast (CASE) including nationally known potters Joe Bova, Anna Calluori Holcombe, Sylvia Hyman, Val Cushing, Don Reitz, Nancy Selvin, Richard Shaw, Victor Spinski, Jack Troy, and Bill van Gilder, among others.

The exhibit, part of the Westobou Festival in Augusta, GA, will be on view from Sept. 14 – Nov. 13, 2010. The sixty-one invitational works will range from utilitarian pottery to inventive clay sculpture. Any piece must fit into a one-gallon paint can. The maximum size must be 6-inch by 5-inch by 5-inch. Each piece will be presented on top of the paint can. All works will be for sale.

Potters participating in this exhibit include: Peter Alsen, Idleyld Park, OR; Carolyn P. (Pearl) Bailie, Augusta, GA; Ann Baker, Aiken, SC; Douglas Baldwin, Missoula, MT; Alice Ballard, (Munn), Greenville, SC; Elizabeth M. Barnes, N. Augusta, SC; Jeanne Bisson, Washington, VT; Betsy Borgatti, Martinez, GA; Joe Bova, Santa Fe, NM; Eric Carlin, North Augusta, SC; Janine Cawthorne, North Augusta, SC; Val Cushing, Alfred Station, NY; Cheryl Dean, North Augusta, SC; Carissa Doying, North Augusta, SC; Aubrey Desportes, Gilbert, SC; Cecelia Desportes, Gilbert, SC; CP.  Dunbar, Leesville, SC; Christy Dunbar, Leesville, SC; Sarah Barney Fletcher, Augusta, GA; Rosemary Forrest, Augusta, GA; Wade Franklin, Midville, GA; Annette Gates, Athens, GA; Donna Hallman, North Augusta, SC; Lisa D. Hatch, North Augusta, SC; Steven Hill, Sandwich, IL; Anna Calluori Holcombe,Gainesville, FL; Richard Holt, Baltimore, MD; Bill Hunt, Delaware, OH; Sylvia Hyman, Nashville, TN; Marsha Johnson, Aiken, SC; Christy Knox, Cummington, MA; Eva Kwong, Kent, OH; Elena Sonbok Lee, San Diego, CA; Frank E. Lustig, Aiken, SC; Kayrene Lyon, North Augusta, SC; Kirk Mangus, Kent, OH; Nick Mason, Mt. Vernon, IN; Jennifer McCurdy, Vineyard Haven, MA; Katy McDougal, Atlanta, GA; Richard Nickel, Norfolk, VA; Lisa Orr, Austin, TX; David Otis, East Jordan, MI; Neil Patterson, Philadelphia, PA; Sandi Pierantozzi, Philadelphia, PA; Barbara Powell, Lincolnton, GA; Don Reitz, Clarkdale, AZ; Elizabeth Reynolds, North Augusta, SC; Andy Rogers, Maryville, MO; Tierney Rollins, Augusta, GA; Renee Rouillier, Columbia, SC; Lisa Scroggins, Ridgefield, CT; Barbara Sebastian, San Francisco, CA; Nancy Selvin, Berkeley, CA; Richard Shaw, Fairfax, CA; Victor Spinski, Newark, DE; Tom Supensky, Aiken SC; Leslie Thompson, Oak View, CA; Ikuzi Teraki, Washington, VT; Jack Troy, Huntingdon, PA; Bill van Gilder, Gapland, MD; and Dianne White, Lincolnton GA.

The exhibition is testimony to the versatile nature of clay and those persons who have chosen ceramics as their means of aesthetic expression. Each piece is an individual, one-of-a-kind work of art. The artists represent twenty-three states, from Oregon to Florida and Arizona to Vermont. Their educational and social backgrounds are as diverse as the clay objects they produce. The methods, techniques, materials and tools used cover the gamut of ceramic practice.

Please examine each work carefully and witness the fine quality as well as the creative response to a wide variety of forms and topics. Some of the pieces are humorous while others more conceptual. You will find examples of excellent craftsmanship all tied to the broad concept of clay in a can. The exhibition is partly funded by a grant from the Porter Fleming Foundation.

The Westobou Festival, designed to celebrate excellence in the arts, features a variety of performances and exhibitions by local, regional, and nationally-recognized artists, primarily in the disciplines of dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Each day and evening of the 10-day festival will be filled with a variety of performances and exhibitions designed to dazzle visitors and showcase our area’s wealth of artistic talent. Whether your passion is contemporary theatrical performances or traditional symphony events, strolling through gallery exhibitions or listening to jazz, you’ll find it all – and more – at the 2010 Westobou Festival!

The Arts and Heritage Center is located at 100 Georgia Ave., at intersection of Georgia Avenue and Center Street in North Augusta. There is an admission charge and hours at the Center are: Tue.-Sat., 10am-4pm.

For further information contact the Center by calling 803/441-4380 or visit (www.artsandheritagecenter.com).

Editor’s Note: This same exhibit will take place at the Aiken Center for the Arts, in Aiken, SC, from Jan. 6 – 27, 2011. Art venues interested in hosting this unique exhibit should contact Tom Supensky by calling 803/641-6811 or e-mailing to (supensky@gforcecable.com).