Archive for the ‘Not About Seagrove Pottery’ Category

The Randolph Arts Guild in Asheboro, NC, Presents “From Within to the Surface” – Sept. 1 – 28, 2010

Monday, September 6th, 2010

We have gotten some positive feedback from the Randolph Arts Guild in Asheboro, NC, after our last posting about an exhibit taking place there and I think we are all on the same page now and although this notice came a little late for our Sept. issue of Carolina Arts – it’s not too late to present it here. And, it fits our program of bringing you news about ceramic, clay, pottery – whatever you call them – exhibitions taking place in the Carolinas.

Don’t forget we’re posting other press releases which contain late-breaking news, news that came in late, and news we thought you needed to know about at our new blog – Carolina Arts News.

Here’s the press release:

The Randolph Arts Guild in Asheboro, NC, presents From Within to the Surface, an exhibition of new ceramic works by Julie Wiggins, Amy Sanders, Ron Philbeck, Jennifer Mecca, Adrienne Dellinger, and Greg Scott. The exhibition, on view in the Sara Smith Self Gallery, opens Sept. 1 and continues through Sept. 28, 2010.


A work by Adrienne Dellinger.


A work by Greg Scott.

These six ceramic artists have shown regionally and nationally together over the past five years. This exhibition of new work features both decorative ceramics as well as utilitarian items. Styles range from wood fired stoneware to decorated porcelain and earthenware. The title of the exhibition, From Within to the Surface, reflects the methods in which these artists create strong clay forms that are married to various decorative and/or surface treatments. Examples include multiple and layered glaze, mishima inlay, sgraffito, sprigged colored clay, and clay textured surfaces. Over 50 pots will be featured.


A work by Jennifer Mecca.


A work by Ron Philbeck.

Join the Randolph Arts Guild on Sept. 28, 2010, from noon to 1pm as they host their popular “Lunch and Learn” series. Artists Amy Sanders and Ron Philbeck will answer questions and share information about their ceramic processes and experiences. The event is free. Please bring your own lunch.


A work by Julie Wiggins


Works by Amy Sanders.

The Randolph Arts Guild is located at 123 Sunset Ave., Asheboro, NC. For further information call 336/629-0399, e-mail to (arts@asheboro.com) or visit (www.randolphartsguild.com).

The Exhibit “Clay ‘n Blogs: Telling a Story” is Just Around the Corner, but it has Started Already

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Did you ever want to buy a teapot that was made in New Zealand or some teabowls that were made in Australia? If so – you’re in luck. I’m going to tell you how you can do just that. But, first…

So, it’s almost September and I guess it’s time for another reminder of the upcoming exhibition, Clay ‘n Blogs: Telling a Story, which will be on view at the Campbell House Galleries, home of the Moore County Arts Council, from Oct. 1 – 29, 2010, in Southern Pines, NC. After all, Carolina Arts is one of the media sponsors of the exhibit and I guess you want to know how you can buy those far-off items I mentioned. In due time.


Work by Michael Kline, Bakersville, NC

This exhibition is the brain-child of Meredith Heywood of Whynot Pottery in Seagrove, NC. The exhibit will give viewers a glimpse into a unique community of 50 working potters who are separated by distance, but brought together through the common language of clay and the written word in a digital world. These potters share their lives, skills, thoughts, triumphs and defeats through an on-line medium called a blog or web log.


Work by Ron Philbeck, Charlotte, NC

Meredith’s blog is on my list to check in regularly. I learn what’s going on with Whynot Pottery and the Seagrove community, plus get a view of the world through her blog list – when I have time.

So here’s the news:

As an added feature to the Clay ‘n Blogs: Telling a Story exhibit at Campbell House Galleries, the Moore County Arts Council is proud to offer works by participating potters for online purchases only. Check out the Clay ‘n Blogs Online Gallery at this link. You’ll find a teapot made by Peter Gregory of Old Post Office Gallery in Otago, New Zealand, teabowls by Mel Robson of Brisbane, Australia, as well as works by other potters from around the world, around the US and around the Carolinas.


Work by Peter Gregory of Otago, New Zealand

Both Meredith and I know you’re all not going to get to see the exhibition, but why should you be denied the opportunity to participate. You can go to her blog, Whynot Pottery Blog where every Friday she posts images of pottery works. You can go back through her archives to see the Friday postings. But, to get the complete picture you need to check out this link on her blog – it tells and shows all.


Work by Mel Robson of Brisbane, Australia

This doesn’t let you off the hook of going to see the exhibit, it just gives you an excuse – if you’re going to need one. I hope you won’t.

So you see, this exhibition which doesn’t start until Oct. 1, 2010 – has already started. You just need to go check it all out before you’re the last one to do so.

Vista Studios in Columbia, SC, Features an Exhibit of Clay Sculptures

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Just another posting about an exhibit proving this blog’s feet are firmly placed in clay or something like that. Of course we have plenty more like this at Carolina Arts Online.

Here it goes:

Vista Studios in Columbia, SC, will present the exhibit, Clay Works 2010, featuring clay sculptures by Sandra Carr, Rita Ruth Cockrell, and Richard Lund, on view in Gallery 80808 from Sept. 16 – 21, 2010.

The Carolinas have a long history and tradition of artists who work with clay. This exhibition features works by three contemporary artists who live and work in South Carolina.

Each of the artist use clay as a sculpting medium. Rather than make functional pieces, they use clay as a medium for personal expression. Each has a distinctive style. They create sculptures with conceptual meaning, taking the viewer past the decorative to a more emotional experience.

Sandra Carr has the following to say about her work, “Clay represents healing for me as an artist. It has been forgiving, stable and has the capacity to change when altered by outside influences. All characteristics I admire and strive for. Sculpting figurative pieces allows me to tell a story in my work or communicate a feeling. It speaks for me when I choose not to.”

Rita Ruth Cockrell offered this statement, “Born and raised in South Carolina, I love this place, every road side weed, every red clay road, leopard clay bank, shadow of white sand. After traumatic events with myself, my mother and authorities, I began working in any medium that came my way, always going toward the inside to go outside. Believing that if I can be good enough, some aspect of truth or beauty would help me understand that even if I can’t get there, the glimmering of the source comforts me”.

Richard Lund has this to say, “I moved to Columbia South Carolina two and a half years ago. Shortly after I arrived I joined the City of Columbia Arts Center studio which began my working with clay. I have been an artist many years creating paintings, photographs and sculptures but clay was a new exciting medium for me. Sculpting in clay offers me a seductive tactile experience that other mediums can not give. As I mold, move and pinch the clay with my hands it allows me to easily release my ever changing imagination and ideas realizing them in three dimensions.

For further information call the Studios at  803/252-6134 or visit (www.gallery80808vistastudios.com).

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

Monday, August 23rd, 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).

6th Annual Potters Market Invitational Takes Place on Sept. 11, 2010, at the Mint Museum Randolph in Charlotte, NC

Sunday, August 15th, 2010

What says North Carolina better than handmade pottery and bluegrass music? The Delhom Service League of The Mint Museum is gearing up for the sixth year of its Potters Market Invitational. Pottery enthusiasts come from miles around to view and purchase the best and latest in ceramic art. Ceramics for sale range from traditional utilitarian pots to studio ceramics, including jewelry. Don’t know much about ceramics? The Potters Market is the best place to learn while talking to the individual potters about the scope and vision of their creations.


Ben Owen III

The sale takes place Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, from 10am to 4pm on the lawn of the Mint Museum Randolph, located at 2730 Randolph Road in Charlotte, NC. It will feature bluegrass music from fiddler Rose Spinks and banjo player Harry Taylor of the Glazed Over String Band. Tickets are $10 for adults ($8 after 2pm); $5 for children 5-17; and free for children under 5. Ticket sales begin the day of the event at 9:30am. The entry fee includes admission to the Mint Museum Randolph. Proceeds support The Mint Museum’s decorative arts collection. Box lunches are available for purchase from Delectables by Holly.


Hiroshi Sueyoshi

Many potters have called North Carolina home over the last few centuries. Natural clay deposits attracted potters of European descent starting in the late 18th century. Since then, North Carolina has become one of the country’s richest ceramic meccas, full of unique styles and forms. Each year, the Potters Market Invitational features 40 superb potters representing the state’s most important pottery-producing areas: Seagrove, the Piedmont, Catawba Valley and the mountains, including Penland and Asheville. Potters participate by selection on a rotating basis, giving shoppers access to a wide variety of artists from one year to the next.


Matt Jones

Potters returning this year include: Ben Owen III, Donna Craven and Crystal King. Added to the 2010 line-up are a select group of up-and-coming potters known for their distinctive work which is gaining national attention. New potters participating this year include: Jeff Dean and Stephanie Martin, John and Scottie Post, Rob Pulleyn and Hiroshi Sueyoshi.


Liz Zlot Summerfield

Participating potters for this year’s PMI include: Blaine Avery, Michael Ball, Tammy Leigh Brooks, Kyle Carpenter, Donna Craven, Jeff Dean, Stephanie Martin, Judith Duff, Kim Ellington, Steven Forbes de-Soule, Terry Gess, Bruce Gholson, Samantha Henneke, Becky Gray, Shawn Ireland, Nick Joerling, Daniel Johnston, Fred Johnston, Carol Gentithes, Maggie & Freeman Jones, Matt Jones, Matt Kelleher, Shoko Teruyama, Crystal King, Terry & Anna King, Eric Knoche, Sid Luck, Robin, Rob, Beth Mangum, Will McCanless, Phil Morgan, Ben Owen lll, Pam, Vernon, Travis Owen, Jennie L. Keats, Shirl & Jim Parmentier, Jane Peiser, Ronan Kyle Peterson, John & Scottie Post, Rob Pulleyn, Amy Sanders, Akira Satake, Ken & Connie Sedberry, Jenny Lou Sherburne, David Stuempfle, Hiroshi Sueyoshi, and Liz Zlot Summerfield.

With North Carolina’s central role in American pottery and growing international reputation, the Mint Museum Randolph devotes special efforts to documenting the history of North Carolina ceramics through its historic ceramics collection. The 6th Annual Potters Market Invitational is presented by the Delhom Service League, an affiliate group of The Mint Museum.

For more information, visit (www.mintmuseum.org) or call the front desk at 704/337-2000.

Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC, Features Works by Five Ceramic Artists

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

I think we need a new category – Pottery Exhibitions or something like that – or a whole new offering from Carolina Arts which keeps our readers up on all that is clay in the Carolinas. What do you think?

Here’s the press release:


Say, notice that quilt square?

Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC, will present the exhibit, Contiguous, featuring ceramic sculptures by Cristina Cordova and Jerilyn Virden, and What’s in a Line, featuring ceramics by David Eichelberger and Tom Spleth, on view through Aug. 31, 2010.

Cristina Cordova’s provocative new sculptures are haunting yet beckon those who come upon them to look closely and try to understand their suffering and longings.  Through the primary vehicle of the figure, she is in constant search for a presence. These new works will include materials never before seen in Cristina’s sculptures.


A work by Cristina Cordova from her website.

Jerilyn Virden looks to primitive objects that have a contemporary relevance. She pares down forms and exaggerates isolated elements, thus accentuating their sense of generosity and strength. Virden will also be introducing new surfaces and forms for this exhibition.

David Eichelberger is captivated by the dialogue in his work between simplicity and complexity. He uses clean, graceful lines to capture qualities he finds in the organic world. This will be his first exhibit of post-graduate work.

Tom Spleth’s slip cast porcelain cups are made complete with tiny script capturing select and provocative messages. Spleth will also be showing his vase forms that are recognized for the simplicity of their truly unique forms. Combined, these two artists demonstrate the importance of the “line” in ceramic design.

And, our online exhibition is, Ceramic Sweets and Small Works, featuring ceramics by Jason Bige Burnett.

New works by Burnett, aka Cakeboy, involve print processes and visual narratives that are simultaneously personal and universal. Burnett’s new forms both investigate multiple surface techniques and explore imagery that is influenced by the glitz and glam of carnivals, pop culture, and commercial design.

For further information call the gallery at 828/688-3599 or visit (www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com).

Joseph Sand Pottery Holds Inaugural Kiln Opening in Randleman, NC – Aug. 21 & 22, 2010

Friday, July 30th, 2010

It’s nice to see that Carolina potters are picking up on the fact that Carolina Arts Unleashed is a good place to plug their events. I received such a request from Joseph Sand, a transplant from southern Minnesota, who has now planted his roots in the good soil of Randleman, NC, after completing a 3 1/2 year apprenticeship with Mark Hewitt in Pittsboro, NC. That’s a nice entry to have on your resume. Don’t forget you can find lots of info about what’s going on now and in the future at Carolina Arts Online.


Joseph Sand with a very big pot

Sand and his wife Amanda, who helps put together jewelry pieces made from clay, have set up operations in Randleman, building his kiln – which you can follow the history of that operation in photos on their blog found at (www.sandceramics.blogspot.com). It’s an impressive kiln – a 40-foot anagama kiln. In the firing, he will have pots ranging from mugs to 5 1/2 foot tall jars, all wood-fired and salt glazed.


Looks like a beached whale

The kiln opening and sale takes place on Sat., Aug. 21, 2010, from 9am to 5pm and Sun., Aug. 22, 2010, from noon to 5pm. Google Maps can help you along your way.

Joseph Sand Pottery is located at 2555 George York Road in Randleman, NC. For further info call 612/518-4051, e-mail at (joseph@jsspottery.com) and on the web at (www.jsspottery.com).

West Lincoln Middle School in Lincolnton, NC, Calls for Potters for Tradition Turners Pottery Festival

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

This press release came to us at Carolina Arts in the middle of the Spoleto/Piccolo Festival scramble and I put it in a place where I could deal with it later. My mistake. I just found it and I already cost early applicants a discount on their fee. My bad. Especially when I’m trying to pay special attention to all things involving clay.

Here it is – better later than never:

The West Lincoln Middle School and TTPFC organizers are proud to announce the first Tradition Turners Pottery Festival to be held on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010. The festival will be held indoors at West Lincoln Middle School, 260 Shoal Road, (just off Hwy. 27), in Lincolnton, NC (Vale community). The Gym and Cafeteria areas have been reserved for this event. The show times will be from 10am until 4pm. This is a great opportunity to help the school, as well as give the area’s many talented potters a venue to showcase in October.

Proceeds will go to the WLMS Student Involvement and Instruction Fund. We are currently accepting applications for pottery vendors. We are offering a 10X10 booth space for a fee of $75. Electricity will be available for an additional $10 (limited basis). You must note on your application if you need electricity so you can be assigned a booth with electrical access. You can request an application by e-mailing to (TraditionTurnersFestival@charter.net).

The day of the Festival, we will have a booklet for the patrons listing everyone involved with this event, including biographies of the potters exhibiting. We are very excited about this festival and anticipate a wonderful turn out for both vendors and shoppers!

Please return your applications (available at www.TraditionTurnersPotteryFestival.com) soon as spaces will be assigned in order received (and with regards to electricity).

If you have any questions please e-mail us at (TraditionTurnersFestival@charter.net) or visit (www.TraditionTurnersPotteryFestival.com).

Center for Visual Arts in Greensboro, NC, Offers Summer Pottery Sale – June 11 – 13, 2010

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

When I was in Greensboro, NC, last weekend I spotted a sign for this event at Edward McKay, one of my favorite places to visit when in Greensboro, but it seems that their prices for used CDs DVDs and other used items has really increased. Some deals still exist, but some items you can buy new at Wal-Mart for less then they want – resulting in big profits for them. Oh well – all good things don’t last forever.

So when I returned home to my computer I looked up this event, but didn’t find much more info than the bare bones offered here.

Here’s what I know:

The Center for Visual Arts in Greensboro, NC, is offering a Summer Pottery Sale. All the pottery for sale was donated by local artists of all ages and 100% of the proceeds of this sale will support the CVA Pottery Program & Clay Outreach Programs.

Sale hours are: Friday, June 11, 10am-7pm; Saturday, June 12, 10am-5pm; and Sunday, June 13, 2-5pm.

The Center for Visual Artists is a comprehensive art education center that strives to promote the advancement and development of visual art through education, exhibition opportunities and community outreach. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The CVA is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council in Greensboro.

The CVA Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 North Davie Street in Greensboro, NC.

For further information call 336/333-7475, 336/333-7485 or visit (www.greensboroart.org).

Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC, Features Clay Artists and Teachers

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Here is another press release we received at Carolina Arts about a pottery event taking place in the Carolinas. Keep them coming.

Artists and Teachers is an exhibition that brings together ceramic work by 7 local art teachers. The exhibition is organized by Hiroshi Sueyoshi and will be on view at the Clay Studio in the Pancoe Art Education Center at the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC, from June 3 through August 29, 2010.

The exhibition consists of ceramic work by Arron Wilcox and Vicky Smith of UNC-Wilmington, Geoff Calabrese of Cape Fear Community College, Alan Boyd of Laney High School, Joseph Cunliffe of Ashley High School, Hope Hunt of Haggard High School and Sara Scott of New Hanover High School.

The Cameron Art Museum presents 6-8 changing exhibitions annually; ongoing family and children’s programs; a unique program of tours for Alzheimer’s patients and their caretakers; interdisciplinary programs (lectures, music, films, literature, dance); and ongoing workshops and classes in ceramics at the Clay Studio with resident master artist Hiroshi Sueyoshi.

A native of Tokyo, Sueyoshi arrived in the US in 1971 to help build Humble Mill Pottery in Asheboro, NC. Sueyoshi has taught at numerous institutions including Cape Fear Community College. His works are primarily made using the Japanese techniques of neriage and nerikomi. Sueyoshi has exhibited his award winning work in exhibitions across America. His work is in private, corporate, and institutional collections including the Renwick Gallery. Sueyoshi is a graduate of Tokyo Aeronautical College and the Ochanomizu Design School.

The Cameron Art Museum is located at 3201 South 17th Street in Wilmington. This project received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the NC Department of Cultural Resources.

For more information about the museum call 910/395-5999 or visit (www.cameronartmuseum.com).