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I Made it to the 2nd Annual Cousins In Clay Event in Seagrove, NC

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

As I said in a previous posting, I was hoping that my delivery schedule would put me in the right place at the right time to become a second timer by attending the 2nd Annual, expanded, “Cousins In Clay” event that was taking place on June 5 & 6, 2010, at two locations – Bulldog Pottery and Johnston and Gentithes Art Pottery in Seagrove, NC. Here’s a link to the official website.


Works by Bruce Gholson & Samantha Henneke

This event featured works by Bruce Gholson & Samantha Henneke (Bulldog Pottery), Fred Johnston & Carol Gentithes (Johnston and Gentithes Art Pottery) and special guests Michael Kline, Val Cushing and Allison McGowan. The “cousins” is a kinship based on shared appreciation for the pursuit of excellence within the diverse language of clay. Many also share a connection with Alfred University in New York.

As it turns out, I made my final deliveries early Friday morning in Seagrove – on the run. Those who saw me or my car – saw only a blurrrrr. I had some things to do in Greensboro, NC, and the list got longer and longer and the plan was to get back to Seagrove Saturday morning. But, as usual, the best laid plans never turn out the way you think they will. In my final decision of the day it was a choice of attending Greensboro’s First Friday art walk and the NC Arts Council’s Fellowship exhibit at the Green Hill Center for NC Art and choice #2.

It’s too complicated to go into why I ended up selecting choice #2, but the folks in the Greensboro visual art community will figure it out – eventually, but I decided to go with my friend Will Ravenel to out first Grasshopper game (baseball) of the season. And, it was a great game. The Grasshopers won, but I later learned they beat the only other team in their division – below them in the standings. I felt a little guilty about not choosing art, but after a week of driving over 2,000 miles in rain and storms around the Carolinas – from the mountains to the sea – I think I made the right choice for me and by Saturday morning I was back working the visual arts.

I got to Seagrove a little later than I had hoped, but my first stop was at Whynot Pottery to touch base with Meredith Heywood about the upcoming exhibit, Clay and Blogs: Telling a Story, which will be at the Campbell House Gallery in Southern Pines, NC, Oct. 1 – 31, 2010. Carolina Arts is, hopefully for them, just one of the media sponsors for the exhibit. The exhibit will feature works by 50 potters from around the world, who also represent 45 blogs (several blogs are written by couples).

While I was there I got to be witness to a motorcycle traveler who was doing a trek from Why, AZ, to Whynot, NC. There’s always something interesting going on in Seagrove. The traveler’s first comment upon finishing his trek was – “It’s hot out there!”

Soon I was cruising down the driveway of Bulldog Pottery and when I arrived there were a lot of cars scattered around the front of the gallery area. A good sign.


A view of works by Val Cushing

I gravitated right off to the eight tables filled with pottery by Val Cushing, Michael Kline and Bruce Gholson & Samantha Henneke. What a sight – rows and rows of incredible pottery. I had already gone through the DTs at Whynot Pottery just standing next to work fresh out of the kiln. I hate this recession/depression! I knew there were to be no purchases this trip, but my mind was running the numbers and they were not adding up in my favor. Darn. So, I settled into plan B – enjoying good conversation – something that comes easy to me – at least the conversation part.

As usual, Bulldog Pottery attracted a lot of interesting people to have conversations with. I talked with the potters, visitors and even got to talk shop with a fellow publisher, Rhonda McCanless, who has started the newsletter, In the Grove, covering events in the Seagrove area. Yes, Rhonda is related to Will McCanless another of the Seagrove Potters.

Although she is just starting, and I’ve been doing this for 23 years – we still had a lot in common and were dealing with the same problems – trying to make a profit, getting people to inform you of activities in a timely fashion so you can inform the public, and  what it’s like to be a publisher – as well as an over-glorified paperboy, but in her case papergal. So here we were, both gathering info that would soon be offered to the public.

And to illustrate the info problem, we had both just learned that there was a third event taking place in Seagrove at this time at Chris Luther Pottery – as well as at Donna Craven Pottery near Asheboro. It’s hard to keep up with everything.


The best image – a view of pots and customers

There were people there from New York, Virgina, and Columbia, SC. An hour before I had determined when I had to leave ( I have a four hour drive home) I learned that a SC potter, Peter Lenzo was on the way, but several hours away – so we would be passing each other on the road. They asked if I knew him and I was proud to say yes and tell them we have several of Lenzo’s head jugs in our collection. I wish I could have stayed to chat with him there. But, there is always something else to do – somewhere else to be, plus I was getting tired of watching other people buy pottery.

I don’t know how the rest of Saturday went and I haven’t heard anything about Sunday, but I would say the 2nd annual Cousins in Clay event was a hit. I did not get to spend any time at Johnston and Gentithes Art Pottery on Saturday, but on Friday morning I did have a good conversation with Fred Johnston when I was delivering papers. I’m sure you’ll be able to read some details at the Around and About with Bulldog Pottery blog by the time I post this.

I hope next year is a better year for us and I’m not just a looker at this event.

And, Finally I’m sorry about the lack of photos of the artists – I tend to talk to people instead of taking their pictures.

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Delivering Papers, Dodging Sleet & Snow, Finding Refuge in Seagrove, NC, and Visiting NC’s Newest Visitor Centers

Monday, February 8th, 2010

So last Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010, at 10pm, I’m getting in the car loaded up with my last run of papers headed to Rock Hill, SC, Charlotte, NC, Davidson, NC, Asheboro, NC, and eventually Seagrove, NC – all the time knowing I’m racing the clock against another winter storm of sleet and snow. The Weather Channel said that it will be raining in Charlotte until 3am and then changing to sleet as the temps drop down to 32 degrees and below. At that point I’d only be halfway done with the delivery.

We always like to have the paper completely delivered by the first Friday of the month so that all the communities that host art walks will have fresh copies of Carolina Arts. The last three months have been challenging to get that job done. You might say weather challenged.

When I got in the car at 10pm in Bonneau, SC – headquarters of Shoestring Publishing Company – the temp was 45 degrees. It was hard to believe it was going to be below 32 in Charlotte, but as I headed to Columbia, SC, on I-26 and then toward Rock Hill, on I-77 – the further I traveled north the temps just kept dropping one and two degrees at a time. By the time I reached the outskirts of Charlotte it was 34 degrees and it was going to take 3 hours to finish and then I’d be heading more north – eventually east, but the real kicker was I’d have to cross over Hwy. 64 from I-85 in Lexington, NC, to Asheboro. Halfway along Hwy. 64 there are some pretty big hills to cross over and in the past I’ve noticed that the temps really drop in that area. That was my big concern and I was right.

The temps stayed 34 degrees through Charlotte, Davidson, NC, and on I-85 headed towards Lexington – occasionally dropping to 33 degrees at times. At one point on I-85 I saw lots of flashing blue and red lights up ahead and the first thing I thought of was “black ice”. The traffic slowed and sure enough in a stretch of a mile several cars had gone off the road and all sorts of emergency vehicles were giving assistance, but the temp was 34 as I passed by. The temps must have dropped for a while in that stretch of the highway. I must have missed that by 30 minutes or an hour.

I finally make it on to Hwy. 64 and the temp is 33 degrees and it starts to sleet – oh boy. By the time I’m at the top of those hills the sleet is starting to collect on the road by an inch or two and I still expected the temps to drop. What’s a newspaper delivery boy to do?

Well, I did grow up in Michigan and I did my fair share of driving in snow, sleet and ice. I pulled off the road and waited for the next semi to come by and I pulled in behind it. That truck plowed the way over the top of the hills for me and on the other side of the hills it was 34 degrees and just raining. I pulled into Asheboro around 6:30am Friday morning, knowing that the sun would be coming up in 30 minutes – hoping the temps would never go below 34 and in fact be rising, as from then on I would be traveling south all the way to South Carolina where you can pretty much count on a 10 degree difference – warmer.

I really dodged a bullet. In Asheboro, I went to drop off papers at the W.H. Moring Jr. Arts Center on Sunset Avenue and it was sleeting there – back on Hwy. 64 in Asheboro at the McDonalds where I usually have breakfast it was just rain. That’s how close I was to real trouble. Cars were pulling into the McDonalds coming from the North with several inches of snow or sleet on them. Next stop, the NC Pottery Center in Seagrove – heading south.

While eating my breakfast a USPS mailman came in for breakfast too and I had to think – whether rain, sleet, snow, scorching heat, tropical storms – Carolina Arts must be delivered. And, I’m the sucker stuck with that job. Don’t get me wrong, I love my monthly adventures, it’s just that sometimes they’re too much of an adventure and I’m not as young as I was when I first started. So I headed to Seagrove, NC – the Center of Pottery in North Carolina – a new moniker I’m using for Seagrove. You see, Seagrove is also near the geographical center of North Carolina.

After dropping off papers at the NC Pottery Center in Seagrove I’m officially finished – except for the four hour drive back to Bonneau. It’s always a relief and although it was raining cats and dogs and still a nasty 34 degrees I was up for some extra credit – so I drove to one of the newly opened NC Visitor Centers to check it out. I also needed a port in a storm – if you get my meaning.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has opened two new Visitor Centers, located within 5 miles of the geographic center of North Carolina along both sides of the US 220 corridor (the future I-73, I-74) in Randolph County just south of Seagrove.

In North Carolina the visitor centers open at 8am, an hour before they do in South Carolina so I didn’t have to wait at all to see what they had to offer. I was curious as this center is different from other NC Visitor Centers as it was being run by a commercial business.

I had a good look around, talked with the two women working there – they were friendly and informative and on the ball enough to realize after a bit of conversation that I seemed to know more about the area than the average person passing by. I identified myself and told them of my concerns that as a commercial operation that they may operate like a chamber of commerce – only providing info about paid members – not telling the whole story of the area to folks who didn’t know to ask about certain things. I was contacted myself about paying a fee to leave copies of Carolina Arts at the centers, but had to pass as we can’t afford to pay anyone to leave papers for distribution. Why else would I be delivering the papers myself? Ask any newspaper publisher you know if they deliver their paper.

I understand that the State of North Carolina, like every other state in America, is hurting for funding and realize that if it wasn’t for these centers being planned years ago and in the process of being built – might not have been built, but I hope when the economy turns and NC recovers they won’t let private business take over the lead point in telling the state’s tourism story – under a “pay you play” system. At least I hope the taxpayers of North Carolina won’t let that be the case. It’s too important a job to be put in the hands of bottom line business minds – who will soon wonder if they can get away with coin operated toilet paper dispensers.

I don’t know how much if any the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources is involved with NCDOT visitor centers, but I hope they have some say about the materials offered in those centers. I hope they can convince the state legislators that they don’t want that info to be limited to only those who can pay for it. North Carolina has too much to offer to work on that system. I hope they don’t go over to the dark side.

While visiting the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources’ website to get their link I noticed a publication they have available called, Homegrown Handmade, Art Roads & Farm Trails of North Carolina. It looks like it could be a valuable book for discovering arts and good food in NC. And, I’m giving them the plug – at no charge. That’s a hint, NC.

Well I had a nice visit at the Visitor Center, but wished it wasn’t raining so hard – I would have liked to check out the scenic lookout area of the center. I had been getting soaked all night and I didn’t see that getting soaked again would do me any good. I was finally dry after my stay in the VC.

Once back in the car I noticed it was 9:15am. I’m usually heading out of Seagrove by 7:30am – well before any of the potteries are open, but I wondered – Bulldog Pottery is just off the next exit – maybe they’re already knocking around the studio. I called and asked when they opened – the person who answered said 10am. I asked if it was Bruce Gholson and said who I was and it was Ed Henneke – Samantha Henneke’s father and he said come on over. So I headed that way. I’ve talked with Ed several times.


A work by Bruce Gholson

In less than 10 minutes I was there and got to see Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke’s new working studio, have a nice cup of hot tea and honey, and some good conversation about the new visitor centers and happenings in Seagrove. They were leasing space with several other potteries at the visitor centers. I noticed a piece of their pottery there but never imagined they had to pay to have it there. Such is the world under the current economy.

By the time I was leaving, their first customer of the day was arriving and I headed off to McCanless Pottery on my way to Whynot Pottery hoping their road was being unfrozen by all this rain. At McCanless I got a tour of his operation, which was impressive. Will Ravenel (my friend in Greensboro, NC, and sometime Seagrove visiting companion) and I had talked with Will McCanless at the last Celebration of Seagrove Potters about the crystalline glaze he does on some of his pottery – it’s a very interesting process and looks great on his pottery. You can see some images of the crystalline glaze effects on his website (www.mccanlesspottery.com).


A work by Will McCanless

Will McCanless is an intense kind of guy and after talking with him that day I wished he was also a blogging potter, but I think his plate is full – no pun intended. He told me he’s about to open a new pottery shop in downtown Seagrove offering works by a variety of Seagrove potters. This should be a wonderful new addition to the Seagrove pottery scene.

Saying downtown Seagrove may seem a stretch to some, but compared to the town I live near – it’s a downtown or if you like – village center.

OK – on to Whynot Pottery to visit Meredith and Mark Heywood. When I got to the driveway, sure enough the rain had done its job – the road was clear of ice and snow, but their was a closed sign up on their main sign. Darn! I figured they might be taking the day off to do something else – what better day to take off, but I’m the curious type so I called and got Mark on the phone and he said come on in. They had placed the closed sign up there so people wouldn’t try and drive down the frozen driveway and end up taking a swim in their pond.

I was greeted with the excuse that I had just missed a pie or something of the sort. I asked if there was any of that pineapple upside down cake I’ve read about on her blog and was told I’d have to give notice for that – so I settled for good conversation instead. You see, sometimes the unplanned adventures just don’t pay off the same as planned visits. Frankly, I don’t need any pie or cake – I wouldn’t turn most offers down – that’s obvious, but good conversation – I’ll drive 12 hours in rain or sleet for that.


Works from Whynot Pottery

We talked about the new visitor centers, they too were leasing space there and the exhibit Meredith is organizing entitled, Clay and Blogs: Telling a Story, which will be presented at the Campbell House Galleries of the Arts Council of Moore County in Southern Pines, NC, from Oct. 1 – 29, 2010.

Meredith and Mark set up shop in Seagrove when there were only 12 potteries operating, so they are a great resource on the history of the area and its development to being one of the largest concentrations of potteries in the country. At one point mostly traditional pottery, but now offering some of the finest contemporary pottery being made in the Carolinas – as you’ll be able to see if you visit the NC Pottery Center’s new exhibit, New Generation of Seagrove Potters, featuring works by fifteen Seagrove area potters all under age 40, from Feb. 12 through Apr. 10, 2010.

But, before long it was getting late – it was still raining cats and dogs and I still had a four hour drive ahead of me and I was beginning to feel the week of driving weighing heavily on me. So, I headed to Seagrove and back on to Hwy. 220 pointed toward South Carolina. But, before I left the area I stopped once more at the new southbound Visitor Center – I mean that’s what they’re for, right? – they want you to visit don’t they?

Four and a half hours later I was pulling into Bonneau just before dark – the rain had finally stopped as I left I-95 in Manning, SC.

If you’ve been keeping track, this 20 hour day was spent on four interstate highways (I-26, I-77, I-85, and I-95) and one future interstate highway – I-73, I-74. I think in my next life I’ll apply to be a truck driver. I hope they make more money.

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Some News About What’s Going on in Seagrove, NC, the Center of Pottery in North Carolina

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

There is some big news for folks traveling on US 220 (the future I-73/74) in North Carolina. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has opened two new Visitor Centers, located within 5 miles of the geographic center of North Carolina along both sides of the US 220 corridor in Randolph County just south of Seagrove and just minutes from the North Carolina Zoo, near Asheboro, NC.

It’s great news for my bladder and I’m sure many others too. Thank you Hardee’s in Seagrove and the old rest stop in Ellerbe, NC, on US 220 Business – you’ve both been good friends in the past but I’ll now give my business to the NCDOT – with some exceptions. I won’t be paying to place copies of Carolina Arts in either of those centers. We don’t and have never paid for placement of our paper and surely couldn’t now – no matter how good a distribution point some places might be. We still feel the various visual art locations we report on – art galleries, art spaces, art museums and even potteries are the best places for people to discover our paper and look for it every month. If people like the info we offer, we want them to return to the places they found it to begin with or places like it.

It is my hope that both of these new Visitor Centers will be great ambassadors for Seagrove area potteries, as well as other area attractions.

The North Carolina Pottery Center (NCPC) in Seagrove, NC, will present the exhibit, New Generation of Seagrove Potters, featuring works by fifteen Seagrove area potters all under age 40, from Feb. 12 through Apr. 10, 2010.


Blaine Avery

The Seagrove area has a long and rich history of pottery and this exhibit highlights some of the younger potters who have made a career working in clay. The participating potters include Blaine Avery, Chad Brown, Jeff Dean, Samantha Henneke, Daniel Johnston, Crystal King, Matthew Luck, Stephanie Martin, Eck McCanless, Will McCanless, Tommy Nichols, Travis Owens, Hitomi Shibata, Takuro Shibata, and Jared Zehmer.


Samantha Henneke


Travis Owens

The NCPC will host a Demonstration Day on Mar. 20, 2010, from 10am-3pm. Plan to visit the NCPC to see featured potters, Samantha Henneke, Crystal King, Travis Owens, Tommy Nichols, and Chad Brown demonstrating at the wheel in NCPC’s education building.

Also, Meredith Heywood – that’s Heywood with an “e” (my mistake several times) of Whynot Pottery in Seagrove, NC, and a fellow blogger is in the process of organizing an exhibit, to be entitled, Clay and Blogs: Telling a Story, which will be presented at the Campbell House Galleries of the Arts Council of Moore County in Southern Pines, NC, from Oct. 1 – 29, 2010.

I think she has nearly 50 potters and bloggers from as far away as Alaska in the US of A, and from Canada, UK, Australia and possibility New Zealand as well. It should be a very interesting exhibition.

Since starting Carolina Arts Unleashed, over a year and a half ago, I have been amazed at the impact of blogs in spreading news about events, information about techniques, marketing practices, travel tips, images of artworks, calls for help – you name it. I look forward to seeing this exhibit of clay works from around the world, plus seeing the impact blogs have had on the potters and their creative process.

Carolina Arts, Carolina Arts Online, and Carolina Arts Unleashed have become a media sponsor of this exhibit and we’ll keep you updated on developments as we get closer to the date of the exhibit’s beginning.

Of course there will be Spring kiln openings in Seagrove and there’s an expanded “Cousins In Clay” event planned for this year, including Bulldog Pottery, Johnston and Gentithes Art Pottery and their special guest potters, but I don’t want to spill all the beans at once. So stay tuned for news from Seagrove.

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13th annual Catawba Valley Pottery and Antiques Festival Takes Place Mar. 27, 2010 in Hickory, NC

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Well, as I mentioned in an earlier blog entry I picked up a flyer about this pottery festival at the Whynot Pottery booth at the 2009 Celebration of Seagrove Potters in Seagrove, NC. It was just another example of how these potters network. Promoting one festival at another and besides it will also benefit the NC Pottery Center – something of interest to all Carolina potters and me. And once again it shows how far reaching the Pottery Center is – here they are involved in an event all the way up in Hickory.

NC Legislators – don’t pay attention to anything the Bobbsey Twins of the pottery world tell you – check out the facts on the NC Pottery Center. You’ll be surprised at what’s the truth.

So, after I got home from Seagrove I checked out the website for the 13th annual Catawba Valley Pottery and Antiques Festival, which was actually the website for the Catawba County Historical Association, where I found this press release.

The 13th annual Catawba Valley Pottery and Antiques Festival will be held on Saturday, March 27, 2010, at the Hickory Metro Convention Center, I-40, Exit 125 in Hickory, NC, from 9am until 5pm.

The Festival is a fundraising event for two non-profit institutions, the Catawba County Historical Association and the North Carolina Pottery Center. Tickets are $6 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under and are available at the door. Ticket holders will be entered into a drawing for door prizes.

Friday night, March 26, 2010 is the Preview Party from 7-10pm. A southern-style supper, live entertainment, and the early buying opportunity make this a popular event. Advance tickets are required and must be purchased by March 19, 2010. Tickets are $40. No Preview Party tickets will be sold at the door. Please call 828/324-7294 for purchase information.

Do you have a piece of pottery of unknown background? Representatives from the North Carolina Pottery Collectors’ Guild will be available to offer expert opinions on the possible background and history of individual collectors’ pieces.

In addition to the 110 pottery and antique vendors from all over the Southeast, this year’s festival will feature a pottery exhibit prepared by Dr. Terry Zug, retired University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor and author of Turners and Burners: The Folk Potters of North Carolina.

The speaker this year is Stephen C. Compton, a native of Alamance County, NC. Compton holds an A.B. in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, M.Div. from Duke University, and D. Min. from Emory University and currently is the district superintendent for the Sanford District of The United Methodist Church. He formerly served as president of the board of directors for the North Carolina Pottery Center and was a founding member and first president of the North Carolina Pottery Collectors’ Guild.

An avid collector of North Carolina pottery for nearly twenty years, Compton has assembled a group of about 1,000 pieces of pottery dating from the 18th century to the present, including utilitarian earthenware, stoneware, and art pottery. Objects from his collection have been displayed in numerous exhibits and publications. Publication of a book edited by him, North Carolina Earthenware: Origin of a Ceramic Tradition, is pending.

For further information on the Catawba Valley Pottery and Antiques Festival (http://www.catawbahistory.org/catawba_valley_pottery_and_antiques_festival.php), please contact 828/322-3943 or 828/324-7294.

For advance tickets to the Friday Night Preview Party ($40 per – required by Mar. 19, 2010) send check or money order to: CVPAF, PO Box 2583, Hickory, NC 28603

This announcement might seem a little ahead of time, but it never hurts to plan ahead and many Yankees (I’m originally from Michigan) who read this will be looking for any excuse to head south after a couple of months of winter weather. And, I’m sure we’ll have more details to offer about this festival as we get closer to the date of its happening.

Plus, I’m always looking for ways to show that Carolina Arts has an expanded vision of the overall pottery community in the Carolinas. Get the hint you other potters and pottery areas? You feed us the info – we spread it around.

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A Visit to the 2009 Celebration of Seagrove Potters Festival in Seagrove, NC – Part II

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

Well, Saturday morning started with breakfast and a scan of the Greensboro newspaper, the News & Record to see if there was anything there about the Celebration of Seagrove Potters. There was an article there about the two pottery festivals going on in Seagrove, NC (from the High Point Enterprise). Things must be getting pretty bad at the News & Record – out of the four pages I pulled out of the paper which had the article about the festivals, most of the articles on the pages were from the High Point Enterprise, The Associated Press, Wire Reports, and the Charlotte Observer. I guess the N&R handled the obituaries. They’re looking like a cut and paste newspaper. Maybe the N&R owns the Enterprise – lets hope so. Oh well, times are tough for newspapers – Carolina Arts included.

This article was a little one-sided, leaning toward the Seagrove Pottery Festival – with some info being supplied by the lesser of the two Bobbsey Twins of the pottery world. Having just stepped in a cow pie over numbers of potteries/potters participating at the Celebration of Seagrove Potters, I thought it was funny that this Bobbsey was using the figure – “80 of the area’s potters” were at his festival. I guess that’s a pretty liberal use of the word “area”. At least he didn’t use the word Seagrove, even though he and his boss got the NC Legislature to declare several neighboring counties to officially be considered to be in the Seagrove area too. Saying it don’t make it so, but it gives them the excuse to call just about anyone they want a Seagrove potter. At least the article mentioned both pottery festivals. But, what’s the deal with featuring a Civil War re-enactment at the Seagrove Pottery Festival. I guess it fits since pretty soon, Big Boss Bobbsey Twin will want potters from Seagrove to secede from Seagrove and declare Sanford, NC, to be the real Seagrove of NC. Wait for it.

So we headed for Seagrove. It was a much shorter drive from Greensboro for me – how about that? I guess they’re right – location is everything. In my arrival Friday I only saw signs for the Celebration, but on Saturday there were a few signs for the other festival, but when it came for the turnoff from Hwy. 705 in Seagrove for the Seagrove Pottery Festival there were a couple of guys with a big sign saying “Pottery Festival” waving people to turn, but most people like us just drove right on by towards Luck’s Cannery. That was the only sign of any pottery wars going on in Seagrove.

I had forgotten that the festival on Saturday started at 9am – so we were late for the start and lots of people were piling into the parking lots and many already leaving. I guess it pays to look at your ticket stub. We ended way back around the buildings from the night before, but in a better space – closer to the entrance. Outside food vendors were well at work in getting lunch ready and the smells were great. Getting in the front door took a little longer and when we finally got in – the place was really packed.

We sort of got to wave at some folks to let them know we were back, but the crowd didn’t exactly let us talk to people again. Plus today, my friend and official photographer of the day, Will Ravenel, was shopping. Moving around took some skill.

While trying to get to Bulldog Pottery we noticed that there was hardly anything left at Jugtown Pottery. I asked Pam Owens, one of the Owens clan from Jugtown what they were going to do for Sunday or the rest of Saturday for that matter – she shrugged her shoulders and said – maybe we won’t have to come back tomorrow? I thought that strange, but later learned that Jugtown doesn’t usually do pottery festivals, but was doing the Celebration to be supportive, and I had forgotten for the moment that all these booths – also have folks manning their regular potteries in Seagrove – where there is much more inventory.

That was another thing different about Saturday. The Friday Gala Preview had all the folks from the potteries on hand, but come Saturday some had to stay at home to manage the potteries and on the drive in there were lots of people at the potteries too.

At one point we came across a booth that was unmarked by a sign as to which pottery it was – again it helps if you pick up a program or remember to bring the one to got from the night before. People were really crowding in around this booth. We finally got close enough to see some of the pottery and we both liked what we saw. We eventually learned that this was Ray Pottery. There was a line of people with pots and objects in their hands waiting to give these folks money. Later after a few more turns around the room – there was still a line of people waiting to buy. A nice problem to have.

During a pass by Whynot Pottery, still unable to get close, I picked up a flyer for the Catawba Valley Pottery & Antiques Festival, which will take place on March, 27, 2010, at the Hickory Metro Convention Center in Hickory, NC. They have a Friday Night Preview Party too, scheduled for March 26, 2010 – also advance tickets only.  The Festival is a fundraising event for two non-profit institutions, the Catawba County Historical Association and the North Carolina Pottery Center. More about this event in another blog entry, but you can check the link now, but come right back – I’m not finished.

Will was making purchases and some of my weekend anxiety was relieved by carrying one of his packages around. But then I started to worry about the folks I had said I couldn’t buy during this trip – seeing me with a big bag and thinking – those newspaper types – they’ll say anything. So the anxiety came right back. But at least give me credit for recruiting Will to the event, which lead to purchases of Seagrove pottery. And, besides the crowd was too heavy and the booths were so busy, I doubt anyone noticed me, much less anything else a few feet away from their nose.


Takuro Shibata of STARworks Ceramics explaining clay making process.

Finally we found a booth that wasn’t too crowded. It was the STARworks Ceramics booth. They make clay down in Star, NC, a little south of Seagrove on Hwy 220 (the future I-74). We talked with Takuro Shibata, the director of STARworks Ceramics. We had looked up their site Friday night when we got back to Greensboro after talking with Nancy Gottovi, the executive director of STARworks NC. We also watched a video that was playing on an Apple computer in their booth (a good sign for both Will and I – diehard Apple folks) about their clay making process. Santiago Ramirez, the operations manager at STARworks Ceramics also gave us a lesson about clay that was very interesting. We were learning a lot about clay, glazes, pottery processes, and the pottery biz – which is another side of the festival which I think most of the crowd was missing, but I’m glad for the potter’s sake that most people there were interested in buying Seagrove pottery.

I did finally meet one of my first contacts with the Seagrove area, Jennie Lorette Keatts of JLK Jewelry and Shop at Jugtown Pottery. She has helped supply me with info about Seagrove and the potters there – as far as five years back, but more recently helping supply photos for the blog and coordinating Carolina Arts‘ media sponsorship of the Celebration. That’s the way it is in this biz – I deal with folks on a monthly basis – some who I have never met face to face in all these years.

I think the last potter I got a chance to talk with was Michael Mahan of From the Ground Up pottery. That’s where I learned from his wife, Mary Holmes, that it was his idea about the collaborative pottery pieces for the auction on Friday. It takes a wife sometimes to give credit where credit is due.

We ate a lunch of stir-fry from a new restaurant which had moved from the west coast to Asheboro, NC – Pacific Rim Noodle House. That was some good eating and outside was wonderful. The selection of food was very good – it seems they had everything covered. It’s hard to believe this festival is only in its second year.

Back in the building the crowd in the back room with the booths seemed to have gotten larger and tick tock it was 1 o’clock already, a time I had set when I had to leave to return to Bonneau, SC, headquarters of Carolina Arts.

On the way out I got to see Sid Luck of Luck’s Ware doing a pottery demo for a few minutes – he makes it look so easy. I really didn’t want to leave – there was still so much to see and another auction scheduled for 4pm on Saturday, but I had to go. All good things must come to an end.


Sid Luck doing his magic.

Before I left the building, on the way to the restroom – I’m no dummy, I noticed that there was one copy of Carolina Arts left on the check-in desk. I asked the woman standing there if that’s all they had – she said I could take it, and I said I have plenty. She looked back at me with a funny look and I replied – it’s my paper and that I have more in the car. So I went and restocked their pile. A lot of folks were probably seeing their first copy of the paper. No surprise to me, but good for us.

Leaving the cannery there were still tons of folks coming in for the festival. When back in Seagrove I decided to drive by the other festival – there were a lot of people there too – so I would guess that both festivals did well and hopefully will learn that they both offer something that will draw people to Seagrove which is good for all. Let’s hope that sinks in to one group soon, but with the Bobbsey Twins of the pottery world leading them on (I mean literally leading them on) – don’t hold your breath.

Three and a half hours later I was back home in Bonneau. On the ride back home I was listening to a book on CD – Hard Row by Margaret Maron – another discovery from that area of North Carolina. Maron has provided me with background info on the pottery world in Seagrove, the furniture market in High Point and other characteristics of this area of NC. Her books are always a good listen. Perhaps her new book will be Showdown at the Seagrove Pottery Festivals – who knows.

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Planning Underway for 2nd Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters Which Takes Place Nov. 20 – 22, 2009, in Seagrove, NC

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Planning for the 2nd Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters is underway and the participating artists are all busily working on special pieces for the Celebration, as well as on collaborative pieces to be auctioned on Friday night, Nov. 20, 2009. Last year’s event, the inaugural Celebration was a resounding success drawing over 400 people to the Friday night Gala and 5000 from NC and many surrounding states to the two day sales event. The event generated a total measurable financial impact of $452,967, including $3,400 to the Potters Relief Fund, $1,250 to local school art departments, $600 to the Seagrove Library and $51,917 of expenditures to local businesses, details are available at (http://celebrationofseagrovepotters.blogspot.com).

The Celebration is unique in that it is a showcase of the artists of Seagrove, an area that covers the three county corner region of Randolph, Moore and Montgomery counties. Over 85 of the Seagrove potters that earn their living making pottery in the local Seagrove community will be participating in the annual event. Seagrove pottery has long been known for it collectability and the Seagrove name is recognized worldwide.

The town of Seagrove is at the intersection of NC Business Highway 220 and NC Highway 705, which in 2002 was designated as Pottery Highway because it runs through the heart of pottery country. Seagrove potters are located throughout the countryside, all around these two major roads, and are all easily accessible from them. The shops are diverse and interesting, and all worthy of a visit and most will be open throughout the Celebration weekend. The Celebration of Seagrove Potters will again be held indoors at the historic Luck’s Cannery, on NC 705, Pottery Highway, located a half mile south of the traffic light in Seagrove. The Celebration potters admire and plan to continue the spirit of the original Luck’s Cannery-people of the Seagrove area working together to provide a future for their community.

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters will open on Friday evening, Nov. 20, 2009, at 6pm with a Gala Preview Party. Meet the artists and enjoy the opening night festivities of this fabulous event as visitors have the first opportunity to browse and purchase from the thousands of pieces, sip a favorite beverage and enjoy hors d’oeuvres, while listening to the jazz band Lost Marbles. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to preview a select collection of unique collaborative pieces. This highly successful venture, teaming Seagrove artists, to produce highly collectible one-of-a-kind pieces was very popular last year. This artwork will be auctioned at 8pm on Friday evening. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance. They may be purchased on-line at (www.CelebrationOfSeagrovePotters.com).

Saturday, Nov. 21 the show is open from 9am-6pm and from 10am-4pm on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. A second fundraising auction will be held at 4pm, Saturday. Food and beverage vendors will be set up including 3 Kings Barbeque, Blue Diner Grille, and Pacific Rim Noodle House among others. A special Kids area (only kids allowed in to buy Seagrove pottery at kids prices!) will raise funds to be donated to the Seagrove and Westmoore schools art departments, demonstrations and educational opportunities will be available, and more.

The following Seagrove potteries and artists will be participating: Avery Pottery & Tileworks, Ben Owen Pottery, Bluestone Pottery, Bulldog Pottery, Cagle Road Pottery, Caldwell-Hohl Artworks, Chad Brown Pottery, Chris Luther Pottery, Country Pots, Cross Creek Pottery, Crystal King Pottery, David Stuempfle Pottery, Dean & Martin Pottery, Dirtworks, Dixieland Pottery, Donna Craven, Pottery, Dover Pottery, Fireshadow Pottery, From the Ground Up, Gingerbread House Pottery, Great White Oak Gallery, Hatfield Pottery, Humble Mill Pottery, Jake’s Pottery, JLK Jewelry at Jugtown, Johnston & Gentithes Art Pottery, Jugtown Pottery, King’s Pottery, Kovack Pottery, Lantern Hill Pottery, Latham’s Pottery, Living Water Pottery, Luck’s Ware, McCanless Pottery, McKay Pottery, Nichols Pottery, Old Gap Pottery, Ole Fish House Pottery, “Original” Owens Pottery, Pat Newby, Pebbles Pottery, Potts Pottery, Ray Pottery, Riggs Pottery, Rockhouse Pottery, Seagrove Stoneware, Studio Touya, The English Potter, Thomas Pottery,  Tom Gray Pottery, Tripple C Pottery, Turn & Burn, Uwharrie Crystalline, Whynot Pottery, Windsong Pottery, and Zehmer Pottery. (Further info about most of these potteries can be found at Carolina Arts Online in our NC Commercail Gallery listings under Seagrove.)

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters festival has received strong support from potters and the community at large. Special thanks to our 2009 Sponsors: Amicks Superstore, Asheboro Elastics, Autocraft, Community One, Embarq Corporation, First Bank, Insurance Associates of the Triad,  Life 103.1, NC Zoological Society, Progress Energy, Pugh Funeral Home, Randloph Arts Guild, Randolph County TDA, Our State magazine, Carolina Arts, Richard and Susan Garkalns, Upton Accounting  and Village Printing with more coming on board each week.

Visit (www.CelebrationOfSeagrovePotters.com) to learn more about the festival and potters and find links to the individual pottery pages.

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Those Seagrove Potters Are At It Again!

Friday, July 17th, 2009

I bet some of you thought this was going to be about a drive-by shooting on the streets of Seagrove, NC – one pottery gang taking out a few of their rivals from another pottery gang or about the authorities finding bones at the bottom of someone’s kiln. No such luck. It’s just another boring story about Seagrove potters doing something to help – world peace. Who do these folks think they are?

Meredith Heywood of Whynot Pottery has the scoop on her blog about how potters in Seagrove are making and selling – cups or vessels – to raise funds for the Central Asia Institute. That’s not the CIA – they’re up to something else in central Asia.

So stop trying to read between the lines and go read what these potters are up to now. You won’t believe it.

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A Glorious Spring Day in Seagrove, NC

Monday, April 20th, 2009

It was April 18, 2009, and by 6am, Linda and I were in the car headed for Seagrove, NC, for the first day of the Celebration of Spring in Seagrove where over 40 potteries in the area would be greeting visitors who would be coming to see new works – many fresh from the potter’s kilns. Estimated arrival time was 10am where we would meet up with our friend and part time technical advisor, Will Ravenel, at the parking lot of the NC Pottery Center in Seagrove.

I felt it was only fair to get Will to join us from Greensboro, NC, since some folks think people in Greensboro would have a hard time finding their way to Seagrove to find great pottery. And, as I expected, he had no trouble and actually beat us there – just before 10am.

I’m having a little fun with the folks who thought they had to take Seagrove pottery to Greensboro for some reason. As I’ve said before, if you want to see Seagrove pottery – go to Seagrove.

At 6am, getting into the car it was cool and it stayed cool until the sun was up long enough to do its thing. By the time we arrived at the Pottery Center’s parking lot – we could tell it was going to be a wonderful spring day. And, it was.

Our first stop was at Johnston & Gentithes Art Pottery. I knew we were in trouble right away. They had complimentary hand-crafted oatmeal cookies and outstanding pottery. I fell in love with Fred Johnston’s pots right off and we loved Carol Gentithes’ animal sculptures – especially the dog eating the tax return. “I’m sorry Uncle Sam – my dog ate my return.” The problem was – this was our first stop and I was already hot to buy.

We hadn’t really intended to buy on this trip. I just wanted to meet some of the blogging potters who I’ve been following since last year when I first learned that the NC Pottery Center was in financial trouble. A movement had formed to save the Center and bloggers had a big part in helping. The Center was saved and I’ve been learning a lot about potters and their processes – things I would have never known without those blogs. And, part of this event was another fundraiser for the Center. Many of these same Seagrove potters and others from around NC and the region had donated works for silent and live auctions taking place this same day entitled, Many Faces for the Center, held at the Pottery Center – our final destination for the day.

So here we were at our first stop and itching to spend money we really didn’t have to spend. We knew we were going to buy something this day – we always do. We love pottery. But we displayed strong self-control. And, besides – these potteries would not be going anywhere. Well, that was the plan anyway.

Next stop, Whynot Pottery, to meet Mark and Meredith Heywood. Meredith and I had become e-mail buddies during the Save the Pottery Center campaign. We arrived and walked into the gallery and Will sees a vase against the wall and the next thing we know he’s buying it. And, Linda discovers jewelry. All bets are off and the shopping begins. But we’re being conservative and selecting pieces with low price tags, but good pieces. It’s soon like the British on a visit to Willy Wonka’s. Well, not really, but it was amazing to see how self-control was soon out the window.

While there, Meredith gave us a tour of the studio which had burned last year. I’ve been watching the progress of the studio’s recovery through her blog. They have a great location there and we all agreed that if we lived there we wouldn’t get any work done at all.

We next found ourselves at Ben Owen Pottery where we got a look at Ben Owen III’s exceptional works. My eyes quickly scanned the gallery to see a red pot, but no glowing red pots. But they did have examples in the Museum part of the shop. The red is spectacular, but so is a lot of his work and before we left I was holding a small blue piece with small hints of red in it. Come Monday morning I might have to see if I could get some of our neighbors to pay me to rake leaves or cut grass. This was not how the day was supposed to go. Look, touch, enjoy, but don’t…

How stupid was it to make our next stop Jugtown Pottery? The pottery compound was an amazing sight as was the pottery inside and before you knew it we had acquired pieces, one by Vernon Owens and one by Pan Owens. Our heads were spinning, so we headed to the Westmoore Family Restaurant for lunch. It had been a long time since that Egg McMuffin in Manning, SC, at 7am. And I think my usually good self-control was being affected by my lack of food.

After lunch we drove to From The Ground Up Pottery to see Michael Mahan’s work, another blogger. We wanted to see the “soul pots” to get some of those good vibes of positive energies of love and kindness. It might be good for building up our self-control. As we drive up Linda and I see wind chimes – at least a kind of upside down clay bowl with a wooden ringer, both hung from ropes. They made a really nice sound.

The problem here was – I got talking with Michael Mahan and didn’t really get to look around too much and before I knew it – Linda and Will were giving me that look of – miles to go and time is running out. But I’m sure I only dodged the buying bullet – for now. After all – I’m in Seagrove once a month – very early, but nothing says I can’t wait around until potteries open.

Next stop, Dean and Martin Pottery. I know – some name right? Now, you have to think that with so many potteries in Seagrove that you are going to walk in one and not see anything that speaks to you, but it wasn’t happening at this pottery. Both Jeffrey Dean and Stephanie Martin had works that were speaking to both Linda and I. You know what happened – need I say more?

We did find one or two of those potteries where we did the quick walk through and out the door. I won’t mention them, as I’ve learned in my years in covering the arts – all art appeals to someone – all art does not have to appeal to me. I make no judgements. So in order to prevent someone from trying to figure out where we were, I’m skipping several stops and jumping to our final pottery stop. You have to watch every word you say – some people try to make the most out of nothing sometimes.

Samantha Henneke is another one of the Seagrove blogging potters. Her blog is on my daily check list. She and Bruce Gholson own Bulldog Pottery. As soon as we all enter their showroom – bingo we are going nuts again. Our eyes are just bouncing from one pot to the next and wall pieces that looked like batik. I point to a spot on one wall and tell Will – “I really like that one”. He doesn’t even see what I’m pointing at – I can’t get his full attention. Finally I break through and he sees I’m pointing to an issue of Carolina Arts on the wall.

Turns out both artists have been followers of the paper for some time – way back to 1997 when we first went into North Carolina. They used to pick it up at the Green Hill Center for NC Art in Greensboro. We don’t go to Greensboro anymore, which is too bad, but we never could find any regular support for the paper there and that kind of matches up with things – I mean if the people there can’t figure out that you go to Seagrove for Seagrove pottery – how could they ever figure out that in order to keep us in Greensboro – they would have to support us.

Anyway – we all got some very nice pottery at Bulldog Pottery, and when we went to put the bags in our car’s trunk – the trunk was full of bags. What had happened to our plan – where was the self-control?

Next stop – back to the NC Pottery Center for the auctions. It was 3pm and Linda and I were beginning to feel our day. As we walked in we were just in time for the end of the first silent auction – but nothing was silent here. The place was abuzz with chatter and excitement. Some folks were just about to become the winning bidders of donated pottery and round two was about to begin. We moved through the crowd as best we could to see what was being offered. The theme was, Many Faces for the Center, and it was interesting to see how the various artists had taken on that theme.

Will asked if I was going to be bidding. I reminded him of the trunk of the car and gave him one of those looks – like – haven’t I gotten in enough trouble already? Besides I’m more the kind of guy who likes the “Buy Now” option on eBay. I’ve learned what can sometimes happen in the heat of an auction – even silent auctions. I like the satisfaction of walking up to something and saying – you are mine now. During an auction if I like something and someone else outbids my wallet, which isn’t hard to do – I’ll just feel bad.

Wait a minute, I have to adjust that statement – it sounds a little too manly. What I should have said is – I like to fall for something and then ask Linda – may I have it?

Before long, the crowd is beginning to wear on us and we decide since we are not making bids – perhaps our day has come to an end. We say our good-byes, after we sort out the purchases in our car’s trunk and part to return home in different directions. Will pointed out that since Greensboro is less than an hour away (Did you hear that folks in Greensboro – you’re less than an hour away from Seagrove.) that he will have finished a nap before we get home. Thanks again for that thought, Will.

By 8pm we had arrived home – just another 14 hour adventure in the Carolina Arts history books. Although it was a long day – we had a great time.

Then began the unwrapping of the purchases made earlier that day – the rediscovery of what we had fallen for. In the bag from Bulldog Pottery we found a notice for a show, Cousins in Clay, scheduled for June 6 & 7, 2009, at Bulldog which would be featuring works by Bruce Gholson, Samantha Henneke, and Michael Kline – another blogging potter from Bakersville, NC, whom I’ve also been following through his blog. Here’s a case where Bakersville comes to Seagrove. You can find many of these blogs I mentioned in our links on the side of this page.

Some Points To Remember

First off, going to Seagrove is like going to an art walk in downtown Charleston, SC. There is no way you are going to see it all in one visit. Both places are steeped in history and tradition, but you will always discover something new every time you visit. So for those potteries who might feel left out – no worries mates – we’ll be back. Linda and I have been collecting pottery for almost 30 years – we’re not finished yet.

Secondly, on this day our purchases ranged from $5 to a high of $45. My want list ran as high as $450 and up, but they will have to wait for better days. So even in tough economic times – you can go and fill your eyes with wonder and not drain the family coffers – that is if you have better self-control than some. Will is coming our way in a few weeks and he was already planning a return trip to Seagrove with Mother’s Day in mind. There are going to be some lucky mothers on that day.

Thirdly, for the AARP generation, which you enter at age 50 even if you’re not a member – a visit to Seagrove’s potteries was easy to take. You can drive right up to most of the pottery shops, we took advantage of three – count them, three good rest rooms – one at the Pottery Center, several at the Westmoore Family Restaurant, and there is a rest area on Hwy. 705 – the pottery highway. That’s important. Also stop at the Pottery Center first – they have good maps on how to find the potteries.

Fourthly, even if all you do is look, Seagrove’s rolling hills and country roads are a wonderful backdrop to the potteries, which are interesting in themselves. And although Seagrove when looked at on a map seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere, it is centrally located near many of North Carolina’s populated areas – even Greensboro, and not that far from many places in South Carolina. If Linda hadn’t been on call for her 911 job on Sunday, we probably would have stayed with Will in Greensboro and gone back to more potteries on Sunday. They also have hotels in the area for those without friends in the area.

And my fifth point is, we have been involved with the Seagrove area and its potters since last July, but we know there are great potters located all over the Carolinas. In fact, our last pottery purchase was made almost a year and a half ago up in Asheville, NC, during one of the Southern Highland Craft Guild’s Fairs. We purchased a piece of pottery from Courtney Erin Martin from Bakersville, NC. Before that we purchased works at one of the annual Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Crafts Fair in Charleston, SC – probably from a Carolina potter. Our collection is focused on works by Carolina artists. And, before that we’ve gotten works at Southern Pottery Workcenter & Gallery in Columbia, SC. Peter Lenzo does some outstanding work and also carries great works from other Carolina potters. In other words – we get around and we shop around.

But, if it seems like we have been focused on Seagrove – we have. They need the attention. They deserve the attention – at least the good kind. And, I hope you (the readers) are giving it to them through this blog.

The next big event in Seagrove will be the 2nd annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters, taking place on Nov. 20-22, 2009. Actually two pottery festivals will be taking place that weekend in Seagrove. I recommend you go see both, but you don’t have to wait for a big event to go visit potteries in Seagrove. In fact, I bet they would like it if you just went there any old time. Buy all the pottery you want – they’ll make more.

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First Celebration of Seagrove Potters Festival a Success

Monday, November 24th, 2008

I did not get to attend this first time event in Seagrove, NC, although I wanted to. I did the next best thing, I kept in touch by reading the blogs of the various blogging potters who were getting ready for this event – and reports of how things were going – hours after they happened.

Over the last four or five months I have been watching the events unfold during this rebirth of unity between Seagrove area potters. Outsiders were trying to divide this small community of artisans in a power play for control – threatening the existence of the NC Pottery Center and many of their financial futures.

The majority of the Seagrove potters banded together to help save the NC Pottery Center from closing its doors (see other blog entries) and forged a new path to the future in creating the Celebration of Seagrove Potters festival – which took place last weekend.

The opening Gala was a sellout, the festival attracted 5,000 happy shoppers, but like all communities – where there is celebration – tragedy is not far behind.

Lisa and Chris Luther of Chris Luther Pottery were one of the 60 participating potteries in the Celebration of Seagrove Potters festival. Chris Luther is a fourth generation potter of the Chriscoe pottery family of Seagrove, NC. In some of the blogs there are pictures of Chris at the festival with a big smile on his face standing in or near his booth – filled with potential customers. There were a lot of smiles on potters’ faces in those pictures.

Putting on this first year festival was a lot of work and took a lot of time in preparation, so many of those smiles were smiles of relief with a hint of strain mixed in. On Saturday night, after the second day of the festival, Chris and his wife were at a fellow potter’s home helping celebrate a 50th birthday when the phone rang and another potter on their way to the party spotted flames coming from their pottery studio. Luckily other potters in the area helped make sure those flames didn’t reach the Luthers’ home, but the studio could not be saved.

This was the second fire to burn down a potter’s studio since I started covering the plight of the NC Pottery Center. Early on the studio of Whynot Pottery had burned down and following the story of their recovery has been intertwined with the story of the Pottery Center’s recovery. So here in the middle of this small community of potters celebration – tragedy strikes again.

I don’t know Chris and Lisa Luther – I’ve never met them and their names never came up while following these recent events, but I feel like I know them – they were part of all that’s been going on in Seagrove.

Linda and I also experienced a loss to fire. Before we were in the business of doing this arts newspaper we ran a custom photo processing business for almost 16 years – back in the days when custom processing meant doing it by hand – before digital photography. When we stopped that business to concentrate on the arts newspaper full time I always felt I had the greatest hobby photography lab in existence – just a short walk away from our house to our backyard garage. It was the best kind of darkroom – the kind you didn’t have to take down every time you finished to recover a part of your home – once I closed the door I could be printing photos in a matter of minutes. The equipment was the best you could have – some they just didn’t make anymore. I looked forward to spending many an hour back there – not printing someone else’s photos, but mine.

Because our son was very young then we had also stored our growing pottery collection back there and most of our photo collection – negatives and all – in safe keeping from eager sticky hands.

One night we were woken up by someone driving by to tell us our garage was on fire. The local volunteer fire department was there quickly, but what the flames didn’t destroy their water hoses finished off.

To this day I can’t go through some things pulled from the destruction – which might be salvaged without getting sick to my stomach. It’s not even easy writing about it. I lost more than 20 years of photography in that fire. We lost a lot in that fire – most couldn’t be replaced by insurance and insurance isn’t meant to replace memories.

So when I read about the success of the potters in Seagrove and then started reading about the Luther’s tradegy – it hit home. You wonder why life is like that. Why in the middle of celebration does tradegy have to come knocking, in our case, or the phone rings in their case?

Well, I’m sure the Luthers will be looked after – they may live in a small community but that community has a big heart and strong will – we’ve seen that in the last months. And, fire is part of a potter’s life – it gives, but it can take too. Like I’ve said before here – don’t mess with potters.

If you want to lend a helping hand – I’m not sure at this point what you can do, but when we find out we’ll let you know. I did read about a Potters Relief Fund booth which was at the Celebration of Seagrove Potters festival, but didn’t see anything about it on the festival’s website.

The Chris Luther Pottery website is (www.chrislutherpottery.com), The pottery address is: Chris Luther Pottery, 4823 Busbee Road, Seagrove, NC 27341. More details later.

Update: We now have the address for the Potters Relief Fund in Seagrove, checks should be marked for Chris Luther. The address to send checks is: The Potters Relief Fund, c/o Caldwell-Hohl Art Works, 155 Cabin Trail, Seagrove, NC 27341, or call @ 336-879-9090. Checks should be made out to the Potters Relief Fund.

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The Skinny on Saving the NC Pottery Center

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

I last posted info about the effort to save the NC Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, on Aug. 18, 2008. So it’s time to update you readers on what has happened since then.

The last time I gave an update on money raised it was on Aug. 11, 2008, and at that time $30,000 had been raised. As I post this the current amount raised is $41,983.89. That’s almost half way to their goal of raising $90,000. The remaining $10,000 will be donated by a NC couple to cap off the goal of raising $100,000. That’s a glass half-full view. See, I can be positive at times.

A whopping $2,325 of that money was raised by Mark Hewitt’s raffle for a 2-gallon jar, of his creation. 116 tickets were purchased for the raffle, (if you’re doing the math – one person paid $25 instead of $20 for their ticket) with all the proceeds to benefit the NC Pottery Center. The lucky winner was Greg Sims of Durham, NC. Sims now has helped save the Pottery Center and won a jar worth $350. If he only purchased one ticket for $20 – that’s a very nice investment – on both levels.

Another development is that Meredith Heywood of Whynot Pottery has started a new blog for information about the effort to save the NC Pottery Center – it can be found at (http://pottersforncpc.blogspot.com/). You’ll get the very latest info on this blog. You can learn about other raffles and opportunities to purchase pottery and help the NC Pottery Center keep it’s door open.

The BIG event taking place this month will be a benefit auction hosted by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales (www.llauctions.com), on Sept. 28, 2008, in Hillsborough, NC. Dr. Everette James, an eminent NC pottery collector and Board member of the NC Pottery Center, has generously donated a substantial collection of NC pottery to be put up for bid. Other noted collectors from around the state have joined the effort, donating treasured antique NC pots for this auction. A second auction, held at the NC Pottery Center in Seagrove, will be held in the spring of 2009. It will feature contemporary North Carolina pottery.

On a good news/bad news event, Denny Mecham, who was the executive director of the NC Pottery Center has been hired as the new executive director of the future Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, MS. “This is a new Frank Gehry-designed museum”.

It didn’t take long for the search committee in Biloxi to select Mecham out of 40 applicants. Seagrove’s loss is Biloxi’s gain, but I’m sure the folks in Seagrove are happy Mecham was discovered to be the talented and experienced asset – they knew.

Let’s just hope that the powers that be in NC realize, before it’s too late, what could be lost if the NC Pottery Center is also allowed to slip away. Of course you people out there can have a lot to say about that possibility too. You can make a donation toward the $90,000 goal, you can become a member of the NC Pottery Center, you can participate in one of the benefit auctions, raffles, or by purchasing a piece of pottery where the proceeds will be donated. You can also help by spreading the word about the effort to save the NC Pottery Center – knowledge is power.

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