November 2013

In the Grove
byRhonda McCanless

The big news in Seagrove, NC, this month is the Celebration of Seagrove Potters and the Seagrove Pottery Festival. Both events take place the weekend before Thanksgiving and include participants from several shops.

The 6th Annual Celebration kicks off the weekend on Friday, Nov. 22, from 6-9pm with the Celebration Gala. The highlight of the night is the Collaborative Auction. Two or more Seagrove artists collaborate to create these one-of-a-kind pieces. Gala attendees also have a chance to shop and purchase pieces before the pottery market opens for the weekend. Locally catered food and beverages will be served, and there will be live music. Gala tickets are $40 and must be purchased in advance. Find ticket info at (www.CelebrationOfSeagovePotters.com).

The Celebration continues Nov. 23, from 9am to 6pm, and Nov. 24, from 10am to 4pm. More than 100 artists from 58 Seagrove pottery shops will participate. Demonstrations and presentations begin at 11am both days. There will also be a silent auction on Saturday, from 1-3pm. Children have a special dedicated area where they can play in the clay and purchase pottery at “kid prices.”

The Celebration is held indoors at the historic Luck’s Cannery on NC Highway 705. For more information and to purchase Gala tickets, visit (www.CelebrationOfSeagrovePotters.com).

The 32nd Annual Seagrove Pottery Festival will be held from 9am to 5pm, Nov. 23 & 24 at Seagrove Elementary School, located at 528 Old Plank Road in Seagrove. The event will feature over 60 booths of pottery and traditional crafts. There will be an auction of signed and dated pottery, demonstrations and food vendors.

The Festival is hosted by the Museum on NC Traditional Pottery. For more information, visit the museum or contact Martha Graves at 336/873-7887.
Cady Clay Works Fall Kiln Opening is Nov. 2, from 9am to 5pm. Over 700 new works from potters John Mellage and Beth Gore’s annual wood firing will be featured, including functional, decorative and whimsical pieces. Mellage and Gore create new designs for every wood firing. Kiln tours and refreshments will be offered. Cady Clay Works is located at 3883 Busbee Road in Seagrove. For more information, call 910/464-5661 or visit (www.CadyClayWorks.com).

The Chris Luther Pottery Fall Kiln Opening is Nov. 2, from 10am to 5pm. Large bold pots will take center stage for this event. Glazes include Shino combinations in browns, golds and dark oranges, as well as Luther’s sea foam greens and turquoise blues. The shop is located at 4823 Busbee Road in Seagrove. For more information, visit (www.ChrisLutherPottery.com) or call 336/301-3254.

Westmoore Pottery will present “Stepping Back in Time: Hearth Cookery” on Nov. 9, from 10am to 3pm. Cindy Kepley and Susan Ball from Old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC, will demonstrate hearth cookery from the 1700s and early 1800s, working in the large fireplace at Westmoore. Potters David and Mary Farrell specialize in making historical pottery. Kepley and Ball will use Westmoore’s wares in their cooking. The shop will be open from 9am to 5pm. Westmoore Pottery is located at 4622 Busbee Road in Seagrove. For more information, call 910/464-3700 or visit (www.WestmoorePottery.com).

Rhonda McCanless is editor and publisher of In the Grove, a monthly newsletter about Seagrove, NC, that focuses on pottery news. Click the link to see the latest issue. Rhonda works full-time for Central Park NC in Star, NC, and can sometimes be found at her husband’s pottery shop, Eck McCanless Pottery, located at 6077 Old U.S. Highway 220 in Seagrove, NC. She can be reached by calling 336/879-6950 336/879-6950 or e-mail to (professional_page@rtmc.net).

[ | November 2013 | Feature Articles | Download Carolina Arts' Current Issue | Carolina Arts Unleashed | Home | ]