November 2013

6th Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters Takes Place in Seagrove, NC - Nov. 22-24, 2013

The 6th Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters takes place on Nov. 22-24, 2013. Seagrove potters have been working for months in preparation for this big event. This year’s Celebration features 57 Seagrove pottery shops and more than 100 authentic Seagrove artists. The Celebration, held in the historic Luck’s Cannery on NC Highway 705 in Seagrove, NC, is one of the most spectacular pottery events in North Carolina. Approximately 5,000 people visit each year throughout the weekend.

The Friday Night Gala, held on Nov. 22, from 6-9pm, provides customers the opportunity to preview all the pottery available and to be first in line to purchase. Additionally, they enjoy live music and meet and greet with Seagrove potters during the catered reception. This year the menu features local restaurant, “Something Different” of Asheboro, NC, live music and festive beverages. Ticket information is available at (www.celebrationofseagrovepotters.com). Tickets for the Gala are $40 in advance. The Gala ticket price also includes Saturday and Sunday admission to the Celebration.

The collaborative auction is an extremely exciting aspect of the Gala. The auction offers the rare opportunity to bid on special pots created by two or more potters working together. These unique pots showcase each individual’s talent, creating one of the most diverse and exceptional groupings of highly collectable pots available. For a preview of what will be offered during the Gala auction, visit (http://www.celebrationofseagrovepotters.com/gala2011/auction-2013.htm). Among the collaborations are works by:

Tom Gray (Tom Gray Pottery) & Benjamin Burns (Great White Oak Gallery); David Fernandez (Seagrove Stoneware) and Alexa Modderno; Jennie Lorette Keatts (JLK Jewelry at Jugtown) and Cindy Neef (Pottery by Frank Neef); Donna Craven (Donna Craven Pottery) and Chad Brown (Chad Brown Pottery); Sid Luck (Luck’s Ware), Susan Greene and Jennie Lorette Keatts (JLK Jewelry at Jugtown); Chris Luther (Chris Luther Pottery) and Carol Gentithes (Johnston & Gentithes Art Pottery); Nelda French (Nelda French Pottery) and Bill Hohl & Sherry Caldwell- Hohl (Caldwell-Hohl Artworks); Bonnie Burns (Great White Oak Gallery) and Cindy Neef (Pottery by Frank Neef); Keith Martindale (Keith Martindale Pottery), Colby Wallace and Mark Koepnick (Koepnick Pottery); Eck McCanless (Eck McCanless Pottery) and Frank Neef (Pottery by Frank Neef); Stephanie Martin (Dean & Martin Pottery) and Hitomi Shibata (Studio Touya); and Frank Neef (Pottery by Frank Neef) and Paul Ray (Ray Pottery).
The 6th Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters continues Nov. 23, from 9am to 6pm, and Nov. 24, from 10am to 4pm. Saturday visitors will have the opportunity to bid on special pots donated for the silent auction, which takes place from 1-3pm. Event tickets can be purchased at the door for $5, with children 12 and under admitted free.

Seagrove potters will demonstrate throughout the weekend on Sat., from 11am-5pm and Sun., 11am-4pm. Children are encouraged to attend with two booths designed with them in mind. In one, children have the opportunity to explore their creativity with hands-on activities. The other features donated pots that only children can purchase, priced from $1 to $5. The proceeds benefit art programs in local schools.

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters is distinctive; it is a showcase of the pottery artists of Seagrove, a community that covers the three county corner region of Randolph, Moore and Montgomery. Over 100 Seagrove potters, from 58 shops, are participating this year. Participating shops are: Avery, Ben Owen, Blue Hen, Blue Stone, Bulldog, Caldwell-Hohl, Chad Brown, Chris Luther, Crystal King, Daniel Johnston, David Fernandez, David Stuempfle, Dean & Martin, Dirt Works, Donna Craven, Dover, Eck McCanless, Fireshadow, Frank Neef, From the Ground Up, Gingerbread House, Great White Oak Gallery, Hatfield, Hickory Hill, JLK Jewelry, Johnston & Gentithes, Keith Martindale, King’s, Koepnick, Kovack, Lantern Hill, Latham’s, Levi Mahan, Luck’s Ware, Lufkin, Matthew Kelly, McKay, McNeill’s, Michele Hastings & Jeff Brown, Nelda French, Nichols, Old Gap, Patrick Rowe, Pebbles, Potts, Ray, Riggs, Rockhouse, Seagrove Stoneware, Snowhill, Studio Touya, The Hutch, Tom Gray, Triple C, Turn & Burn, Whynot, and Windsong.

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters can be followed on Facebook. Potters regularly post updates and photos of what they have been working on. Check in regularly for updates on many more works in progress and to enter fantastic contests.

The Celebration is organized by the Seagrove Area Potters Association and appreciates the support of the following sponsors: Life 103.1, Randolph Telephone Membership Corporation, Starworks, Carolina Arts, Flowers on Main, Village Printing, Bay Electric and Century Link.

The Seagrove area is one of the largest communities of potters with the longest continual history of pottery making in the United States. Today visitors can explore the rural landscape by back roads and visit the potters in their workshops and studios, to witness the Seagrove potters continuing the tradition of making pots. The area is home to more than 100 potters who offer a full spectrum of pottery and ceramic art. With a diversity of talents, Seagrove has something to offer both the serious collector and the casual buyer. The Seagrove area offers the visitor an opportunity to learn about North Carolina’s ongoing pottery culture.

The Seagrove area potters can be found in their shops most weekdays, quietly working with clay on their potter’s wheels, in much the same fashion as the first potters attracted to central NC by the abundant local clay. The mission of the Seagrove Area Potters Association is to help you find those hardworking artists, visit their studios and find just the right pottery to grace your home. The organization is led by a board of directors made up of potters and other interested individuals from the community. The Discover Seagrove website, along with the SAPA Visitors Guide, lists hours and other important information about the local potters to help you plan your visit.

There is plenty of free parking onsite and area food vendors will be on hand for lunch both Saturday and Sunday.

For further information about the Celebration or member potteries of the Seagrove Area Potters Association visit (www.celebrationofseagrovepotters.com).

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