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December Issue
2009
North Carolina
Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, Offers Pottery from the Catawba
Valley
North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, is presenting the exhibit, Fire in the Valley: Catawba Valley Pottery Then and Now, on view through Jan. 31, 2010.
For most North Carolinians, the Seagrove area is the Mecca of pottery production, the place that most embodies historical continuity and native artistry. But just 100 miles due west of Seagrove is the Catawba Valley, the site of North Carolina's other great pottery tradition. During the 18th century, numerous families, most of German origin, settled what are now Lincoln and Catawba Counties in the western Piedmont. The Catawba River encircles this region, and its South Fork, which meanders through the heart of both counties, has provided superb clays for the potters' wheels.
Historically, the Catawba
Valley produced almost as many potters as Seagrove, but throughout
the 20th century it was largely ignored, perhaps because it lay
well to the west of the major cities of the Triangle and Triad.
Over the last 30 years, however, the Catawba Valley has experienced
a remarkable renaissance. Thanks to the tenacity and passion of
one man, Burlon Craig, numerous potters now dig local clays and
burn the old alkaline glaze in wood-fired groundhog kilns. And
many collectors and museums have come to admire the consummate
artistry of the early masters of the 19th century, like Daniel
Seagle and David Hartzog.
In comparison to the gray salt-glazed stonewares found around
Seagrove, the alkaline glaze at first seems uncontrolled, sloppy,
even dirty in appearance. It is typically quite thick and murky,
exhibits a wide variety of textures and colors, and is rarely
decorated. In short, it takes some getting used to. But for all
its protean qualities, on the bold forms of masters like Daniel
Seagle or Isaac Lefevers or Sam Propst or today, Kim Ellington,
it can be stunningly beautiful. And in the words of Georgia
folklorist John Burrison, this regional glaze "seems to distill
the rustic spirit of the Southern frontier, and speaks eloquently,
if humbly, of molasses, moonshine whiskey, buttermilk, and salt-cured
foods that were the staples of Southern living."
This exhibition, curated by Tim Blackburn and Terry Zug, will illustrate the full history of the Catawba Valley from the earliest lead-glazed earthenwares through the great utilitarian tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries to potters who are working today. In addition, a selection of pots will be available for sale by contemporary potters: Michael Ball, Kim Ellington, Walter Fleming, Luke Heafner, and Bob Hilton.
Exhibitions are made possible through the generosity of our membership, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The mission of the North
Carolina Pottery Center is to promote public awareness of and
appreciation for the history, heritage, and ongoing tradition
of pottery making in North Carolina.
For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery
listings, call the Center at 336/873-8430 or visit (www.ncpotterycenter.com).
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