June 2013

In The Grove
by Rhonda McCanless

The month of June is off to a great start in Seagrove, NC, with big pottery events at Bulldog Pottery and Donna Craven Pottery.

“Cousins in Clay” at Bulldog Pottery is June 1 & 2. Potters Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke will host the event, along with their mountain pottery “cousin” Michael Kline. “Cousins” is a contemporary pottery show and sale that invites nationally well-known potters to join in the fun. This year’s guests are David MacDonald from Syracuse, NY, and Jack Troy, from Huntingdon, PA.

The event will be held in the white house at Bulldog Pottery, 3306 U.S. Highway 220 in Seagrove. Visitors can enjoy live bouzouki music performed by Chronis and throwing demonstrations by Gholson and Kline on Saturday. The two will discuss how they became potters.

Everyone is invited to join in the fun for a potters’ potluck on Sunday at noon. Jack Troy will discuss his pottery life through poetry. For more information, call (336) 302-3469 or visit (www.CousinsInClay.com).

Donna Craven Pottery will hold a Spring Kiln Opening on June 1, from 9am to 5pm. The opening will feature wood-fired and salt glazed decorative and functional wares. Donna Craven Pottery is located at 2616 Old Cox Road in Asheboro. For more information, call (336) 629-8173 or e-mail at (donnacraven@embarqmail.com).

Pottery by Frank Neef will celebrate three years in Seagrove on June 8, from 10am to 5pm. Neef will give studio tours and demonstrate his unique process of piercing porcelain. Drawings for two wine goblets and an ikebana dish will be held at 1pm and 4pm.

Frank and his wife, Cindy, invite visitors to join them for iced tea and cookies, and check out the latest work in the gallery, located at 258 East Main Street in Seagrove. Neef specializes in crystalline pottery with intricate hand-cut designs. Visit (www.PotteryByFrankNeef.com) to learn more about Neef’s work. Call (336) 872-4013 for more information about the anniversary celebration.

“Seagrove Summerfest” will be held at the Museum of NC Traditional Pottery on June 14 & 15. Pottery demonstrations and refreshments will be available. A list of participating potters can be picked up at the museum. Participating shops will feature new summer wares. For more information, call Martha Graves at (336) 873-7887.

The North Carolina Pottery Center welcomes Lindsey Lambert as the center’s new executive director. He is the former director of the Brock Historical Museum and College Archives at Greensboro College. Lambert is also president of the North Carolina Museums Council, an all-volunteer not for profit organization comprised of several hundred museum professionals across the state.

Currently on display at the pottery center is Big Red: Chrome Red and Other Red Glazes of the North Carolina Piedmont. The exhibit will be on display until July 27. The NCPC is located at 233 East Avenue in Seagrove. For more information, call (336) 873-8430 or visit (www.ncpotterycenter.org).

Coming in July

Coming up in July is Latham’s Pottery’s 20th Year Open House Celebration on July 13. Christmas in July at the NC Museum of Traditional Pottery is July 19-21. Michèle Hastings & Jeff Brown Pottery and Eck McCanless Pottery will celebrate shop anniversaries with a special event July 20.

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 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 at (336) 879-6950 or e-mail to (professional_page@rtmc.net).

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