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July Issue 2006
Piedmont Technical College Opens New Center for Creative Economies in Edgefield, SC, on July 20, 2006
Piedmont Technical College
will host a grand opening event for its new Center for Creative
Economies in Edgefield, SC, on July 20, 2006. Guests will have
the opportunity to view the Professional Clay Studio and Gallery.
Guest lectures by potters Mark Hewitt and Stephen Ferrell will
begin at 3pm.
From Pittsboro, NC, Mark Hewitt is a well-known potter using local
clays to create his distinctive, yet functional pots that capture
the Carolina folk traditions. He recently co-authored with Nancy
Sweezy The Potter's Eye, published by UNC Press.
Stephen Ferrell, an authority on the history of Edgefield pottery, is credited with reviving the tradition in the area. He has published articles for the Greenville County Museum of Art and Country Living magazine and has been featured in Southern Living. He continues to conduct personal research on early South Carolina pottery techniques.
Located in historic downtown Edgefield, the new pottery facility is 8,000 square feet. The state-of-the-art facility will offer Professional Clay curriculum certificates as well as Continuing Education pottery programs and related seminars and workshops. The facility will also house an arts incubator for fledgling potters and an exhibition gallery to highlight the art of regional potters and to display periodic student shows.
Although the Center will provide comprehensive instruction in a variety of styles and methods, a primary mission will be to educate both students and the public about the rich history and production methods of the alkaline glazed stoneware tradition that began in the Edgefield District in the early 19th century and later spread throughout the lower southern states.
The ribbon cutting and
reception begins at 5pm. The new building is located at PTC's
Edgefield County Center at 506 Main Street in downtown Edgefield.
The Professional Clay certificates are designed to prepare individuals
for employment as professional potters or for pottery related
fields. The Professional Clay program will combine production
classes with courses in small business management, entrepreneurship
and craft marketing. Using traditional and contemporary concepts,
students will learn basic and advanced throwing skills with an
emphasis on form and design, as well as a comprehensive understanding
of clays, firing techniques, glaze formulation, and glazing and
finishing methods. Kiln building and pottery studio design will
also be covered.
The Professional Clay studio, located in Edgefield, SC, has been designed to be inviting, comprehensive and conducive to hands-on learning and creativity. Students will have access to a variety of pottery wheels, clay and glaze making equipment, and several different types of kilns, including a traditional ground-hog kiln, and will have an opportunity to highlight their work at special events held in the adjacent gallery.
Students enrolling in
the Professional Clay certificate will not need any prior training
or classes in the arts, pottery or business to enter the program.
Advanced Clay certificate students should have completed the first
certificate or have previous experience in pottery throwing and
production prior to entry. An interview with the Professional
Clay faculty is required for entrance in either certificate.
For more information on the event or to reserve a space for lectures,
contact PTC by calling 803/637-5388 or e-mailing to (holmes.s@ptc.edu)
before July 17, 2006. For info about classes which begin in Aug.
2006 call 803/637-5388 or visit (www.ptc.edu/pottery).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing
Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2006 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts
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