After our elation over the University of Michigan football victory over the Irish (don’t even mention that Carolina Panthers’ game) and frustrations over messed up Beatles’ CDs – it’s back to the business of bringing you news about the visual art community in the Carolinas.
It seems that the pottery community in Seagrove, NC, including the North Carolina Pottery Center, is much more significant – statewide and nationwide – than a few individuals would like the NC Legislature to know. Cream will always rise to the top no matter how much you stir the pot. Of course if you stir it too much – you get butter. And, who doesn’t like butter? Butterrrr.
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009, at 8 pm, PBS TV, will air a nationwide broadcast of a brand new episode of the Peabody award-winning series,Craft in America, that features two well-known North Carolina potteries.Craft in America producer, Carol Sauvion, explains why. “North Carolina pottery has inspired and influenced potters from all over the world,” says Sauvion, “It is authentic, original, and powerful in its simplicity. By including Jugtown and the Hewitt pottery in its new episodes, the Craft in America series showcases their significant contribution to the history of craft in America.”
Jugtown potters, Vernon and Pam Owens, and their children Travis and Bayle, and Mark Hewitt in Pittsboro, NC, are proud to represent the state’s pottery tradition in this stunning documentary that serves as a tremendous affirmation of North Carolina’s role in shaping the ceramic heritage of United States.
Vernon and Pam Owens
Both Pam Owens and Mark Hewitt are on the board of the North Carolina Pottery Center (NCPC) in Seagrove, NC, and have helped organize a series of simultaneous “viewing parties” across the state on Oct. 7, 2009, to coincide with the broadcast, and to raise funds for programming at NCPC.
Mark Hewitt
These “viewing parties”, described as, “a collective group hug for all the potters and pottery lovers across the state,” demonstrate a remarkable show of support from North Carolina pottery guilds and patrons across the state. This support acknowledges the camaraderie among North Carolina potters, and validates the role that the North Carolina Pottery Center plays in promoting public awareness and appreciation of the history, heritage, and ongoing tradition of pottery making in North Carolina.
Eight pottery Guilds, from the coast to the mountains, are hosting “viewing parties” for their members and supporters, including the Coastal Carolina Clay Guild in Wilmington, NC, the North Carolina Pottery Collectors Guild and the Triangle Pottery Guild (both in Raleigh, NC), Durham Clayworks, Carolina Claymatters and Carolina Clay Connection in Charlotte, NC, and the Potters of the Roan in Bakersville, NC, and Penland, NC. There will also be a gathering at UNC-Asheville in Asheville, NC.
The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary, NC, is partnering with NCPC, Craft in America, and UNC-TV, to host a Gala Dinner, Dessert and Viewing Party.
In addition, there are seven parties being held at the homes of NCPC patrons in cities across the state – in Edenton, Fayetteville, Seagrove, Asheboro, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Pittsboro.
Visit (www.ncpotterycenter.com) or phone 336/873-8430 for more information about attending one of these events. To contact Jugtown Pottery visit (www.jugtownware.com) or phone 910/464-3266, and to contact Mark Hewitt visit (www.hewittpottery.com) or phone 919/542-2371.