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Pottery
A NC tradition
NATIVE AMERICAN POTTERY
North Carolina's long love affair with pottery began with the Cherokee and Catawba Indian tribes. For centuries, the Catawba and Cherokee each produced their own distinctive styles of pottery using North Carolina's abundant clay.
MORAVIAN POTTERY
European style pottery was introduced to the NC Piedmont region by Moravian potters from Bethleham, PA, most notably a man named Gottfried Aust.
The Moravian potters produced sophisticated pottery, including English Creamware. In 1774 they began to produce stoneware.
Gottfried Aust circa 1780 |
SEAGROVE POTTERY
Seagrove, NC, in Randolph County, is one of the largest communities of potters with the longest continual history of pottery production in the United States.
The early Seagrove potters were primarily British. They made good use of the rich clay deposits in the region, producing earthenware.
By the early part of the 19th century, they were producing salt glazed, high fired stoneware. The pottery produced in this region was predominantly utilitarian.
The Industrial Revolution killed the pottery business in most of the country. The Seagrove potters managed to hang on, mainly because of their remote location and the local whisky distilling industry.
Help for the struggling potters came in the 1920's in the form of Jacques and Juliana Busbee. This remarkable couple recognized the value of handcrafted pottery and began marketing the Seagrove pottery to sophisticated buyers in New York and beyond.
During the 1960's and 1970's, the hippie movement and the Bicentennial helped to promote renewed interest in handcrafts.
Copper Penny Shino by Ben Owen III, Seagrove, NC.
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Many of the old Seagrove families remain today, still making pottery in their old locations. In addition, Seagrove has become a Mecca for potters. The area now contains over 100 potters, each with their own distinctive style of pottery.
PENLAND
In 1923 a remarkable schoolteacher named Lucy Morgan began a cottage industry in the Blue Ridge Mountains called The Penland Weavers. She provided local women with looms and materials and then marketed their goods.
Over time, this little group became a learning center, adding programs and crafts until it became a nationally recognized center for American handcrafts.
Lucy Morgan summarized her values in this statement: "the joy of creative occupation and a certain togetherness-working with one another in creating the good and the beautiful."
TODAY
North Carolina's long tradition of pottery continues today. Modern potters incorporate the rich heritage of Native American and folk potters with contemporary influences and techniques to produce some of the finest pottery in the world.
Sources:
Zug, Charles III. Turners and Burners: The Folk Potters of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1986.
UNC TV ONLINE: North Carolina Craft History
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Furry Friends
Meet Valley Eby Jackson. Valley resides in Georgia with our good friends (and fabulous glassblowers) Loretta Eby and Jeff Jackson. Valley is a miniature Australian Shepherd and promises to be a valuable part of the Eby-Jackon team. Read more about Loretta's glass here. |
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Handscapes Gallery, 410 Front Street, Beaufort, NC 28516
252 728 6805
www.handscapesgallery.com |
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Greetings!
October 1-10 is American Craft Week. American Craft Week brings together individuals, small businesses, and organizations from all fifty states in recognition of the countless ways handmade objects enrich our daily lives and contribute to our national aesthetic and economy.
We at Handscapes Gallery celebrate American Crafts every day. We would like to devote this month's newsletter to showcasing some of our wonderful North Carolina potters. |
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North Carolina Pottery at Handscapes
Dinah Wilde Ramsing- Wilmington, NC
"Although my work is contemporary in design, it carries the influence of geology, history, archaeology. I make many types of clay work, some of which are purely decorative. However, I consider the content of my serious work to be narrative, figurative, and personally symbolic."
Jim Whalen -Horse Shoe, NC
Jim creates beautiful pit fired pots with classic shapes and unusual surface decoration. Each pot is different, all are beautiful
 Glenn Gage - Morehead City, NC
Glenn's high-fired stoneware is decorated in rich blues, golds and reds, with slip trailing and impeccable craftsmanship. All of Glenn's pottery is lead free and fully functional.
Cindy Pacileo - Vilas, NC
Cindy brings each Little Guy to life by shaping a small ball of clay in her hands until it has just the right personality! Then she draws in its sweet face. No two are quite alike.
Jenn Garulski Stas - Wake Forest,
Jenn's complex pieces reflect themes from woods and sea, combining carving and painting. Each intricate piece is its own individual work of art and yet her pottery is fully functional.
Robin Brice - Chapel Hill, NC
Robin divides her time between coastal NC and the triangle. Her whimsical fire breathing dragons have been delighting our customers for over 20 years. Simply feed them oil, light their nostrils and enjoy! The fiberglass wicks never need to be replaced
 Pam Holliday - Adams Creek, NC
Pam's beautiful pieces are primarily handbuilt. They often are embellished with handcarved elements that reflect the coastal environment in which Pam lives.
Geoff Lloyd - Wake Forest, NC
Geoff creates functional porcelain pottery. His classic shapes are decorated with slip trailing and rustic, yet sophisticated, glazes. His high fired, functional porcelain is both beautiful and practical.
Marina Bosetti - Raleigh, NC
Marina specializes in these wonderful stoneware tiles. She creates mirrors, wall hangings, tables and kitchen and bath installations.
 Ruth Apter - Horse Shoe, NC
"I am inspired by artifacts from ancient cultures and domestic and wild animals, the tiniest of plants to the giant trees. What I create is a distillation of what I see."
Ed & Kate Coleman - Swannanoa, NC "We like working within the parameters of a series, keeping each piece unique and one-of-a-kind. This process allows our art to continuously grow and move in dynamic ways. We hope that the excitement we feel when making a piece is evident and is transferred to the owners of our work."
Ray Pottery - Seagrove, NC
This area of North Carolina is one of the largest communities of potters with the longest continual history of pottery making in the United States. Sheila and Paul produce this lovely and functional stoneware in this historic and traditional setting.
Robin Grazetti - Wilmington, NC
Robin creates whimsical sea creatures that reflect the influence of her coastal environment. She hand builds her mermaids, fish, and turtles.
Kathleen Ryall - Oxford, NC
Kathleen's porcelain is distinguished by its elegance, purity of form and uncompromising quality.
Susan Luster - Cary, NC
Susan lives and works in Cary, NC. She enjoys making ikebana flower arrangers and rustic wall hangings. Susan usually incorporates natural elements into her "Susisolar" pottery pieces.
Brent Wheelwright - Morehead City, NC
Brent gives a contemporary new twist to raku pottery with his strong colors and geometric designs. |
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Hours
Monday thru Saturday
10am to 6pm
Sunday 10pm to 5pm
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We hope you enjoyed our newsletter and hope you will come and see us....enjoy the view from our back porch.
All the best from
Alison, Jill, Kate, Linda, Sharon, Ann, and Betty | |
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