Giraffe Feeding at the North Carolina Zoo

Heads up! The North Carolina Zoo is opened a new giraffe feeding station on June 6, 2009. You'll be able to get eye-to-eye with these long-legged giants, an experience you'll never forget.

Open daily 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting June 6, 2009

Located at the Forest Edge exhibit, African region

The deck has a beautiful treetop view so it's a great place for group photos and for viewing our large herd of giraffes.

Seagrove in the Blogosphere

Seagrove was recently featured in the Our State magazine for July. Tracey Broome "A Potters Life For Me" writes about this months photo spread on her blog.

Mike Durham to throw pots in library as artist series concludes

Artist and educator Mike Durham will create pottery at the Asheboro Public Library in the last demonstration for the Summer Artist Series, 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, July 28.

Durham currently works in salt-glazed pottery, found object sculpture and habitat design for nature science centers. A former N.C. Art Educator of the Year, he has taught art, pottery, sculpture and photography in the Guilford and Randolph County schools, and has instructed pottery at Randolph and Montgomery community colleges.

He currently serves as president of the Randolph Arts Guild, and assists in the planning and organization of the N.C. Pottery Conference.

The artist series has brought local performers and artists to the library on Tuesday afternoons to demonstrate their work for the public. The demos are free and the public is invited to observe.

The series is part of the “Express Yourself @ Your Library” Summer Reading Program for teens, and is supported by the Friends of the Library.

Robbins Farmers Day Festival

July 30th, 31st and August 1, 2009

Thursday-Saturday, 54th annual Robbins Farmers Day Festival, downtown Robbins. Event includes rodeo, carnival rides, games, one of the largest horse parades on the East Coast, country, bluegrass, gospel and beach music, fireworks, mule show, arts & crafts, antique tractor show, and food. 

Seagrove in the Blogosphere: what visitors have to say

Fayetteview : Anything and Everything Fayetteville

Seagrove Excursion

The English Pottery : Robert Saxby

An article about Robert Saxby: The English Potter

Excerpt from the Courier Tribune, article written by Mary Anderson

“To me, traditional North Carolina pottery is traditional English pottery, and it has evolved much the same way pottery has in England, where they have been making salt-glazed vessels since the 1600s,” Saxby said.

Pottery has been a part of every culture forever, so what we have done here is elevate a skilled trade to an art form, Saxby said. In England, people use their pottery as everyday dinnerware.

After graduation from Croydon College of Art in London, Saxby came to the University of New Mexico on a teaching fellowship for his master’s degree. His passions are pottery and teaching — and golf. He has worked as a golf pro in South Carolina and Florida and taught pottery in England, Australia, New Zealand and China. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1989.

Local Artist Provides Free Educational and Historical Experience at the North Carolina Pottery Center

Seagrove, NC July 10, 2009 - Once again the North Carolina Pottery Center is opening its doors and grounds for the education and benefit of the public. On Saturday July 18th, David Garner of Turn & Burn Pottery will be firing the groundhog kiln on the pottery center grounds. The firing of the groundhog kiln takes approximately 15 hours and uses 2 cords of wood. The groundhog kiln will be loaded with over 200 pieces of Webster reproduction pots which will be featured during the North Carolina Pottery Centers' Artists' Reception, Friday August 14th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The exhibit will feature Historical Pottery of Fayetteville, NC - Highlighting 19th Century Webster & E. A. Poe Pottery.

David, a well-known potter in the Seagrove community, and his wife Deborah were chosen to be featured in the upcoming exhibition of Webster and E.A. Poe because of their knowledge and expertise of Webster pottery. David and Deborah have been producing Webster reproduction pots since 1985.

The Webster brothers (Edward, Chester and Timothy) produced pottery at Robbins & Co. in Fayetteville, the first commercial Stoneware factory in NC. Their style of pottery was unique among the early examples of NC salt glazed with its charmingly incised etchings; including birds and fish with cobalt decorations -techniques brought from their Connecticut backgrounds in stoneware production at Goodwin & Webster in Hartford. This was the early 1800s when the majority of North Carolina potters were producing lower -fired redware pots. The brothers eventually moved to Randolph County, settling in the Coleridge area, with Edward soon moving on to South Carolina.

David became interested in the Webster School of folk pottery when he learned of the family connection to the Craven family. Chester Webster came to Randolph County and turned for Solomon Craven, the grandson of Peter Craven, and later for his son Bartlett Yancey (B.Y.) Craven.

David is one of the most humble and unassuming potters of the Seagrove area, but one who constantly and tirelessly promotes the area through education. Last year he was the recipient of two impressive awards. Each October, for the past 20 years, David and family represent themselves and Seagrove at the, "Village of Yesteryear" at the State Fair in Raleigh. Last year he was awarded, by nomination of 100 of his peers, to receive the "Craftsman of the Year" from the Village of Yesteryear. The Board of the North Carolina Art Education Association (NCAEA) chose to recognize and congratulate David last year as one of the "Art Stars", exemplary art educators and advocates in their fields and commemorated his accomplishments during the NCAEA Professional Development Conference. David also serves his community as a member of the Seagrove City Council. He continually volunteers at schools throughout the area while providing prison ministry with his wife, Debora, statewide.

Walking into David's shop to view the many Webster reproduction pieces (runlets, jugs of all sizes, pitchers, jars and more) in various stages of development is a visual treat. David turns and Deborah carves. She uses no tracing; it is all done freehand and replicates the Webster school style with the hinge under the handle and many of the incised motifs, with the cobalt on woodfired salt glazed pots. Deborah's favorite etchings are the birds and fish. Twenty years ago, when Turn & Burn was one of the few shops producing traditional shapes with salt glaze, a Webster collector walked in and suggested they try their hand at doing some reproductions. Some twenty years later they are still at it in addition to the many other styles they produce. There is just something really special about carrying on a technique that had such a significant historical impact on pottery making in the Seagrove community.

Please come out to the NCPC on Saturday, July 18th all day to meet the artists and see how the process was done over 200 years ago and continues today. Then come back Friday, August 14th from 5:30 to 7:30 for the Artist's reception where the historical Webster and E.A. Poe pots will be on display and the pots that were fired on the 18th will be available for purchase. Both events are free and open to the public.

Opened in 1998 in Seagrove, the NCPC mission is to promote public awareness of North Carolina's remarkable pottery heritage. The Center welcomes and informs visitors to the Seagrove area, enriching their experience through exhibitions and educational programs, while promoting potters working across the state. The NCPC is a private nonprofit entity, funded primarily through memberships, grants, admissions, and appropriations.

OPEN: Tuesdays - Saturdays 10:00 am to 4:00, ADMISSION (excluding free special events): $2 - adults, $1 - students 9th through 12th grades, Free - children through 8th grade, free - NCPC members. Handicap accessible. Groups and tours welcomed. For further information and details call 336- 873-8430, email: ncpc@atomic.net or visit www.NCPotteryCenter.com.

Johnston & Gentithes Art Pottery Kiln Opening, July 17

Kiln Opening this Weekend

JULY 17, FRIDAY  10AM-7PM

JULY 18, SATURDAY,  10AM-5PM

 

  

Johnston & Gentithes Art Pottery will be presenting Fred’s recent work.  There will be an assortment of teapots and lady vases.  He will also have a selection of vases, jars, bowls and plates in his dynamic Eco Green glaze.   Cantaloupes, strawberries, tomatoes and sweet potatoes look incredible served on this glaze. It can turn an average dining experience into an extraordinary visual and culinary event.  Don’t be ordinary, be extraordinary.

 

In addition, Carol and Fred will be presenting their collaborative tea bowls.  Carol’s motifs illustrate and express revelations from dreams, literary readings and social observations. These masterful tea bowls are rare scenes and never duplicated.

Fred and Carol look forward to seeing you.

 

JOHNSTON & GENTITHES ART POTTERY

249 EAST MAIN STREET

SEAGROVE, NC

336-873-9176

North Carolina Peach Festival in Candor

DATE: THIRD SATURDAY IN JULY (JULY 18th)

We welcome you attend the North Carolina Peach Festival held every year on the third Saturday in July in our town, Candor. We began the festivals in 1997 and each year it gets better than the year before. The parade starts at 10 a.m. and the festivities take place in the park. Bring your lawn chairs and sit back and enjoy the local live entertainment. There are always lots of local peaches, peach ice cream and peach desserts.

Ben Owen July 17th Kiln Opening

Clay Soirée Ben Owen Pottery will have a special kiln opening July 17th, 2009 from 7pm-9pm. This opening will feature teapots and other pouring and serving vessels. Come out for a preview in person and enjoy creative food and other refreshments beginning at 6pm-6:50pm. Ben Owen Pottery will be closed during the day of the 17th to prepare for the opening that evening. A preview will be online on the Preview page July 16th after 3:00 pm.

Carolina Arts add Seagrove Potteries to Commercial Gallery Listings

Carolina Arts has generously added a new category to their online listings of Commercial Galleries. They have recently announced a new Seagrove section their blog Carolina Arts Unleashed. One may scan through on this website to see the many Seagrove potteries there are to visit in the Seagrove Community.

Carolina Arts is a publication focused on the Arts in South and North Carolina. This is a great publication to find out about Artist and Art Gallery activities. Now that the bigger newspapers are laying off their art journalists, and cutting back the Art and Culture Sections of their newspapers, it makes this publication even more important and valuable. Visit their website to find out more about Carolina Arts and read about the art scene in the Carolina's. If you are a gallery or an artist consider buying an ad and sending a press release to one of the last art news publications left in our region. All of this information you can find on the Carolina Arts' website.

Phil Pollet, Old Gap pottery, Seagrove Potter

Phil Pollet at the Celebration of Seagrove Potters, 2008

Phil Pollet of Old Gap Pottery has been invited to lecture at the Jilin College of Arts in Changchun, China on July 8, 2009. Congratulations Phil, what a great honor. To read more about this go to Michael Mahan's blog From the Ground Up. Michael and Mary helped Phil get images and video's organized on his computer for the lecture.

Phil Pollet looking over his vessel at the North Carolina Pottery Center, after the unloading of the Seagrove Pottery Community Wood Firing.

STARworks Ceramics Clay makes native clay for Penland Workshop

STARworks Ceramics made 8000 pounds of their Native Clay woodfire claybody for a workshop at Penland, Norh Carolina. The workshop is being taught by Seagrove Potter Daniel Johnston.  Visit their blog to read about their trip to Penland.

Visit to Penland  1

Visit to Penland 2

Visit to Penland 3