I got ALL whipped up when I toured the miniscule Greenville, NC art museum. Did they have fabulously unexpected pictures or sculptures? No. Did they have world recognized artists? No. So, you ask, why did I get my panties in such a twist? The tour guide clued me into SEAGROVE, NC., arguably the hand made pottery capital of the United States. I immediately got Drake on board to visit this podunk town, population 200, with one stoplight. I even made arrangements to stay overnight at the Duck Smith B & B, a turn of the century home, which is exactly the same as when it was built with the exception of the addition of four bathrooms. [Surprisingly, the interior walls of this house - and I mean EVERY interior wall - was two inch wide dark varnished board and that included the ceilings!] Fortunately, these were the high ceilings you find in these types of houses to help with summer cooling. I forgot to take pix of the house because I was so pottery crazy. This was a great place to stay - comfortable and with a killer breakfast.
However, I came to see pottery, and I conquered. First, we toured the North Carolina Pottery Museum which was an interesting history lesson about pottery in this Piedmont Region of North Carolina. To make pottery you need clay, and central North Carolina is filled with all types of clay deposits. The pottery tradition started with the Native American tribes which inhabited this area. They made coiled rope pots and fired them. Every piece needed a five step process to complete, and every piece was functional.
The Europeans arrived in the mid 1700s, and some of the first arrivals came with pottery making skills which included using a pottery wheel. They were thrilled to discover potter's quality clay for the taking. Unfortunately, the early glazes included using LEAD. The lead poisoned both potters and their families. The below pictured plate is from 1780 and the cake pan is from 1830 - they both use lead based glazes. The plate form and decoration is still being made today by contemporary potters.
As soon as lead was determined to be poisonous, potters quit using this type of glaze. However, the clay needed for the non-lead glazes was much harder to get. It needed to be dug out instead of being collected by the shovelful on the surface of the land. The new type of clay when fired was called 'stoneware' replacing the earlier clay called 'earthenware'. Potters scouted out caved in sides of creeks and riverbanks (water is in abundance in NC) as the easiest way to find the necessary clay. Clay digging expeditions were organized. In addition to the right kind of clay, potters began using salt fired glazes. If there was no convenient salt lick, then this ingredient needed to be purchased. Salt was dumped into ports in a hot kiln containing the stoneware vessels. This caused a gray dimpled glaze which looked like the surface of an orange. The pot below was fired in 1850.
North Carolina pottery of the 19th century was completely functional. Pottery was used for all types of plates and bowls, but also for canteens, foot warmers and grave markers.
Pottery making was the second source of 'cash' for a family farm after tobacco. Thus, family run potteries have a long history in North Carolina. One of first large family potteries run as a business separate and distinct from a tobacco farm was the Jugtown Pottery which is still in business today. Here's an example of Jugtown pottery in the distinctive orange glaze.
In the 20th & 21st centuries, pottery had a dual character. The majority of pieces were still 'functional' and classed as a craft rather than an 'art'. From the 1970's forward, more and more potters were creating studio pottery following the Japanese style - production of mostly functional pieces which prized uniformity of pieces together with the 'master potter' creating one of a kind studio pieces. It hasn't taken long for these unique studio pieces to be classified as art by the art world and displayed in top museums.
I've been collecting pottery since 1970. My pieces are both studio pieces and functional pieces, and my favorite pieces are BOTH. We went crazy in Seagrove. I could have easily spent another entire day there and spent twice as much. Fortunately for me, there are three large galleries in town which display and sell 90% of the 100+ potters working in the area. I came away with a beautiful platter 18" long which is sea green and shaped like a tropical leaf; a blue jug with cascading glaze useful for gravy or salad dressing or juice for two; two magnificent coffee cups, so lightweight you can't believe they are pottery; a large round lidded display piece in forest green; two small display bowls; and a piece of lace pressed pottery about 3" across. Oh, man, I had a good time.
If you are ever in the area, I recommend a stopover. The big galleries are all clustered in town. If you need more pictures and explanations, here they are:
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