Seagrove, NC – Seagrove Woodfire Weekend, June 6 – 7, a two-day studio driving tour, celebrating the role of wood firing in the creation of ceramics, will be held at individual Seagrove Potteries the first weekend in June.
The flames have been crackling during the past couple of weeks as potters fire their kilns for the annual Seagrove Wood Fire NC Weekend Pottery Tour, June 6 and 7 featuring new wood-fired pottery, and demonstrations. Fourteen pottery shops are participating this year, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Learn about the process of firing with wood and discover the extensive array of effects each potter renders from the atmosphere inside a wood firing.
Some of the kilns take nearly a week to fire, stoking them with wood every 10 minutes or so. Volatile compounds, including molten ash, float and flash onto surfaces, building up and creating effects which can dramatically or subtly enhance a pot.
The potters representing this group are a mix of traditional and contemporary, so the finished pots differ. “Some of us can trace our family history back hundreds of years to farmers who used the local clay to craft wares from clay here in Seagrove going back eight generations. Others have been drawn to the potters area after studying in faraway places like Estonia and Japan and bring unique techniques to the community,” said Ben Owen III, generational Seagrove potter.
Admission is free. Maps of the Participating shops will be available in town.
Visit website event page for list of studios on tour.
https://discoverseagrove.com/events/seagrove-wood-fire-nc-main-event/
Seagrove is in the center of the state, potteries are located in a 20 mile radius, along and close to NC Pottery Highway 705. For more information, visit www.Discoverseagrove.com.
Photo: Ben Owen, with large pots fired in his kiln.
