Seagrove, NC potters are hard at work to get ready for the 18th Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters Show and Studio Tour, coming up November 22, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and November 23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Friday night Gala returns, November 21, 5 – 8:30 p.m.
Twenty-eight Seagrove pottery shops will set up booths in a newly renovated event space, the Wavie M. Presnell Convention Center at the Luck Comer Lail Center (Historic Luck’s Cannery) at 798 N.C. 705 in Seagrove. In addition to the pottery show, 25 pottery shops are participating in a self-guided driving studio tour.
Gala tickets are $65 and include a catered reception, festive drinks, entertainment, the opportunity to shop early and bid in the live auction of special collaboration pieces. Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.discoverseagrove.com prior to the event.
General admission tickets for the indoor market are $8 and can be purchased at the door. The studio tour is free. Visitors can pick up a program at the Luck Comer Lail Center that will include a layout of market participants and a studio tour map. Admission is not required to pick up a map for the studio tour.
The Celebration of Seagrove Potters also features a silent auction of special pieces created by the area potters to raise money to help promote Seagrove potters throughout the year.
This year, the Seagrove Area Potters Association is donating 25% of the live and silent auctions proceeds to create a scholarship fund for local high school seniors who are pursuing art programs. Scholarships will benefit a high school student in each of the following counties, Randolph, Montgomery and Moore.
In addition to potters’ booths, visitors can enjoy wheel throwing demonstrations, a kids’ area, food trucks and a festive atmosphere. Demonstrations are scheduled throughout the event. The Smokehouse Mobile Bistro and Simply Coffee food trucks will be on site.
Volunteers are needed. There are several ways to volunteer. Those interested in volunteering can register on the www.discoverseagrove.com website.
The Celebration of Seagrove Potters is one of the biggest events of the year, and is the only time that pottery enthusiasts can visit several Seagrove potters in the same location.
The pottery tradition in Seagrove spans more than 200 years. Today there are more than 50 pottery shops keeping that tradition alive. Forty-three of those shops are participating in the Celebration of Seagrove Potters.
Pottery shops participating in the indoor market at the Historic Luck’s Cannery are Ben Owen Pottery, Blue Hen Pottery, Cat Viera Pottery, Chad Brown Pottery, Chris Luther Pottery, Crystal King Pottery, David Stuempfle Pottery, Dirtworks Pottery, Eck McCanless Pottery, Fiva McCanless Pottery, From the Ground Up, Hatfield Pottery and Carolina Crockery, Hickory Hill Pottery, Jared Zehmer Pottery, JLK Jewelry, Keith Martindale Pottery, Kluba Ceramics, Kovack Pottery, Luck’s Ware, Matthew Kelly Pottery, Pottery by Frank Neef, Pottery Road Studio, Ray Pottery, Red Hare Pottery, Seagrove Stoneware, The Triangle Studio, Triple C Pottery and Windsong Pottery.
Pottery shops participating in the studio tour are Ben Owen Pottery, Blue Hen Pottery, BlueStone Pottery, Bulldog Pottery, Chris Luther Pottery, Dean and Martin Pottery, Dirtworks Pottery, Donna Craven Pottery, Donna’s Pottery Haven, From the Ground Up, Hickory Hill Pottery, Johnston and Gentithes Studios, Jugtown Pottery, McNeill’s Pottery, O’Quinn Pottery, Pottery Road Studio, Potts Pottery, Ray Pottery, Seagrove Art Pottery, Studio Touya, The Triangle Studio, Thomas Pottery, Triple C Pottery, Turn and Burn Pottery and Wyndham and Brooke Haven Pottery.
More information can be found at www.discoverseagrove.com.
Photo: Celebration of Seagrove Potters promotional poster featuring work from Luck’s Ware.
Photo by Michael Mahan.
