Attractions
Arts & Culture
Boating
Civil War Trails
Historic Walking Tour
Outdoor
Outer Banks
Shopping & Antiquing
Fitness & Spas
Sports & Recreation

---

Albemarle Craftman's Fair
NC Art Pottery Exhibit
Historic Ghost Walk
Albemarle Civil War Exhibit

---

Map it — and GO!

---

So much to see, so much to do! Discover the good life monthly, too! See more...

Get what you need, when you need it with our convenient email notification. Sign up now!

North Carolina Art Pottery Exhibition Brings Unique
Works by Talented Potters to One Location

Presented through April 2012

North Carolina's rich art pottery tradition takes a turn in the spotlight at the Museum of the Albemarle with the exhibit Formed, Fired and Finished, featuring a collection of more than 90 pottery pieces on loan from Dr. Everett James and Dr. Nancy Farmer, of Chapel Hill. Showcasing unusual words by talented potters, it is the first and largest showing of North Carolina pottery in Eastern North Carolina. The exhibit opened May 14, 2011 and will be open for a year.

"This is a rare opportunity to see unique works by some of North Carolina's preeminent potters in one location," said Museum of the Albemarle Administrator Ed Merrell.

North Carolina's art pottery tradition traces its lineage to the 1760s when immigrant potters, mostly from England and Germany, settled their families in Central North Carolina, known today as the Seagrove area. Living on remote farms built on rich deposits of clay, the families made pottery for sale and trade. This traditional ceramic ware was used up to the early 20th century when a movement known as Arts and Crafts was sweeping the country. With an eye toward traditional craftsmanship and simple forms, the potters adopted the movement and began converting their traditional pottery forms into stylized shapes with a new palette of glazes.

"The potters converted jugs, butter churns and storage jars into decorative ceramics. They called the new forms 'fancy ware,' and today it is known as North Carolina art pottery," said Don Pendergraft, Museum of the Albemarle exhibit design chief. "This transition helped keep North Carolina's oldest continuous industry alive and thriving. The exhibit is a visual testament to their determination to remain in control of their destinies."

The collection of James and Farmer is based on this time period and includes pieces from the eastern Piedmont families; Cravens, Coles, Owen (Owens), Aumans, and Teagues, from the Catawba Valley region; Hiltons, List, Propst, Ritchie, Reinhardt, and Craig, well-known Seagrove and Catawba Valley potters who embraced the "fancy ware" tradition. A few pieces of Catawba and Cherokee Indian will be displayed to examine the influences of tourist and the change to fancy ware. These regions made the most art pottery and are connected by the Hilton family, who worked and transferred ideas from Seagrove to Catawba.

About the Collectors
Both James and Farmer, who are married, are avid collectors with familial ties to North Carolina. James, a renowned radiology physician grew up in Robersonville, N.C., and the nearby town of Jamesville is named for his family. He has instructed at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, University College London and Vanderbilt. Farmer, from Norwood, in Stanley County, has been an educator at all levels—counselor, teacher, principal and associate superintendent.

Their appreciation of art began when they lived and taught for several years in Europe. There, they enjoyed visiting galleries and started collecting English watercolors. When they returned to North Carolina, their attention turned to American art, folk art and art pottery, amassing an impressive collection. In 1993, James established St. James Place, a restored historic, primitive Baptist church in his hometown, where he exhibits all types of folk art, including more than 400 examples of North Carolina pottery.