NC Pottery from the Kohn Collection

August 5, 2006 - November 5, 2006

The Mint Museum of Art

Facilitated by the recent donation of the Elizabeth and Leo Kohn Collection of Contemporary North Carolina Pottery, this exhibition includes the works of several North Carolina potters never before represented in the collection of the Museum. The exhibition is also designed to compliment the 2006 North Carolina Potters Market Invitational that will be hosted at the Mint Museum of Art and organized by the Delhom Service League in support of the museum's ceramic collection.

 

 

Internet Sources

The following are personal websites for artists included in the exhibition

 

• Samatha Henneke and Bruce Gholson
• Don Davis
• Adrienne Dellinger
• David Garner
• Tom Gray
• Fred Johnston
• Sid Luck
• John Mellage
• Phil Morgan
• Ben Owen III
• Pamela Owens
• Jane Peiser
• Alvie Smith
• David Stuempfle
• Gay Smith
• Blaine Avery
• Herb Cohen
• Craig Kovack
• Keith Lambert
• Jeff McDowell
• Anne Raven-Jorgensen
• Bill Stewart
• Mack Chrisco

 

Not all of the artists that are featured have personal websites. The following are those artists that are in the exhibition but are not yet on the web. 

 

• Charlie Lytle

 

 

Other Online Resources about NC Pottery

• The Seagrove Area Potters Association offers visitors a good starting point to locate current information about the potters and potteries in Seagrove, a small area in the corner of Randolph, Montgomery and Moore counties in Central North Carolina. The site includes a "Featured Potter" of the day and has a comprehensive listing of current events in and around Seagrove.

 

• Also visit the website of the North Carolina Pottery Center if you find yourself interested in the traditional pottery styles of the state. The center strives to continue "promoting public awareness and appreciation of the history, heritage, and ongoing tradition of pottery making in North Carolina."

 

• Although oddly formatted, this site from Drexel Antiques on North Carolina and Catawba Valley Pottery has an impressive selection of images, ranging from pottery from the 19th century to the face jugs of Burlon Craig to examples from contemporary potteries such as Jugtown, making it worth a look.

 

• One of the best online resources about the traditional elements of NC pottery can be found through the website of Ben Owen III which includes information about and images of the clay, glazes and firing process often used.

 

 

Books and Other Print Sources in The Mint Museums Library

 

• Built Upon Honor: The Ceramic Art of Ben Owen and Ben Owen III. Ed. Kathy L. Kay An exhibition catalog from the Mint Museum of art show featuring the two potters. The show ran from June 24, 1995 to January 7, 1996.

 

• Hewitt, Mark, Nancy Sweezy. The Potter's Eye: Art and Tradition in North Carolina Pottery. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2005. The color photographs in this book are outstanding, large and clear. Along with the photos, essays by both Hewitt and Sweezy provide an interesting perspective on the "new" tradition of North Carolina Potters, including a section on contemporary North Carolina potters. Ben Owen III, Pamela Owens and David Steumpfle were interviewed for features and large color photographs of their work are included. Detail photographs were also included, becoming perhaps the most helpful resource of this text by highlighting the surface texture of the pieces and the effect of the glazes, which is often times lost in images and behind glass when on exhibition.

 

• New Ways for Old Jugs: Tradition and Innovation at the Jugtown Pottery. Ed. Douglas DeNatale, Jane Przybysz and Jill R. Severn. University of South Carolina: McKissick Museum. The catalog of the exhibition held from June 26 to October 23, 1994 at the McKissick Musuem of the University of South Carolina is an interesting historical guide to the beginnings and past operation of one of North Carolina's most illustrious potteries. The catalog also includes information about the current state of Jugtown, including statements from Ben Owen III and Pamela Owens.

 

• North Carolina Pottery: The Collection of the Mint Museums. Ed. Barbara Stone Perry. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2004. The Mint Museum volume offers an extensive, encyclopedia-like listing of potters found in North Carolina. The entries are short, but they include an unprecedented number of artists and provides the necessary information about each potter, including the particular pottery, if notable, that each works at. It is a good starting point for familiarizing yourself with North Carolina pottery.

 

• Ritchie, Johnna M. and T. Dale Ritchie. Guide to North Carolina Potters. Concord, North Carolina: WaterMark Publications, 1996. Although lacking in the detailed description and analysis of the pottery that North Carolina produces, this comprehensive list of the potteries found in the state is helpful for anyone looking to visit, contact or purchase works from the artists. Hours of operation, contact information and directions are all listed, as are firing, forming and glazing methods specific to each pottery.

 

• Zug III, Charles G. The Traditional Pottery of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: Ackland Art Museum. While not specific to the modern pottery included in the Kohn Collection, the catalog to the 1981 show provides important historical information, particularly in reference to the source of the utilitarian forms, traditional glazes and the firing techniques still used today and found in many of the Kohn Collection pieces.

 

• Zug III, Charles G. Turners and Burners. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 1986. The technology section of this book is especially helpful, operating as a detailed guide to the techniques often still used by North Carolina potters. Zug provides the history of salt and alkaline glazes, and how they are used, provides schematics of the all important groundhog kiln, and also outlines the firing process. An all around good starting point in order to gain the necessary context for the modern pottery.

 

The following volumes of Studio Potter also include information on North Carolina Potters and can be found in the Mint Museums Library

• Vol 26 No. 1 Dec 1997 Article focuses on Seagrove Potters, including Pamela Owens, Sid LUck, David Stuempfle and Ben Owen III.
• Vol 3 No. 1 Dec 1974

 

Don't forget to visit!

All of the print resources can be found in the Mint Museums Library, but there is even more to find, like artist files for each potter in the exhibit! Don't forget to come by the library. Contact Librarian Joyce Weaver by telephone (704-337-2023) or email at jweaver@mintmuseum.org to set up a time to visit.

 

Want more information about the North Carolina Potters Market?

Contact Julia VanHuss, Chairman of the Potters Market at 704-366-2504.

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Page created by Janie Buckley for the Mint Museum