NCPC Fundraiser & Thanks to Those That Truly Care

Thank you to all that came to our party. We hope you enjoyed the night and
thanks for supporting the NCPC! It plays such a vital part of our community.

We had lots of food and beverages. As a compliment to what I had prepared we had some help: Meredith Heywood brought a pesto cheesecake and sweet tea, Bonnie Burns supplied bruschettas and corn salsa, Ikuko Hussy (Skoshi) brought her famous rum cake and sesame cookies, and Susan Greene brought a wide array of freshly baked desserts.

I am hopeful that we raised over $1500 for the NCPC but the total is not yet in!

Upcoming Events

I will be participating in both of these.

Faces for the Center

This is my piece for the Faces for the Center Benefit Auction.

Following the very successful Celebration of Seagrove Potters last November, the potters of Seagrove are again preparing for a community event showcasing the authenticity of the pottery capital of the US.

On April 4th, a group of Seagrove potters will gather at the North Carolina Pottery Center (www.ncpotterycenter.com) to jointly fire the double chambered wood kiln. This will offer visitors an opportunity to watch the process, as well
as view potters demonstrating the process of creating pieces of work. Takuro Shibata, Director of STARworks Ceramics in nearby Star, NC, states "STARworksCeramics is excited to donate our local clay mixed here in Star for the potters
to use to make pieces to be fired in the kiln at the NC Pottery Center. This is a community event and using local clay is an element that makes this firing unique to Seagrove."

These events will coincide with the ending of the Owen/Owens Show, on April 4, the exhibition showcasing one of the original extended Seagrove families, which has been on display since January. Members of the families will be performing their wonderful mountain music and there will be an opportunity to have your catalog signed by the exhibition participants from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.
This day will offer a variety of events from education to historical, all designed to offer the visitor a first hand experience of authentic Seagrove. Pam Owens, NC Pottery Center Board member and Jugtown potter states, "The state of North Carolina is amazing for it's pottery and this day will showcase not only a longstanding family tradition that spans North Carolina, but also an authentic Seagrove experience. The community kiln firing complements this exhibit and is
a wonderful coming together of potters and a sharing of knowledge and ideas, an opportunity for the public to experience the community spirit of the Seagrove Potters and support the North Carolina Pottery Center."

The experience doesn't end on the 4th though. On the 18th and 19th of April, Seagrove potters are planning kiln openings and special events in their shops. The Celebration of Seagrove Potters web site www.celebrationofseagrovepotters.com and the Seagrove Area Potters Association web site www.discoverseagrove.com will showcase all the events taking place in Seagrove over this weekend, aptly dubbed the Celebration of Spring in Seagrove, which quite aptly coincides with Earth Day!

The kiln that was fired at the NC Pottery Center on the 4th will be unloaded during the week of April 18 and each participating potter will donate one of the pieces to the Pottery Center's fund raising auction taking place on Saturday April 18th. The annual fund raising auction is a crucial event for the Pottery Center with proceeds from the auction helping to keep this very important museum and educational center open and operating.
A Silent Auction will be held from 2:30 to 4:00 with light refreshments from 4:00 to 5:00. The Live Auction starts at 5:00, all the events are free and open to the public

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters is a gathering of diverse clay artists joining forces to
showcase the traditional and contemporary pottery of the historic Seagrove community. Our goal is to maintain the authenticity of Seagrove pottery by working together in a community effort to promote the historical, educational and artistic aspects that can be experienced when visiting Seagrove, and to draw customers to the shops to have a first hand Seagrove experience. Our first joint event was the Celebration of Seagrove Potters, November 21-23, 2008, which was a resounding success. Please visit our blog www.CelebrationofSeagrovePotters.blogspot.com to view our final presentation of the event. Seagrove potters working together to bring people to Seagrove!

Life is Getting Normal Again, sort of....

I am back at work trying to get the orders filled so that I can create some inventory for Jugtown and the upcoming Celebration of Seagrove Potters. I will be making some jewelry for a pottery bust that Sandi Barden created for the collaborative auction. Pam and I also donated one of the teapots that we collaborate on. Pam made the teapot (obviously) and it is glazed in cobalt with copper. I made the sterling handle and lid. The lid is hand stamped and I added one of my birds as the topper.

There will be quite a few collaborative pieces in the auction on Friday night during the Gala and will be a great time to pick up some never to be done again pieces! Also it will give you first chance at shopping the booths and finding great pieces before we open to the general public on Saturday morning.

The house passed final inspection last week with flying colors! There is still some staining to do and cabinetry to go into the laundry room, etc. and floor that needs mopping badly! Wes ordered our new couch yesterday, thanks to Pam and Vernon for finding it! Now kitties will need extensive training about scratching. They will be wearing their new purple claw tips soon to prevent scratching and hopefully wont look too silly.

Benjamin and Bonnie Burns gave us this beautiful sink as a house warming present. We have chosen towels, rug etc to match it and love the way it is looking. Thanks Benjamin and Bonnie! I thought it would be a small bathroom but it is way bigger than I had imagined it would be.


So now I have to stay focused on work, and on the work for the COSP and do the house stuff at night! This is the beginning of the busy season, and I hope it will be busy for all of us here in Seagrove!