The North Carolina
Visitor Center
WNC Pottery Fest 2011
Potters from Across U.S. Coming to WNC Festival – Nov. 5
DILLSBORO, N.C. – The Western North Carolina Pottery Festival expects record attendance this fall as the juried festival continues to attract master potters from across the U.S.
This year’s event is Saturday, Nov.5, on the streets of downtown Dillsboro. It features the work of 42 clay artists, with sales and demonstrations of their craft throughout the day.
Roughly half the potters hail from the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, while the other half are from as far away as: Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Florida and Ohio.
“The festival has taken off more than we ever imagined,” said organizer Joe Frank McKee of Dillsboro’s Tree House Pottery. “Attendance increases each year and the potters who apply get better and better. What started as a local pottery festival has blossomed into more of a regional and national pottery festival.”
The types of work displayed have also blossomed.
“There’s such a variety. We’re not locked into one genre,” McKee said. “We cover lots of firing temperatures and techniques. For example, we have a potter whose work looks like glass. Another potter’s work is fired with salt and soda to give a beautiful halo effect.”
Folks in the know have started coming a day early to take in Friday’s “Clay Olympics”, a wheel-throwing competition in which local and visiting potters compete for prizes and bragging rights. That’s from 1:00 to 3:00 in front of Tree House Pottery. Behind Tree House is the wood kiln firing demonstration; the kiln will take most of Friday to fire and will be opened during the festivities on Saturday.
The walkabout artist village of Dillsboro provides a great atmosphere for the festival, with working studios and friendly shops, framed by the autumn color of the Great Smoky Mountains.
“We’re on Scotts Creek and the Tuckasegee River, surrounded by mountains with beautiful fall foliage,” McKee said. “The town welcomes folks with open arms, and there are great places to eat and stay overnight.”
Saturday’s festival hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is $3 per person and includes a ticket for a day-long raffle with hourly drawings. Children under 12 are admitted free. Parking is available at pay and free lots, and free shuttles will run all day between the parking lots and the festival.
For festival info, call (828) 631-5100, or visit: www.wncpotteryfestival.com. For lodging info, call the Jackson County Visitors Center at (800) 962-1911.
The Western North Carolina Pottery Festival was established in 2005 by Travis Berning and Joe Frank McKee of Tree House Pottery, and Brant Barnes of Riverwood Pottery. The show’s concept is for potters to interact with the public through demonstrations and sharing their general knowledge of clay. It also gives pottery collectors a chance to meet and take home a piece of pottery from their favorite artists. A jury selects the top 40 applicants and invites one featured potter each year. This year, potters from as far away as Texas, Florida, Michigan, and New Jersey are exhibiting their wares.
Elmer Taylor, this year’s featured potter, earned his B.F.A. in 1969 and his M.F.A. in 1971 from Arizona State University. He then went on to do a two year internship with Michael Leach of Yelland Pottery in North Devon, England. Elmer returned to the United States and began his teaching career in 1972. In 1974 he was hired as “Instructor of the Arts” at the University of North Texas. He has spent the last 27 years teaching Ceramics and Art at U.N.T. He is currently the Regents’ Professor of Art. He has done too many workshops to list and has been published numerous times in Ceramics Monthly and other publications. His work has been collected by museums such as the High Museum of Art in Atlanta GA., Lincoln Collection of Contemporary Ceramics of Scottsdale AZ, and American Heritage Collection in Tempe AZ., and many others.
Artist Statement
I gear my potter to satisfy the needs of kitchen and table, restricting myself to producing a limited range of forms that are continually refined. Some refinements come from observations made in daily use of my pottery in my own home. Others come from repeatedly working with similar forms over a period of years. My main goal is not to make pots, but allow them to grow from the interaction between the qualities inherent in clay as a material and my skill as a craftsman. Special thanks to Jackson County Arts Council for sponsoring our featured pottery. Thanks for coming to this year’s festival and we hope to see you next year!!! Travis Berning, Joe Frank McKee, Brant Barnes…
1. Cat Jarosz
Cat Jarosz Pottery
1177 Bear Creek Rd.
Leicester, NC 28748
828-683-3747
2. Tony Holman
Holman Pottery
914 18th St.
Plano, TX 75074
972-424-9982
3. Rob Withrow
Smoke In The Mountains Pottery
146 Jenkins Branch Rd.
Brasstown, NC 28902
828-835-3506
4. Marti Mocahbee
Marti Mocahbee Pottery
809 Skymont Rd.
Staunton, VA 24401
513-723-0787
5. Brant Barnes
Riverwood Pottery
P.O. Box 801
Dillsboro, NC 28725
828-586-3601
6. Pete & Kim McWhirter 12:00
McWhirter Pottery
139 Red Clay Rd.
Burnsville, NC 28714
828-675-4559
7. Mike Lalone
John C. Campbell FolkSchool
112 Morgan Hill Rd.
Murphy, NC 28906
828-837-8149
8. Laura Addington
Addington Pottery
21 Countryside Dr.
Hendersonville, NC 28792
828-272-0333
Addingtonpottery@bellsouth.net
9. Anderson Bailey 12:30
Anderson Bailey Pottery
1714 E. 13th St.
Chattanooga, TN 37404
614-714-2358
10. Joey Sheehan 3:00
Melting Mountain Pottery
610 Sand Hill Rd.
Asheville, NC 28806
804-512-8430
WWW.Meltingmountainpottery.com
11. Larry Spears
Spears Gallery
5110 St. Rd. 135 S.
Nashville, IN 47448
812-988-1287
12. Suzanne Rehbock
Flying Pig Pottery
5300 Ainsworth Dr.
Greensboro, NC 27410
336-617-8960
13. Jeff Unzicker 1:00
Unzicker Bros. Potter
5499 W. 650 N.
Thorntown, IN 46071
317-508-6913
14. Travis Berning
Tree House Pottery
148 Front St.
Dillsboro, NC 28725
828-507-3134
15. Courtney Tomchik
CF Tomchik Designs
4307 La Vale Ct.
Clemmons, NC 27012
336-766-4175
16. Jim Reinert
Reinert Pottery
5105 W. Grand River Rd.
Owosso, MI 48867
517-651-6427
17. Marion Schlauch
P.O. Box 97
Walland, TN 37886
865-766-7453
18. Kimberly Gray
Mud Puppies Pottery
1853 East Fork Rd.
Sylva, NC 28779
828-586-9452
www.mudpuppiespottery.com
19. Terance Painter 1:30
Different Drummer Pottery
2614 Soco Rd.
Maggie Valley, NC 28751
828-926-3850
WWW.differentdrummerpottery.com
20. Peter Streit 10:30
Rising Sun Pottery
4208 Myrtle Ave.
Tampa, FL 33603
813-253-6055
21. Harry Hearne 2:30
Turning Point Clay Studio
P.O. Box 23
Brasstown, NC 28902
615-478-8783
WWW.turningpointclaystudio.com
22. Julie Fischer
Turning Point Clay Studio
P.O. Box 23
Brasstown, NC 28902
615-631-3645
WWW.turningpointclaystudio.com
23. Tony & Mindy Winchester
Winchester Pottery
97 Framp Ave.
Persia, IA 51563
712-488-2027
24. Laurey Faye Long
P.O. Box 123
Sylva, NC 28779
828-226-4170
25. Mark Yasenchack 10:00
Zebra Crossing Studio
3821 Highland Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44111
216-407-3685
26. James Cornell
Cornell Art Pottery
5631 N. Hwy. 14
Landrum, SC 29356
864-415-4309
27. Judy Brater
2508 Ault Rd.
Knoxville, TN 37914
865-249-8743
28. Tom Homann
Tom Homann Pottery
3 Warner Dr.
Middlebury, VT 05753
802-388-1072
29. Katherine Owen
Clay Dreaming
117 Hallmark Ln.
Easley, SC 289640
803-467-9870
30. Gordon Batten 11:00
Two Rivers Studio
P.O. Box 1057
Dillsboro, NC 28725
828-506-8853
31. Michael Terra
Terra Cottage
514 N. 7th St.
Paducah, KY 42001
270-908-0090
32. John Bauman
506 S. Zimmer Rd.
Warsaw, IN 46580
574-253-1586
33. Ellise Delfield
Pincu Pottery
675 Robinson Gap Rd.
Bryson City, NC 28713
828-488-0480
34. Kathy Veverka
Spring Flower Pottery
2808 Alberti Dr.
Florence, SC 29501
865-604-6933
35. Tom Seelos 11:30
3659 Chestnut Ridge Ct.
Marietta, GA 30062
770-565-7687
36. Mike & Karen Baum
Baum Pottery
5005 St. Rt. 350
Lebanon,, OH 45036
513-932-5594
37. Phil Morgan
Phil Morgan Pottery
966 Hwy 705
Seagrove NC 27341
336-873-7304
38. Tom Hubbell 2:00
Stone Thrown Studio
6310 Biwwey st.
Omaha, NE 68104
402-551-5587
39 Elmer Taylor
Taylormade Pottery
P.O. Box 919
Denton, TX 76202
940-382-7179
40. John Fulwood
Kissimmee River Pottery
One 8th St. #11
Frenchtown, NJ 08825
908-996-3555
41. Doug Dacey
Dacey Porcelains
1060 Jim Pase Rd.
Columbus, NC 28722
828-863-4466
42. Mark Skudlarek
Cambridge Wood-Fired Pottery
10 Tranquil Lane
Cambridge, WI 53523
608-423-4507
43. Western Carolina University
Student Booth
In front of Tree House Pottery
44. Southwestern Community college 3:30
Students Booth
In front of Tree House Pottery
45. RAKU DEMONSTRATIONS
ALL DAY
FEATURING JOE FRANK MCKEE
In front of Tree House Pottery
828-631-5100
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