It is not surprising that the new North Carolina Pottery Center chose to locate in Seagrove. The small town is one of the state’s oldest communities of working potters.

The Center, an airy modern two-story building, has a collection of 5,500 pots, offers exhibits, classes, lectures and hands-on workshops. The first state pottery center in the nation, it represents all North Carolina potters from Native American to the more than 1,000 potters working throughout the state today. Visitors come from far and wide and their education begins as soon as they walk in the door.

“The tradition of North Carolina pottery stretches back to pre-history,” says Denny Mecham, Executive Director of the Center.

With the arrival of German, English and Scotch-Irish immigrants in the mid-eighteenth century, new forms and new techniques for ‘turn and burn’ were introduced, and new glazes from Chinese Blue to Frogskin were developed. Industrial products replaced utilitarian wares, but the old traditions survived as skills were passed down from one generation to the next.

North Carolina’s pottery communities range from the mountains to the sea with their styles, techniques and histories preserved and promoted by the North Carolina Pottery Center.

Voncannon House, originally used as the center and now a reference library, is part of the 9-acre site. A small building used for regular classes houses the education center.

The main center was erected in 1998. Here a permanent collection traces the development of North Carolina pottery from pre-historic Native American to the present. Over 200 pieces of pottery, artifacts and photographs interpret this history. 2 rotating exhibits focus on history, traditions and contemporary work by the state’s potters. Displays include a pottery workshop, a detailed wood burning kiln and a 19th century farmhouse kitchen with functional pottery.

In a separate display, Seagrove area potters are featured and colorful brochures and maps help visitors find their way to the local artisans workshops.

“Ten thousand visitors a year come to the center and that number is growing,” says Mecham, “Visits have gone up 30% in just 2 years as more people discover their heritage as it relates to the tradition of pottery.”

For more information on the North Carolina Pottery Center and for a list of North Carolina pottery-related events, please visit their website at www.ncpotterycenter.com.

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