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Annual Potters on Gaffney's Old Field pottery show and sale is set for May 19
Fifth generation potter will be here with his 'crawdad slip' creations
Over two dozen of the Southeast's finest potters will be on hand, as well as other artisans, conducting demonstrations and displaying and selling their work. Well known potters such as Sid Luck will be on hand with other local favorites. "From the functional pottery of Adrienne Burke Chapelle, to Gillian Smith's serious art for unserious people, there will be something for everyone," said Jane Waters, president of the Cherokee Historical and Preservation Society Inc. Pottery identification by noted authority Phil Wingard will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with an auction at noon. There is no fee for exhibitors, and space is still available. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children. Music will be provided throughout the day and food will be available. Visit www.cherokeecounty-history.org or call 864-489-3988 for more information or to register as a potter/artisan. All proceeds will go to the preservation of local history and the completion of the History and Arts Museum. Fifth generation potter Sid Luck continues the traditional art of wheel-thrown pottery at his shop on Adams Road near Seagrove, the "Pottery Capital" of North Carolina. His pottery preserves the traditional shapes of many old time functional stoneware pieces - candleholders, churns, jugs, crocks, pickling jars, pitchers and teapots. On the whimsical side, Sid crafts face jugs and roosters. Sid digs local clay to use as a glaze in much of his pottery. He is well-known for his "crawdad slip" glaze that was developed developed as a result of a 1989 crawdad hunt with his two young sons at a creek on his property. One of the pottery wheels he still uses for turning was originally in his father's shop. Waymon Cole, Philmore Graves and Sid's ancestors are other influences evident of his pottery today. In 1954 by age 12, he began turning for the J.B. Cole Pottery in Seagrove. With the encouragement of local potters such as Nell Cole Graves, he continued turning off and on for the next 30 years. A four-year hitch in the Marines and stints at Sandhills Community College followed by a degree in chemistry from North Carolina State University and high school teaching jobs in Florida and North Carolina then took precedence over pottery. Sid opened Luck's Ware on a part-time basis in 1987 at its current location and used both gas and electric kilns. Three years later he left teaching to pursue his pottery dream full time. He built a groundhog kiln in 2003 at his pottery shop, using bricks from his father's and grandfather's kilns, allowing him to produce the salt glaze stoneware of his Luck forebearers. Groundhog kiln openings occur throughout the year; however, one greatly anticipated opening is during the Luck Legacy annual event held in late August. At this kiln opening, Sid is joined by past and current apprentices to offer a day of food, music and the sharing of the pottery tradition. Sid's pottery is included in collections at the Smithsonian Institution; Mint Museum in Charlotte; N.C. Pottery Center in Seagrove; the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh; International Museum Folk Art in Santa Fe, N.Mex., Bascom- Louise Gallery in Highlands, N.C.; Hambidge Center Gallery in Rabun Gap, Ga., as well as other galleries in and out of the state. Sid has also supplied pottery to historic sites, including Historic Brattonsville in McConnells and Historic Stagville and the Duke Homestead, both in Durham, N.C. In 1994, he was honored as recipient of the Living Treasure of North Carolina Award given by UNC at Wilmington's Museum of World Cultures. He was the subject of two 1999 documentaries, "Crawdad Slip" and "Luck's Legacy," by Jim Sharkey. In 2006, he was nominated by the North Carolina Arts Council for inclusion in the Southern Artistry Registry, a joint effort of the Southern Arts Federation and the Center for Arts Management and Technology at Carnegie Mellon. |
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