ASHEBORO, NC – The Cousins Are Coming back to Seagrove, the pottery capital of the U.S., on June 4 & 5, 2016 at Bulldog Pottery. This year’s event will feature a diverse group of outstanding clay artists including Julia Galloway, Dug Stanat, Tara Wilson, Bruce Gholson, Samantha Henneke, and Michael Kline.
The “Cousins in Clay" contemporary pottery show and sale offers the opportunity to find original ceramic art at very reasonable prices, and features a wide spectrum of ceramics ranging from traditional to contemporary.
Julia Galloway, Director of the School of Art and Professor at the University of Montana, Missoula, is known for her elegant porcelain pottery and interactive installations, once exhibiting an interactive wall of cups with a bird motif that played an audio recording creating a symphony of natural sound in the gallery.
Dug Stanat will return to his home state of North Carolina for this year’s event. Stanat began sculpting in the early 90s, and for 12 years honed his talent at PDI/DreamWorks as a character technical director. He rigged faces for popular movies including How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2, Rise of the Guardians, Shrek 2 & 3, Madagascar 1 & 2, and The Bee Movie. He left DreamWorks in 2012, and currently lives and sculpts in California.
Tara Wilson set up her studio in Montana City in 2008 after finishing residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation and Red Lodge Clay Center. She is a full-time studio potter and currently fires her ceramics in her train and catenary arch wood fire kilns. Her wood fired pots have rich and warm surfaces that complement her subtly complex forms.
Michael Kline returns to “Cousins in Clay” for his eighth year, and brings to Seagrove his innovative and charismatic style. Kline lives in Bakersville where he is firing a brand new salt kiln after a successful kick starter campaign last summer.
Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke of Bulldog Pottery work together daily to create an eclectic mix of form, imagery, texture, pattern, and graceful design. Their glazes bring lively and varied surfaces to their contemporary traditional pottery forms. It’s a taste of Seagrove you don’t want to miss!
“Cousins in Clay” takes place on Saturday, June 4th from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, June 5th from 10 am to 4 pm, and will feature:
- Chronis Pou Vasiliou of Greensboro playing Greek Bouzouki music throughout both days
- Julia Galloway and Tara Wilson will demonstrate and talk on Saturday from 3 to 4 pm
- Potters’ Potluck, Sunday at 12 pm
- Dug Stanat will demonstrate and talk on Sunday from 1:30 to 2:20 pm
Bulldog Pottery is open throughout the year Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and other times by appointment. The shop is located five miles south of Seagrove’s only traffic light at 3306 US Highway 220 Alt. Look for the distinctive blue water tower beside the driveway leading to their shop. For more information about the potters and “Cousins in Clay,” visit their website, www.cousinsinclay.com, or call Samantha or Bruce at 910-428-9728 or 336-302-3469.
Seagrove, North Carolina is home to more than 70 pottery shops, studios, and galleries are open throughout the year, making Seagrove a shopping destination for pottery lovers. Much of Seagrove’s appealing character is shaped by the potters living on the properties of their shops. Some live just feet away, while others live above their shops, much like the pottery families who first settled the Seagrove area some five generations ago.
A visit to www.HeartofNorthCarolina.com can help you in planning your trip to the Seagrove area. For more information on the Heart of North Carolina, contact a Travel Information Counselor by toll-free phone daily from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at (800) 626-2672.
The Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for Randolph County Tourism Development Authority, representing Archdale, Asheboro, Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur, Randleman, Seagrove, Staley. For additional information, call (336) 626-0364 or go to HeartofNorthCarolina.com.
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