Organizations and Groups

Carolina Clay Guild - Greensboro, NC
The Carolina Clay Guild is a non-exclusive organization of people who work with clay. Our purpose is to provide the opportunity for members and the public to gain experience with ceramics. We aim to increase skill, with, and appreciation of, clay works. The Guild was founded in 1985. Members include production potters and clay sculptors, professional and amateur, throughout the Southeast region.
(http://www.carolinaclayguild.com/)

Carolina ClayMatters - Charlotte, NC
Carolina ClayMatters was established to create vehicles of communication among persons working in clay; to promote the interchange of ideas, aesthetics, and techniques through planned meetings, workshops, and social events; to encourage professionalism among the members; to involve the community and through education, to expand their awareness of ceramic art. Our guild is comprised of area ceramic artists with varied clay disciplines and skill levels. Our semi-annual pottery sale is gaining a quality reputation in Charlotte, NC, and it's popularity is growing every year.
(http://www.carolinaclaymatters.org/)

CASE - Clay Artists of the Southeast 
CASE is a small orgianization of ceramic artists that is centered around the North Augusta, SC/Augusta, GA, area. We have monthly meetings and host various lectures, workshops, demonstrations and other clay related activities throughout the year. 
(http://www.clayartistsofthesoutheast.com) or contact Elizabeth F. Reynolds, President of CASE by e-mail at (elizabethreynolds@juno.com).

Center for Craft, Creativity and Design - Hendersonville, NC
The CCCD supports research in craft and design by convening meetings, workshops, and conferences and sponsoring specific research initiatives. Currently, CCCD is offering curators, scholars, and artists grants to study craft history, criticism, and studio craft.
(www.craftcreativitydesign.org)

Clayspace Co-op - Asheville, NC
Clayspace Co-op is a ceramic arts cooperative and gallery located in Asheville's Historic River Arts District. Please feel free to stop in and see our members working on their new creations. We welcome the general public and want to encourage community involvement with our studio. You'll also have a chance to see plenty of finished work in our formal sales gallery. Clayspace Co-op offers only the finest handmade pottery and ceramic sculpture.
(http://www.clayspace.org/)

Coastal Carolina Clay Guild - Wilmington, NC
The Coastal Carolina Clay Guild was founded in Wilmington, NC, in March 2007. We are a not-for-profit organization sharing our knowledge of clay. The Guild welcomes all in the coastal Carolinas and beyond to join and help promote the art and craft of pottery.
(http://www.coastalcarolinaclayguild.org/)

HandMade in America - Asheville, NC
HandMade in America's mission is to grow handmade economies through craft, cultural heritage and community assets.  We envision a thriving region that leverages the distinctive cultural assets of its people and the spirit of community.  Craft is an integral part of economic development. The creation and appreciation of the handmade object is transformative to individuals and communities. HandMade in America primarily works in 23 counties in Western North Carolina, serving many of the region's small towns and communities.
(http://www.handmadeinamerica.org/)

John C. Campbell Folk School - Brasstown, NC
Founded in 1925 by Olive Dame Campbell, the idealistic widow of the missionary John C. Campbell, the school is the North Carolina version of what was originally a Danish idea, the folkehojskole or "folk school", which had been instrumental in transforming the Danish countryside into a vibrant creative force. Mrs. Campbell wanted to do the same for the then-isolated people of Appalachia, hoping to provide an alternative to the higher-education facilities that drew young people away from the family farm. Today, students here can take one of more than 300 week-long or weekend classes in subjects ranging from writing to cooking to woodworking, turning any hobby into an art form. Students can choose to stay in on-campus lodging or a campground, and the school provides three meals a day for those who want them. But even those who like to admire art rather than create it will find a haven here: the Folk School's Craft Shop represents more than 300 juried artists and features an impressive collection of Appalachian crafts, including jewelry, pottery, wood, fiber, ironwork and basketry. The Craft Shop is also home to the world-famous Brasstown Carvers, a group of local artists who directly benefited from training the John Campbell Folk School provided.
(https://www.folkschool.org/)

Midlands Clay Arts Society, Columbia, SC
The Midlands Clay Arts Society was organized in 1987 in order to encourage fellowship, education and creativity among the artists. Its members consist of local potters and clay artists who promote the appreciation of all things made in clay. Meetings are held at the City of Columbia Arts Center at 1932 Calhoun Street, Columbia, SC, every 3rd Tuesday of the month.
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-SC/Midlands-Clay-Arts-Society/122442236142)

North Carolina Pottery Collectors' Guild, Raleigh, NC
The North Carolina Pottery Collectors' Guild is organized for the purpose of fostering and supporting the folk pottery heritage of North Carolina and the interest of those with affinity for the rich traditions and wares of this industry. The Guild's efforts advance this purpose in numerous ways including: collecting, organizing, and sharing information related to North Carolina potteries, potters, and their wares; identifying knowledgeable persons; documenting collections and research materials associated with North Carolina pottery; encouraging new North Carolina pottery collectors, and expanding the market for North Carolina pottery.
(http://www.ncpotterycollectors.org/)

Penland School of Crafts - Penland, NC
The Penland School of Crafts is a national center for craft education dedicated to helping people live creative lives. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Penland offers one-, two-, and eight-week workshops in books & paper, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking and letterpress, textiles, and wood. The school also offers artists' residencies, community collaboration programs, and a gallery and information center.
(http://www.penland.org/)

Potters of the Roan - Bakersville, NC area
Michael Kline Pottery, Snow Creek Pottery, Pine Root Pottery, Bandana Pottery, Cadell Studios, Fork Mountain Pottery, Terry Gess Pottery, LZS Pottery, Jenny Lou Sherburne Pottery, Sedberry Pottery, Gertrude Graham Smith Pottery, Slagle Studio Gallery, Andersen Pottery, and Shane Mickey Pottery.
(http://www.pottersoftheroan.com/)

Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual, Inc. - Cherokee, NC
If practice makes perfect, the beauty of Cherokee arts and crafts should come as no surprise, since crafts making skills have been passed down from generation to generation over hundreds of years. In 1946, sixty Cherokee craftsmen who were looking for a better way to sell their wares founded the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual. Today, the Mutual offers works from more than 300 artists and is the oldest Native American Arts cooperative in the United States. It offers a rich scope of arts and crafts to admire and acquire, from pottery and woven baskets to dolls and masks. The Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual is located on the Cherokee Indian Reservation and is open year-round. Groups can even schedule a lesson in custom craftmaking from one of the artists themselves.
(http://www.quallaartsandcrafts.com/)

Seagrove Area Potters Association - Seagrove, NC
The Seagrove Area Potters Association, Inc. is dedicated to promoting and marketing the historical, geographical pottery community that works and resides in a corner of the Randolph, Moore, and Montgomery counties of North Carolina. This small "Seagrove area" of central NC has been home to many potters since the late 1700s. Potters who grew up in NC pottery families, locals inspired by NC pottery traditions who learned their trade at Seagrove area community colleges, and potters from elsewhere attracted by the Seagrove pottery community run the nearly one hundred Seagrove area pottery shops.
(http://www.discoverseagrove.com/)

The NC Professional Potters Guild - Albemarle, NC area
Our mission is to promote creativity, excellence, and growth through education and a cooperative spirit. The Guild was formed in 2007 and we have no real organization or non-profit status. We rotate our meetings in each studio once a month. We have joint firings, support community initiatives like the Empty Bowls Fundraiser for Stanly Christian Ministries and we do this one show every year in downtown Albemarle. The one thing we all have in common is that we all graduated from the professional clay program at Montgomery Community College. 
Contact: Nancy Lipe at Into the Fire Pottery, 794/754-0543 or at (http://www.intothefirepottery.com)

The Penland Potters - Penland, NC area
Barking Spider Pottery, Bringle Gallery, John Britt Pottery, Shawn Ireland Pottery, Bruns-Joerling Studios, Jane Peiser Pottery, and Soto-Córdova Studios.
(http://penlandpottery.com/pages/home.php)

The Soda Chicks & Chet - Bakersville, NC area
Suze Lindsay, Kent McLaughlin ("Chet"), and Gay Smith
(http://www.sodachicks.com/)

The Southern Highland Craft Guild - Asheville, NC
Housed in the Blue Ridge Parkway's Folk Art Center (five miles outside of Asheville), the Guild has promoted crafts made by accomplished mountain artists for seven decades. The Center is now home to Allanstand, which occupies 3,000 of its 30,500 square feet, as well as three other craft shops. Walk into the building, and you're surrounded by the finest work of the Guild's more than 700 member artists: ornate quilts and baskets, magnificent pottery, jewelry, woodwork, lovingly crafted paper, glass, metalwork and more. Selections from the Guild's Permanent Collection, a 3,500-piece assemblage of craft objects dating back to the turn of the 20th century, can be seen at the Center during special exhibitions. From April through December, you can also observe craftspeople at work in daily demonstrations, as well as take in a host of other special events.
(http://www.southernhighlandguild.org/)

Triangle Potters Guild - Raleigh, NC
The Triangle Potters Guild (TPG) was founded in 1982. We are a not-for-profit organization formed to promote the art and craft of ceramics in the community and to provide a forum for local potters and ceramic artists to share their experiences and knowledge of clay. This knowledge is passed on through guest speaker presentations, member's show and tell, informative newsletters, workshops, shows, sales and a library that features both books and videos. The Guild is comprised of professional and recreational potters and ceramists, as well as people simply interested in ceramics in the Triangle Area of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, Durham & Raleigh). The guild is open to clay-workers at all levels of experience, and to those who don't make pottery but are interested in it!
(http://www.trianglepotters.org/)

Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2010 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2010 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.