Art in Clay: Masterworks of North Carolina Earthenware
Masterfully decorated slipware, sculptural bottles, refined creamware, and faience are but part of the rich artistic legacy of North Carolina’s first earthenware potters. During the last half of the eighteenth century, artisans of European descent introduced a variety of Old World ceramics traditions to the Carolina backcountry. From both an artistic and technical standpoint, the work of these craftsmen often surpassed that of their Middle Atlantic and New England contemporaries. North Carolina potters transformed the simplest of materials into vessels of practical utility, astonishing beauty, and deep cultural significance. This exhibit is the first major survey of this work an the context in which it was created.
