University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum in Columbia, SC, Offers Symposium on Potter Walter B. Stephen – June 22, 2012

The University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum in Columbia, SC, will present the work of an artist considered among the most imaginative and beautiful in American ceramics. The exhibition Pisgah Forest and Nonconnah: The Potteries of Walter B. Stephen will run from May 26 –through July 27, 2012.

Stephen was a gifted designer and craftsman with a remarkable range. Through the artistic influence of his mother and his own curiosity, Stephen became known for his cameo wares and crystalline glazes. Stephen’s “American Cameo” was inspired by early Americans, literature and ancient history similar to Wedgwood’s Jasperware.

The exhibition highlights 76 rare examples of Stephen’s work, including the first pots he fired near Nonconnah Creek in Tennessee to crystalline vessels produced near Asheville, NC.

Stephen’s work spanned arts and crafts and art nouveau to the modern era. His decorative themes were widely diverse, ranging from memories of his young life on the Nebraska frontier, Bible references, and Asian art. He also explored Mayan and Egyptian motifs as well as Wedgwood influences.

McKissick Museum will host a reception with a gallery talk and book signing 5:30 – 7:30pm, on Thursday, June 21, featuring Rodney Leftwich, author of Pisgah Forest and Nonconnah: The Potteries of Walter B. Stephen.

On Friday, June 22 from 10am – 4pm, McKissick will host a symposium, The Art of Collecting Southern Pottery, featuring Rodney Leftwich, Karen Swager of Brunk Auctions,  crystalline potter Frank Neef, Winton and Rosa Eugene of Pottery by Eugene, and Barbara S. Perry, Ph.D., noted author an American ceramics.

The symposium is $40 for museum members and $50 for non-members.

For additional information about the pottery exhibition or symposium, visit (http://www.cas.sc.edu/mcks/general/calendar.html) or call 803/777-7251.

Making Plans for a Big Weekend – Next Weekend – May 25-27, 2012

If you’re like Linda and I, and millions of others – you got stuck working this weekend, but we’re making plans for a big weekend – next weekend. And it is a big Memorial Day weekend. That’s three days for most people – unfortunately for Linda and I – it’s back to work on Monday – the holiday. In reality – we’ll be working a lot that weekend too – as it’s the weekend after deadline for our June issue – drat!

That’s the way it’s been for 24 years since we started doing an arts newspaper. On the weekend of our wedding anniversary and my birthday, we’re stuck working to get another paper finished. It’s hard to work 24 hours a day, although it seems sometimes we try – here’s a few things we hope to do this next weekend.

We hope to have a nice anniversary/birthday dinner, see the Avengers movie, make a trip to Seagrove, NC, to visit with some of our favorite potters, and hopefully celebrate Memorial Day with a few friends. Oh yeah, and get the paper done or almost done. This one may go down to the wire.

Now everyone knows about the Avengers and Memorial Day and one clue on the anniversary/birthday event is that they add up to 94, so let me tell you about what’s going on in Seagrove to draw us there on such a big weekend.

Of course, if you read about a lot of this on Pages 38 and 39 of our May 2012 issue of Carolina Arts, downloadable at (http://www.carolinaarts.com/512/512carolinaarts.pdf), you’d know what I’m talking about, but for those who haven’t – here’s a few reasons.

First, it’s a trip away from the house, yard, and computer into another state. That’s always a plus and it only takes a few hours to get there. Second, it’s Seagrove – a beautiful area of gently rolling hills that just happens to be one of the Southeast’s major artist colonies – a big plus for Linda who refuses to travel on the Blue Ridge Parkway – a major highway. So forget about driving around two-lane mountain roads. Third, it’s Cousin in Clay weekend, several other kiln openings on Saturday and there’s a new exhibit on view at the NC Pottery Center.

Bulldog Pottery, located at 3306 Hwy. 220, just outside of “downtown” Seagrove will be presenting the works of five talented potters during the annual “Cousins in Clay” event on May 26, 10am-5pm and May 27, 10am-4pm.

Work by Samantha Henneke

Work by Bruce Gholson

Bulldog potters, Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke, joined by their mountain “clay cousin” Michael Kline of Bakersville, NC, are hosting two special guest potters, Ron Meyers, an icon of American ceramics from Athens, GA, and Judith Duff, a full-time studio potter from Brevard, NC.

Work by Judith Duff

Work by Ron Meyers

Live music will fill the air with Chronis Pou Vasiliou (Bruce’s brother-in-law) of Greensboro, NC, playing his enchanting Greek Bouzouki music along with musician Matthew Beasley from Asheville, NC. Music begins at noon and lasts throughout Saturday afternoon with a light buffet.

Work by Michael Kline

Michael Kline will present brushwork demonstrations on Saturday at 2pm and on Sunday at 1:30pm. And Sunday at noon, potters and lovers of pots are all invited for a Potluck Buffet at noon.

Gain insights into the work and activities of Samantha Henneke and Bruce Gholson at their pottery blog: “Around and About with Bulldog” at (www.bulldogpottery.blogspot.com). And take a look at the website (www.cousinsinclay.com) to learn more about this year’s guest potters.

These kind of events are usually a less than free time for Max the mad wonder dog, but some might see him and get a chance to toss a red ball – once or a hundred times. And, as a bonus you might also get to chat with Ed or Gloria Henneke. A special note to Ed – I will not bring up the Michigan vs. Virginia Tech game, so there is no reason to make excuses to be out of town.

For further information or directions you can call Bulldog pottery at 336/302-3469.

Whynot Pottery, located at 1013 Fork Creek Mill Road, also just outside of “downtown” Seagrove – home and work place of Mark and Meredith Heywood, will be having a Kiln Opening on Saturday, May 26, from 9am-5pm.

I’ve read that this round includes the cider/beer mugs that many folks have been asking for as well as a selection of whimsical tiles from their new venture, Acacia Tile. But, I’m sure they have a good stock of other works they are known for on hand.

Mark and Meredith are really shaking things up this year, so if you haven’t been there in a while – you’re going to see some new items and new looks. I’ll be looking to see if there will be any cookies. They have not been advertised – so don’t expect any, but it doesn’t hurt to hope. We all need hope.

You can check out the Whynot Pottery’s blog at (http://whynotpotteryblog.blogspot.com/), call 336/873-9276 or visit (www.whynotpottery.com).

Why are Bulldog Pottery and Whynot Pottery always a must see for us? Well, besides being blogging buddies, these two potteries have been our gateway and guide to the  Seagrove pottery empire. They represent the “not so old” and “not so new” ends of that pottery community. And, like I’m sure most of the folks in Seagrove are – they’re nice people too. Plus, I hope you’ve noticed the images of the wonderful pottery they produce.

Donna Craven Pottery, located at 2616 Old Cox Road, between Asheboro, NC, and Seagrove is also having a Kiln Opening on Saturday, May 26, from 9am to 5pm.

We have not been to her pottery before, but we’ve seen her work at several of the Celebration of Seagrove Potters events and you’ll find her work in many museum collections. Maybe we’ll make it there this time, but there is always so much to see and do – time has a way of slipping by, but if you’re on the North side of Seagrove – it could be your first stop.

    

I understand that Craven is firing a new load of pots in her wood kiln for this event. She will have a variety of old and new forms, both large and small, including items for the spring.

For further info or directions call 336/629-8173.

And, of course, who would go to Seagrove looking for pottery without stopping at the North Carolina Pottery Center, located at 233 East Avenue, in the heart of downtown Seagrove. The new exhibit there is, NC Student Ceramics Exhibit 1: High School, which will be on view through July 28, 2012. The NCPC is exhibiting the best of NC high school ceramics. The Center will be open Saturday, 10am-4pm.

If it’s your first trip to Seagrove, I recommend it as a first stop as the Center also offers information on activities, maps and information about the potteries located in the Seagrove area and across the state. They also have a display of representative works from more than 90 area potteries and maps to help to find the potteries.

For further info call the Center at 336/873-8430 or visit (www.ncpotterycenter.org).

If you’re the planning type who has to have things all figured out before you arrive somewhere – let me suggest a visit to the Seagrove Area Potters Association’s website at (http://www.discoverseagrove.com/). You can download a map there and find connections and info about many of the area’s potteries. A lot of them will be open for business this weekend – you don’t have to follow our plans. There’s plenty to go around for everyone.

3rd Annual Joara Pot­tery Fes­ti­val Takes Place in Morganton, NC – May 19, 2012

The 3rd Annual Joara Pot­tery Fes­ti­val will take place at the Old Armory Building in historic Morganton, NC, on Saturday, May 19, 2012, from 10am to 4pm, sponsored by the Explor­ing Joara Foun­da­tion.

This pre­mier pot­tery show will fea­ture 30 hand-picked pot­ters from through­out West­ern North Car­olina. These tal­ented artists are well-known for their dis­tinct pot­tery and rep­re­sent both con­tem­po­rary and tra­di­tional clay styles.

Work by Claudia Dunaway

Participation potters and potteries include: Andrew Stephenson, Banfield Pottery, Caroleen Sanders, Celtic Pottery, Claudia Dunaway, Corine Guseman, Courtney Long, Debbie Little, Donna King, Earthworks Pottery, Eck McCanless Pottery, Fred and Rose Pinkul, Gina King Ellis, Glenn Tanzer, Good Earth Pottery Studio, Hamilton Williams Clayworks, Hog Hill Pottery, Jinsong Kim, Ken Sedberry, Lazy Lizard Pottery, Leicester Valley Clay, Michelle Flowers, Mud Duck Pottery, Out of the Ashes Pottery, Puzzle Creek Pottery, Ron Philbeck Pottery, Rutherford Pottery, Shane Mickey, Turtle Island Pottery, and Tzadi Turrou.

Work by Donna King

Enjoy music, pot­tery demon­stra­tions, and food from the Pie Hole. Admit­tance is $4.00, chil­dren 12 and under FREE. Entrance fees go directly to Explor­ing Joara Foun­da­tion, a non­profit orga­ni­za­tion that spon­sors pub­lic involve­ment in Foothills arche­ol­ogy through edu­ca­tion pro­grams, arche­o­log­i­cal sur­veys, and exca­va­tions of Native Amer­i­can and Euro­pean settlements.

Work by Jinsong Kim

The Joara Pot­tery fes­ti­val event is spon­sored by the Explor­ing Joara Foun­da­tion. Through uncov­er­ing hun­dreds of Native Amer­i­can pots and sherds includ­ing 16th cen­tury Blue Span­ish Majolica, the foun­da­tion seeks to pre­serve and pro­mote the region’s rich pot­tery his­tory and tal­ented present day artisans.

The Foun­da­tion also pro­vides con­tin­ued sup­port for the archae­o­log­i­cal research in the upper Catawba and Yad­kin River val­leys, with a pri­mary focus on the inves­ti­ga­tion of sixteenth-century inter­ac­tions between Euro­pean colonists and Native Amer­i­cans in west­ern North Carolina.

The Foun­da­tion takes its name from Joara; the major Native Amer­i­can town in the upper Catawba Val­ley vis­ited by sixteenth-century Span­ish expe­di­tions led by Her­nando de Soto and Juan Pardo. Pardo built Fort San Juan near the town in 1567, cre­at­ing the old­est Euro­pean set­tle­ment in the inte­rior of the United States. Evi­dence of Joara and Fort San Juan has been unearthed at the Berry archae­o­log­i­cal site in north­ern Burke County. Numer­ous exam­ples of Native Amer­i­can and Euro­pean pot­tery and sherds have been uncov­ered at the Berry site, includ­ing Blue Span­ish Majolica, pro­vid­ing key evi­dence of Span­ish activ­ity and crit­i­cal dating.

Evi­dence from the Berry site is chang­ing his­tory text­books and has been cov­ered in National Geo­graphic, Smith­son­ian and Archae­ol­ogy mag­a­zines, and the UNC TV doc­u­men­tary “The First, Lost Colony.”

For further information call 828/439‑2463, e-mail to (exploringjoara@att.net) or visit (www.JoaraPotteryFestival.org).

Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC, Presents the Coastal Carolina Clay Guild Spring Show and Sale – May 18 and 19, 2012

The Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC, Presents the Coastal Carolina Clay Guild Spring Show and Sale, in Weyerhaeuser Reception Hall, Friday May 18, 2012, Reception and Preview Sale from 6pm – 8pm, $10 admission and on Saturday May 19, 2012, from 10am – 5pm, free and open to the public.

Work by Hiroshi Sueyoshi

Twenty-five CCCG members, including well-known potters Hiroshi Sueyoshi and Don Johns will be exhibiting and selling their work at the show.

Work by Don Johns

The CCCG, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 2007 by a group of Wilmington potters to promote and exchange information about all types of ceramic arts and to provide mutual support, encouragement, and education for its members and for the community. The guild offer workshops each year with nationally known sculptors and potters for its members and those in the community interested in the clay arts. It also provides community outreach by visiting schools to demonstrate and teach clay techniques to students. In addition, the guild uses its membership dues to offer scholarships and grants to its members. In only five short years, the CCCG has grown to include over 100 ceramic artists from the southeast coastal region.

Work by Kathy Whitley

For more information visit (http://www.coastalcarolinaclayguild.org/).

The May 2012 Issue of Carolina Arts is Now Ready to Download

The May 2012 issue of Carolina Arts is up on our website at (www.carolinaarts.com) – all 82 pages of it. Our largest issue ever. We had an amazing month during April with over 112,000 downloads. That’s more than 30,000 more from March. I think Colin Quashie’s images on the cover attracted a lot of new viewers.

We ask that you help us bring the news about the Carolina visual art community to others by spreading the link for the download around to your e-mail lists and posting it on your Facebook page. Once people see all that is going on in the visual art community they will spread it around to their lists and on their Facebook pages.

The link is: (http://www.carolinaarts.com/512/512carolinaarts.pdf).

If you would like to get direct notice that our latest issue is ready to be downloaded you can send us an e-mail to (info@carolinaarts.com) to be placed on our mailing list.

So download that PDF and dig in – it’s going to take a while to get through this issue. And, don’t forget to find a way to thank our advertisers – they make the paper possible.

Thanks – Tom and Linda Starland
Carolina Arts
843-825-3408
info@carolinaarts.com

2012 Behind the Scenes Pottery Crawl in Seagrove, NC, is a Fundraiser for the Northern Moore Family Resource Center – May 12, 2012

On Saturday, May 12, 2012, from 10am to5pm, whether you are a pottery newbie or a seasoned collector, you’ll enjoy the Behind the Scenes Pottery Crawl and help out deserving children and families.

Spend a fun-filled Saturday meeting the artists, touring their studios, and admiring their creations. Come check out 14 memorable potteries in a self-guided car tour. Each pottery will have a unique culinary delight with a wine pairing (beef tenderloin on rounds of French bread, shrimp served with remoulade and red sauces, open-faced pork sliders, an elegant almond torte, to name a few), and demonstrations focusing on different aspects of the craft – from shaping at the wheel, to glazing, to firing techniques. Or you can roll up your sleeves and make a pot yourself with the help of an expert. Last year’s participants were inspired by the beautiful countryside, the world class artistic talent of Seagrove, NC, and the unique way the featured artists live and work.

From Avery Pottery & Tileworks

The 2nd annual Behind the Scenes Pottery Crawl is organized by the Northern Moore Family Resource Center (The Resource Center) which is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization established in 1996 to serve children and families in northern Moore County, NC. The area that The Resource Center serves has been decimated by the departure of manufacturing over the last 30 years and it has resulted in too many children living in poverty. The Resource Center helps at-risk children succeed academically by offering, among other things, after school programs and summer camps. The Resource Center is a United Way agency and their six-week free summer day camp is partially funded by the United Way.  All proceeds from the Pottery Crawl will help children and strengthen local families. Potters will generously donate 15 percent of all sales during the event to the Resource Center.

The Pottery Crawl is much more than a one dimensional art gallery experience. It’s a ‘Behind the Scenes’ look at how and where the art is created. It’s about the uniqueness of each individual potter. To visit the potters is to immerse oneself in their creative world. For them life and work are fused together by their artistry, as many live and work in the same environment. Often they live on winding country roads, and when you venture down them you may find a beautiful sculpture garden, a lush pond, a picturesque log cabin, or a sturdy converted barn.  It’s quiet in the country except for the sound of the clay fired wind chimes, or the crow of a rooster.

View of Jugtown Pottery

And of course, there is the art itself. On this pottery tour you’ll find a rich diversity of styles, colors, shapes and sizes that range from the decorative to the utilitarian. You’ll encounter pieces that are worthy of museum lighting, as well as everyday treasures like place settings, serving bowls and mugs that will jazz up a room or any meal. Every potter is an artist with his/her own unique style.

Seagrove’s pottery tradition dates back to the 18th century, before the American Revolution, due to the high quality of the local clay. Today it’s known for the high concentration of potters, the unsurpassed artistic talent, and the eclectic mix of people – some with roots eight generations deep and others drawn here from around the world.

From the Ground Up Pottery

The following are the potters on the tour: Avery Pottery and Tileworks, Ben Owen Pottery, Blue Hen Pottery, Bulldog Pottery, Chris Luther Pottery, Dean and Martin Pottery, Frank Neef Pottery, From the Ground Up, Great White Oak Pottery, Jugtown Pottery, Luck’s Ware, Old Gap Pottery, Seagrove Stoneware, Studio Touya, and Westmoore Pottery.

Don’t miss this unique event or the opportunity to help local kids and their families. And it all happens on Mother’s Day weekend. So spare Mom that tired gift and spend an unforgettable day with her instead! After seeing the bounty, you may never again give a generic store-bought gift.

Individual tickets are $45 and Patron tickets are $100, and they include a commemorative pottery piece. Mother’s Day packages are available for $150. The package includes two tickets and several gifts for mom – the commemorative pottery piece filled with chocolates and a bottle of wine. Participants will receive a ticket and program for the event, with a map highlighting all of the participating potteries.  Tickets and programs may be picked up at the Resource Center, 130 S. Middleton Street in Robbins, NC, where guests will also have the opportunity to learn more about the programs that the Resource Center offers, or at The North Carolina Pottery Center, 233 East Avenue in Seagrove.

The Resource Center will also raffle off four-4 piece place settings of tableware from Dean and Martin Pottery and from Avery Pottery and Tileworks. They will also raffle off a salad set, plus salad bowls from Seagrove Stoneware.   Raffle tickets may be purchased separately from tickets to the event, and winners do not have to be present at the drawing. The drawings will take place at 5:30pm at the Resource Center on the day of the event. Raffle tickets for the dinnerware are $10 apiece, and you can designate whether you want to be included in the raffle for the set from Dean and Martin Pottery or Avery Pottery and Tileworks.  Tickets for the salad set are $5 apiece, and for the set of six salad bowls tickets are $1 apiece. Pictures of all items to be raffled will be posted on our website in early April.

From Dean & Martin Pottery

This event is made possible in large part by contributions from St. Josephs of the Pines and Wachovia Wells Fargo.  St. Josephs of the Pines has an active presence in northern Moore County, with its Providence Place development in Robbins – lovely one bedroom apartments for seniors, plus it brings its fully equipped Semi to Robbins for two days each month where local residents can be seen by the Moore Free Care Clinic, meet with the Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care and the Benefit Bank, and soon will be able to see dentists free of charge. Wachovia Wells Fargo provided funding to support the financial education classes that the Resource Center offers as part of its IDA program.

To purchase raffle tickets or tickets to the event, visit the Resource Center website at (www.nmfrc.com), or send checks payable to the Northern Moore Family Resource Center to P.O. Box 190, Robbins, NC 27325 or call the Resource Center at 910/948-4324.

NC Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, is Looking for Some Angels in a Haystack – Could You Be One?

Don’t you just hate it when you think you have your budget all figured out to make it through the next week, month or year – then out of the blue – the car needs a major repair or the air conditioners gives out on the hottest day of the year? What’s the saying – “Stuff Happens!”

The NC Pottery Center needs our help and I think they are worth it. Here’s their problem:

The NC Pottery Center has recently experienced unforeseen maintenance issues and they are asking you as a supporter of the NCPC, or just someone who is looking for a good cause, for your help in paying for lighting repairs at the Center. They hope to raise $2,000 to cover these expenses.

They are asking that you please consider a monetary donation, becoming a new member, increasing your membership level, renewing your membership early, or buying a brick for your business or in memory/honor of someone.

The staff and board of the Pottery Center are working hard to keep the NCPC a viable museum and hope you will consider helping us.

If you can help, please visit their website at (www.ncpotterycenter.org) where you can make a quick online donation, or call then at 336/873-8430 and tell them you want to help. Thanks.

Patz Fowle of Hartsville, SC, Is Having A Busy Spring

On Apr. 28, from 10am-4pm, Fowle will participate in the Congaree Arts Festival at the SC State Museum in Columbia, SC, held on the grounds of the SC State Museum. She’ll have lots of her clay friends available to be purchased.

Whimsical Mystery Tour

Two of Fowle’s sculptures were chosen for the 2012 South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Exhibition presented during the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival, hosted by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department. The Palmetto Hands Exhibition will be at the Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston, SC, from May 5-12, 2012.

Palmetto Sprout

The book Patz Fowle in Progress was just published by Black Creek Arts Council in Hartsville, SC. Here’s what was written about it.

South Carolina artist Patz Fowle is no stranger to having images of her work published in text books or having her drawings used as illustrations for children’s books. She has even written her own children’s book, Remember When available on (www.Amazon.com).

Fowle can now add having a book about her unique clay handbuilding technique, the Patz Process, and the evolution of her artistic inspiration to her long list of accomplishments. Patz Fowle in Progress just arrived at the Black Creek Arts Center and copies of the book are headed to each public school library in Darlington County, SC.

Patz Fowle in Progress came about after Fowle completed an artist residency at each school in Darlington County during the 2010-11 school year. “One of the aims of the book is to show local young people that successful, practicing artists live and work in their communities,” said Fowle. “What better way than to show them than a book about an artist that they know and have worked with.”

Patz Fowle in Progress contains images of Fowle’s works from the 1980s up to some of her most recent, including her sculpture of famed topiary artist Pearl Fryar and painting of the multi-talented painter and performer Ilona Smithkin. Additionally, the book tells the story of Fowle’s inspiration for her clever clay creations and shows the artist at work on many of her whimsical sculptures.

The book was published by Black Creek Arts Council, which, along with the Darlington County School District through grants from the South Carolina Arts Commission, funded the artist residencies Fowle completed in 2010-11. Black Creek Arts Council’s Sub granting Program, which provided assistance for this project, is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission, the John & Susan Bennett memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

To get your copy of Patz Fowle in Progress, contact the Black Creek Arts Center by e-mail at (bartscounc@aol.com) or call 843/332-6234 or Patz Fowle at (patzfowle@yahoo.com).

Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, Announces Five-Year Plan – Big News for Pottery Lovers

The Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, has defined what its success will look like in five years. In a sweeping five-year strategic plan recently approved by its Board of Trustees, the museum adopted a new mission statement that outlines its role as an increasingly vital player on the national and international level. The new statement reads: “The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative museum of international art and design committed to engaging and inspiring all members of our global community.”

“The Mint’s new, enhanced mission invites and welcomes all of our community to engage with the museum in ways most relevant to them,” said Jay Everette, Wells Fargo’s senior vice president, community affairs manager and chair-elect of the Mint’s board of trustees. “Whether connecting through in-person or online education, visiting a compelling exhibition or attending a community event at one of our locations, the Mint is a resource for learning more about, and bringing meaning to, the world around us.”

From the opening of the Mint Museum Uptown

In the five-year plan, the museum has set ambitious goals including:

· Doubling annual attendance to 400,000 visitors, and increasing virtual visitors to 800,000 annually;
· Launching an aggressive plan to strengthen the museum’s collections through the acquisition of significant works of art;
· Increasing its digital reach, beginning with the launch of a new website in May;
· Organizing at least two traveling exhibitions per year with national and international impact, and securing at least three highly significant exhibitions from elsewhere annually;
· Tripling the number of museum members to 12,000 and increasing the number of individual investors by 50 percent;
· Completing a feasibility study of the renovation and re-envisioning of the museum’s Randolph Road location, to include such factors as a North Carolina Pottery Research Center, classroom space, studios, a children’s center, and increased public access to the museum’s library.

“This plan is a broad, inclusive call to action and a statement of The Mint Museum’s commitment to the fundamental relationship between artistic expression and community,” said Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint. “All of the museum’s resources must be employed in service to the community, for The Mint Museum is a vital cultural resource for the region, and this plan charts our course.”

Over the course of the past year, museum staff, volunteers, and community leaders have worked together, in consultation with the Center for Intentional Leadership, to outline four strategic pillars to undergird the plan: amplifying the museum’s community relevance; strengthening the museum’s permanent collections and exhibitions; increasing learning and engagement opportunities throughout the region; and focusing on long-term sustainability. In addition, three overarching goals of improved technology, communication, and service are woven throughout the plan.

Employees, volunteers, and museum affiliate groups outlined dozens of specific tactics they will employ in support of the goals and strategies. Progress will be measured by such performance indicators as attendance, visitor surveys, increased participation in educational programs, and increased giving to the museum.

Many of the goals will be accomplished by refocusing existing resources, but others will require new forms of investment. The plan incorporates key planning and assessment strategies to determine the scope of critical priorities outlined by the museum.

“The museum must continue to build its collections, resources, support, and infrastructure to achieve national prominence as a center of excellence and inspiration,” said Jameson. “The arts increasingly play a critical role in the ‘creative economy’ and in cultural tourism, contributing to economic development and a high quality of life. The Mint Museum will play a leading role in this crucial aspect of our dynamic and changing environment with this pragmatic, thoughtful plan for sustainable growth.”

Added Richard T. “Stick” Williams, the Mint’s board of trustees chair and president, Duke Energy Foundation: “The Charlotte region has provided an extraordinary new uptown facility to The Mint Museum, and we must deliver excellence in return. This strategic plan is just the road map we need to accomplish that.”

Copies of the complete plan, and interviews with Dr. Jameson, are available upon request.

Mint Museum Uptown

As the oldest art museum in North Carolina, and the art museum with one of the largest collections between New Orleans and Washington, DC, The Mint Museum offers its visitors inspiring and transformative experiences through art from around the world via innovative collections, ground-breaking exhibitions, riveting educational programs, and profound scholarship. The Mint Museum is a non-profit, visual arts institution comprised of two dynamic facilities: Mint Museum Uptown and Mint Museum Randolph.

Located in what was the original branch of the United States Mint, Mint Museum Randolph opened in 1936 in Charlotte’s Eastover neighborhood as the first art museum in North Carolina. Today, in a beautiful park setting, intimate galleries invite visitors to engage with the art of the ancient Americas, ceramics and decorative arts, historic costume and fashionable dress, European and African art, among other collections. Resources include a reference library with over 18,000 volumes, a theater featuring lectures and performances, and a museum shop offering merchandise that complements both the permanent collection and special exhibitions.

Mint Museum Uptown houses the internationally renowned Craft + Design collection, as well as outstanding collections of American, contemporary, and European art. Designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates of Boston, the five-story, 145,000-square-foot facility combines inspiring architecture with cutting-edge exhibitions to provide visitors with unparalleled educational and cultural experiences. Located in the heart of Charlotte’s burgeoning center city, Mint Museum Uptown is an integral part of the Levine Center for the Arts, a cultural campus that includes the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture, the Knight Theater, and the Duke Energy Center. Mint Museum Uptown also features a wide range of visitor amenities, including the 240-seat James B. Duke Auditorium, the Lewis Family Gallery, art studios, a restaurant, and a museum shop.

For more information, check out (www.mintmuseum.org).

Lynda English Studio Gallery in Florence, SC, Offers Pottery Show and Sale – April 16, 2012

Spring is here and the Lynda English Studio Gallery in Florence, SC, is bringing in lots of new pottery. In addition to having new pottery, the gallery is having a fantastic sale with 20% off selected pieces from Ardie Praetorius, Doug Gray and Marty Biernbaum.

Come early while the selection is good.

Work by Marty Biernbaum

The Lynda English Studio Gallery is located at 403 Second Loop Road in Florence.

For more information, visit (www.lyndaenglishstudio.net) or call 843/673-9144.