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).

Mesh Gallery in Morganton, NC, Features Works by Asheville, NC, Artists

Mesh Gallery in Morganton, NC, will present the exhibit, The Artists of Constance Williams Gallery in Asheville, featuring the work of five artists, on view from Feb. 27 through Apr. 13, 2012. A reception will be held on Mar. 2, from 6-8pm. Ten percent of proceeds will benefitting Options, Inc.

Works by Angelique Tassistro

Our Western North Carolina community relationships happen in so many interesting ways. Jenny Mastin’s ceramic sculptures inspired by native cultures, folklore and mythology blend with modern interpretation via her own life experiences. This connecting skill is also reflected in the pulling-together of her studio mates in her Asheville, NC, studio with Mesh Gallery in Morganton, near her home in Burke County, for a new group show. Mastin’s affiliations with folks throughout the entire region have drawn everyone together, including adding in a benefit aspect for Options, Inc.

Jenny Mastin, Constance Williams, Cassie Ryalls, Angelique Tassistro and Greg Vineyard have been creating work in their shared upstairs working studios, and showing together downstairs at Constance Williams Gallery in Asheville’s River Arts District for some time. Their events have included larger group and smaller monthly shows, and they have a harmonious method of displaying work in Constance’s spacious gallery. Visitors experience an environment where they flow from display to display, enjoying the whole space while still being able to also appreciate each artist’s individual style. Visiting gallery directors have also appreciated this concept, selecting everywhere from one to all five artists’ creations for various gallery shows and sales consignments throughout the region and country.

Works by Cassie Ryalls

Works by Constance Williams

So it is a pleasure for the artists to be able to show together at Mesh Gallery, home to yearly shows and events, including one of Mastin’s favorites, The Art of Chocolate, to which the artists have also contributed works for auction in the past. This group show will benefit Options, Inc. with  a donation of 10% of their proceeds from sales. Options is the domestic violence, rape and sexual assault shelter, education and advocacy center in Morganton, Burke County, NC.

The artists at Constance Williams Gallery are: Constance Williams (expressionist encaustic paintings & clay sculpture), Jenny Mastin (clay sculpture), Cassie Ryalls (clay sculpture), Angelique Tassistro (functional, decorated ceramics) and Greg Vineyard (meditative ceramics, inspired illustrations).

Detail of work by Jenny Mastin

MESH Gallery is a progressive showcase for the arts located in downtown Morganton. The gallery features local and regional artists in single and multiple artist exhibitions throughout the year. We are dedicated to exhibiting work by accomplished artists that is on a level that equals galleries in large cities. The gallery also host “preview” shows twice a year for non-profit art auction fundraisers. This allows local amateur and professional artists more exposure for their contributions and has allowed the non-profit organizations to raise more money through longer, more public exposure of their events.

MESH Gallery is supported and housed in the same location as MESH Design Group, a full service advertising agency providing complete print and web development services. Through a symbiotic relationship, both businesses are successfully operating.

Work by Greg Vineyard

Options, Inc. is a small non-profit advocacy center that provides empowerment services and emergency shelter to Burke County families in crisis. We support victims of domestic and sexual violence as they become empowered to make life decisions and break the cycles of abuse and economic dependence. Options was founded as a volunteer agency and began assisting battered women and children in 1978. Initially, Options provided rape and sexual assault advocacy, hospital accompaniment, and court advocacy for victims of violent crime. Options opened the Cliffhaven Shelter for battered women in 1990, and in 2002 expanded to a new facility.

The Constance Williams Gallery, located in Asheville’s River Arts District. Constance Williams has filled her encaustic working studio and light-filled gallery with additional artworks from selected local artists, several of whom work upstairs above the gallery. Constance Williams Gallery also hosts events, workshops and shows in their large, light-filled working studio space.

For further information call Mesh Gallery at 828/437-1957 or visit (www.meshgallery.com)