Pottery feud splits town

SEAGROVE, N.C. | Among the endless allegations of thievery, financial subterfuge and conspiracy, there is only this certainty - North Carolinians take their pottery seriously.

And that’s about all outspoken potter Don Hudson can say without throwing himself further into a deepening dispute among the noted artisans living in an area of central North Carolina rich in natural clay, where pottery has flourished for more than 250 years.

The dispute has resulted in two pottery festivals in Seagrove scheduled for the same November weekend. One is new this year; the other has been held for the past 26.

The divide, and all the confusing reasons for a fight over pottery, can appear ridiculous to outsiders. But it’s venomous for those involved, resulting in ugly propaganda, reports of a gunshot fired at one shop and allegations of assault. Attempts to settle it have gotten nowhere.

“It’s crazy. It’s doing huge damage, and they should get over it,” said Charlotte Brown, author of the 2006 book “The Remarkable Potters of Seagrove” and director of the Gregg Museum of Art & Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. “It’s not over anything that matters. It’s personal. Everybody stands to lose.”

Even some customers are starting to take sides, said Michelle Kovack, an artist who paints pots thrown by her husband, Craig, and is neutral in the feud.

“They’ve got to realize, we’re stuck in the middle of this,” she said. “We’re just trying to make a living.”

Potters have carved out a living in the Seagrove area, about halfway between Charlotte and Raleigh, since the mid-18th century. It was founded by seven families who embraced the abundant clay underfoot.

Fans of Seagrove artists include actors Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Tokyo. North Carolina governors have commissioned the community’s pottery as gifts for world leaders.

All of which helps explain the passion that feeds a feud that has simmered for years and went public this summer.

The schism generally involves differences between potters who support the Museum of North Carolina Traditional Pottery - which is more of a welcome center with samples of local work - and artisans who have broken from it.

Some in the breakaway group also support the financially struggling North Carolina Pottery Center, which displays and promotes work from artists statewide, not just those based in Seagrove. It also sells pottery, which critics say hurts local artists and takes business away from their shops.

The center, which doesn’t support either festival, has been the target of attacks by Mr. Hudson, a museum board member and a potter in nearby Sanford.

Mr. Hudson has published two articles that have infuriated some potters and written numerous e-mails, one of which resulted in legislative fiscal researchers examining the center’s finances in August. The state auditor has since given the center a clean financial report.

Museum supporters operate the Seagrove Pottery Festival. It attracts 5,000 to 6,000 people to Seagrove - population 250 - each year and is considered one of the best festivals in the Southeast.

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