(Clockwise from left) Barry Bernstein, artist; Wendy Wrenn Werstlein, artist; Sumiko Takada, artist; Cat Jarosz, artist
By Natasha Anderson
The 18th Annual Western North Carolina Pottery Festival once again returns to Jackson County on Saturday, November 5, at the Bridge Park in downtown Sylva from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Since its inception in 2004, the festival has grown to become one of the Southeast’s Top 20 Events, attracting thousands of pottery aficionados.
“We are still going strong and growing every year,” says co-founder and potter Joe Frank McKee. “Attendance is up with the new location and more potters keep applying to participate.”
All potters are juried into the show and compete for limited booth space. Applicants come from NC and surrounding states (12 in total), and exhibitors change from year to year. Of the 34 participating potters this year, nine are new to the festival.
“We take pride in the fact that the show is always as fresh as can be,” says McKee.
The festival includes low-fire, raku, hand-built, sculpture, mid-range, high-fire glaze, wood-fire and salt-fire pottery. Potters’ techniques include slip, alter-while-throwing and brush work designs through glazing.
One of the festival highlights is the opportunity for visitors to watch master potters perform their craft throughout the day. The main demonstrations this year are raku and horse hair firing, and wheel throwing.
The Bridge Park is conveniently located in downtown Sylva, with abundant parking within easy walking distance of the entrance gates. A variety of restaurants, shops and craft breweries in Sylva and Dillsboro, as well as outdoor activities including fly fishing on the Tuckasegee River, offer opportunities for festival attendees to make a day or weekend of their visit.
“We love coming to WNC for this show,” says Iowa-based potter Mindy Winchester, who, along with her partner Tony Winchester, has participated more times than she can count. “The beauty of the land, the people and the appreciation of pottery are priceless. Plus, it’s a show run by potters, for potters, and it’s truly all about pots.”
Admission to the WNC Pottery Festival is $5 per person and includes a raffle ticket for prize drawings every hour. Children under 12 are admitted free. Pets are not allowed in the show. For the opportunity to enter the show 30 minutes early, join the festival’s email list. For more information, visit WNCPotteryFestival.com.
