BROWNS SUMMIT, N.C. — Pottery breathes culture and history into the Tar Heel State and contributes billions to the state's economy in the arts sector, according to the North Carolina Arts Council.
What You Need To Know
- Pottery helps piece together N.C. history and fund the economy
- North Carolina has the largest hub of potters in the country
- Janet Gaddy has been doing pottery for around 50 years, almost 10 years full-time
- Festivals like the 21st Annual Piedmont Pottery Festival help bring in billions for the state
Janet Gaddy is the co-owner of Celtic Pottery in Browns Summit, crafting her 50 years of love for pottery in every piece she makes.
“I've always loved the arts, and I think when I was in junior high school, I took my first art class with pottery and I literally just loved it since that day,” said Gaddy.
Gaddy owns the business with her husband but shows others her love of pottery as well, even teaching at schools like Greensboro College for many years.
“Hopefully just to carry on the tradition, and the tradition is so deep in North Carolina. So part of it is just to give people therapy and joy. It is very meditative and people that do it will tell you that,” said Gaddy.
Not only is pottery something that is a collectible and has many functions, its history runs deep within the state.
Seagrove, North Carolina, south of Asheboro, is the largest hub of potters in the state and the country.
“I was in Santa Fe, at Santa Fe Clay Company, in New Mexico. When they asked us where we were from, we said North Carolina. And she was like, ‘Why are you here? That's the biggest pottery place in the world,’” said Gaddy.
North Carolina’s clay is great for pottery, drawing in potters across the state and helping unlock the state’s secrets.
Archeologists are able to use pieces of pottery to piece together time lines of the state's history. It also helps differentiate Native American tribes, helped discover Fort San Juan, which is located in the mountains and was established 20 years prior to the English colonies on the coast and makes stronger hypotheses on what happened to the Lost Colony.
“I think the quality of artists that we have in North Carolina is just amazing. There are a few traditional pieces, but a lot of it is just all the uniqueness,” said Gaddy.
Gaddy enjoys making all kinds of pottery, especially in the style of crystalline, including turtles, chicken salt and pepper shakers, cat bird feeders and Buddha bunnies just to name a few.
All of these and more she brings to events and festivals, each taking days to make.
North Carolina’s Nonprofit Arts & Culture Sector, which includes pottery, created a $2.23 billion impact on the state’s economy in 2022.
$1.18 billion of that total was in event-related spending by their audiences.
“Festivals are very important because they support the artists that are doing pottery. And North Carolina has a lot of festivals that are just for potters,” said Gaddy.
She says many of her friends in other states do not have these festivals where they live, which is something that makes North Carolina unique.
“Everybody has such a unique style that it's just fun to go around and look at all the different types of pottery,” said Gaddy.
Gaddy is participating in the 21st Annual Piedmont Pottery Festival on Saturday, June 1, in Eden from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The festival will have potters from North Carolina and Virginia and live demonstrations.