of North Carolina pottery will visit Charlotte when the 8th annual
Potters Market Invitational sets up its tent on the grounds of Mint
Museum Randolph on September 15.
Forty outstanding North Carolina potters have been invited to
participate in this year's event, presented by the Delhom Service
League, an affiliate group of The Mint Museum dedicated to the support
and study of ceramics. The event typically lures over 1,200 collectors
and enthusiasts, many of whom line up hours in advance of the opening
to make sure to gain access to the day's best treasures.
"We are thrilled to have this opportunity to share our enthusiasm for
this important art form with the Charlotte community and the region,
and to give residents a chance to engage with some of our state's most
significant artists and their work," said Lee Abbott, chairperson of
this year's Potters Market. "The Mint Museum already boasts the
largest collection of North Carolina pottery in the United States, and
we look forward to future opportunities to put a strengthened focus on
ceramics at Mint Museum Randolph."
A $10 admission fee includes access to the event, running from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m., as well as admission to both locations of The Mint Museum
(admission is reduced to $8 after 2 p.m.)*. The event is still selling
$100 individual sponsorships which grant early admission at 9:15 a.m.
and a greater chance to acquire the most-desired items. For $150,
individuals can also be admitted to a Potters Party being held Friday,
September 14 from 7-9 p.m. at Mint Museum Randolph, where they will
have the opportunity to mingle with the potters.
PMI tickets go on sale online Aug. 1 at mintmuseum.org/delhom-service-
league.html, or are available at the door. More information is
available at 704.337.2010 or by emailing PottersMarketInvitational@gmail.com
. The event also includes live folk music and pottery-making
demonstrations. Funds raised go toward acquisitions of pottery and
library materials for the museum.
The honorary chair of this year's market is Herb Cohen, a league
member whose work is featured in the exhibition Sophisticated
Surfaces: The Pottery of Herb Cohen, on view at Mint Museum Randolph
through January 6, 2013.
Also on view at Mint Museum Randolph through January 6 is the
exhibition A Thriving Tradition: 75 Years of Collecting North Carolina
Pottery, which contains many significant acquisitions obtained through
the help of the Delhom Service League and its individual members. An
example is a ceramic sculpture of a rabbit, "Alice Goes to
Washington," by Carol Gentithes, which contains images of Barack
Obama, Martha Stewart, George W. Bush, Jay Leno, and other figures
emblematic in current culture. "Like a classical language, the
vocabulary that I create has many layers of meaning. I leave it with
the viewers to derive their personal interpretations," Gentithes has
said of her work. Gentithes is one of this year's participating
potters, who also include Judith Duff, designer of a vase purchased at
the 2009 Potters Market Invitational that became the primary image for
this year's event; and Ben Owen III of the legendary Owen and Owens
families of North Carolina potters. First-time participating potters
this year include Julie Wiggins, Steven Abee, Ross Edwards, Becky and
Steve Lloyd, Joy Tanner, Alex Matisse, and Frank Neef. A complete list
of potters is available at mintmuseum.org/happenings/18/delhom-service-
league-8th-annual-potters-market-invitational.
Recently, Mint Museum Randolph opened two more permanent-collection
exhibitions that illustrate the depth and breadth of the Mint's
ceramics collection: Classically Inspired: European Ceramics Circa
1800, and American Ceramics, 1825-1875. Find more information about
them in the attachment.
Corporate sponsor for this year's Potters Market Invitational is
Subaru South Boulevard. Top-level individual sponsors are Bill
Musgrave, Betsy Brand, Herb Cohen and José Fumero, Jane M. Conlan, and
Sarah Belk Gambrell.
*Note: Visitors must purchase their PMI ticket first in order to gain
free museum admission on the event date.
ABOUT DELHOM SERVICE LEAGUE
Delhom Service league is an affiliate group of The Mint Museum
dedicated to developing interest in ceramics by studying the work of
experts and by supporting the ceramics collection of The Mint Museum.
It is named for M. Mellanay Delhom and her outstanding collection of
historical pottery and porcelain, which entered the museum's
collection in 1965. The league offers monthly programs that are open
to the public, on the third Tuesday of the month from September
through May, and holds study and research classes on Monday
afternoons. The league, consisting of both potters and ceramics
enthusiasts, supports acquisitions of pottery and library materials
for the museum.
ABOUT THE MINT MUSEUM
As the oldest art museum in North Carolina, and the art museum with
one of the largest collections in the Southeast, 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 state's first art museum. Today, in a beautiful
park setting, intimate galleries invite visitors to engage with the
art of the ancient Americas, ceramics and decorative arts, fashion,
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, visit
the NEW mintmuseum.org.
