A Collector’s Collection (February 18 – April 22, 2017)
North Carolina is home to many pottery aficionados who are remarkable people not just for their collections, but also for who they are as people and for the passion they share for preserving, collecting, and sharing knowledge about our state’s rich pottery tradition. Many of those collectors have given pieces to the North Carolina Pottery Center over the years, something which the center deeply appreciates.
“A Collector’s Collection” focuses on forty exemplary art pottery pieces from the collection of Bunny Schroeer. As is the case in all museums, large and small, there is never enough space to permanently display everything held in permanent collections. Many of the pieces in this collection will be on display long-term at the center, but we felt all these extraordinary pieces needed to be displayed together for a bit of time to showcase the remarkable skills of our state’s early art potters, as well as hopefully inspire another generation to collect, learn, and continue enhancing our understanding and knowledge of North Carolina pottery.
Bunny shares, “I have loved collecting NC pottery for many reasons, including enjoying my relationships with potters working today, and the excitement of walking into an antique shop and finding an older piece of pottery from NC. I have found NC pottery from Maine to Miami, and many places in between! One of the most gorgeous pots was found on Central Avenue antique shop in St. Petersburg FL, the town where I was born and lived for about 20 years. I decided to give some of them to the NC Pottery Center, in Seagrove, NC. Seagrove is a very special place. There are over one hundred potters living and working there. As you drive along NC705, potteries are everywhere. Back in 1966, when we first moved to NC we lived in a duplex, and our neighbors told us about Ben Owen, Senior. We visited him, and still stop at his shop today. His grandson works there now. Potters come to live and work in Seagrove from as far away as Japan. Many of the potters are second, third or fourth generation potters. I’ve been collecting NC pots everywhere we go for many years now. I especially like some older pots from JB Cole, whose son Waymon was a wonderful potter. This past year, I gave 40 of my best pots to the NC Pottery Center. I had a wonderful time finding them, and I decided that I wanted to share them with the NC Pottery Center.”
Curated by the NCPC Exhibitions Committee.
Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, February 18, 2017, from noon-2:00 p.m. The reception is open to the public and free of charge.
This exhibition runs from February 18 – April 22, 2017.
