Grants provide essential support for the Pottery Center’s mission of promoting awareness of North Carolina’s rich pottery making traditions, past and present. In terms of public grant support from the state of North Carolina, the center annually receives (approximately) the following:
- NC Arts Council – General Support, $17,000
- NC Arts Council – Traditional Arts Program in Schools (TAPS), $7,200
NCPC/Seagrove Traditional Arts Program in Schools (TAPS)
The TAPS funding mentioned above annually supports two sessions of 5th-grade after school pottery workshops, one session in the fall and one in the spring. A total of 20 fifth graders from Seagrove Elementary School are accepted into the program annually. The North Carolina Pottery Center hosts two sessions of up to 10 students each, one session in the fall and one in the spring. Classes meet after school once weekly for ten weeks. Students learn the basics of traditional wheel turning, hand building, and glazing along with the history of the area’s ceramic tradition.
North Carolina communities have always fostered shared artistic traditions. Indigenous arts such as carving, basket making and storytelling have characterized North Carolina Indian communities for thousands of years. Five hundred years of immigration has introduced numerous traditional arts that distinguish communities of European, African and Asian descent. New traditional arts develop as communities interact with and adapt to each other. The North Carolina Arts Council supports the continued performance, transmission and appreciation of traditional arts throughout the state.
Through the North Carolina Arts Council, TAPS provides community organizations with funding for after-school programs that connect North Carolina students with local traditional artists. Students receive instruction in an art form that has deep cultural roots in their community, taught by experts utilizing traditional instructional techniques.
The North Carolina Pottery Center is proud to be a TAPS site. Since 2005, we have connected Seagrove Elementary students and their families with the clay beneath their feet, introducing them to the strong tradition of pottery in their hometown. It has been a joy to watch our TAPS family grow!
TAPS Instructors
Sid Luck
TAPS Coordinator
Sid Luck is a fifth-generation Seagrove potter. A former high school chemistry teacher, Sid has served as Program Coordinator for the past eight years. Sid began turning pots at J.B. Cole Pottery in Seagrove at the age of 12, and has continued making pots throughout his life. He specializes in functional ware and traditional wood-fired and salt-glazed pottery at his studio, Luck’s Ware.
Sid has been recognized for his lifelong contributions to the North Carolina pottery tradition, receiving the North Carolina Folklore Society’s Brown-Hudson Award, the UNC-Wilmington Museum of World Culture’s North Carolina Living Treasure designation, and the North Carolina Art Education Association’s Friend of the Arts Award. In 2014, Sid received the North Carolina Heritage Award, given by the NC Arts Council to honor our state’s most eminent artists.
Chad Brown
TAPS Assistant Coordinator
Chad is a fifth-generation Seagrove potter. A former production potter, who made work for many potteries in Seagrove, he is currently building a large wood kiln for his own work at Chad Brown Pottery. Chad specializes in traditional wood-fired and salt-glazed functional ware. His work has been exhibited throughout North Carolina and the United States, including the International Folk Art Museum.
Cat Viera
Educational Program Manager
Cat is the Pottery Center’s Educational Program Manager. She completed an AA and AFA in Visual Arts from Coastal Carolina Community College and graduated Summa Cum Laude, with a BFA in Ceramics and Minor in Psychology from East Carolina University. She is also a registered yoga teacher, an award-winning artist, and tattooed professionally for 13 years.