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Clay Talks! with Kim Ellington
February 1, 2018 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Join us at the North Carolina Pottery Center on Thursday, February 1st, for a slide presentation by Catawba Valley potter Kim Ellington!
A Hickory native, Kim attended Haywood Community College’s pottery program before opening his first shop in Hickory in 1982. After the 1987 construction of a traditional groundhog kiln at Hart Square village, a local living history site, Kim moved his shop to Vale, the home of the Catawba Valley pottery tradition. Through his friendship with and guidance from Burlon Craig, the only potter working in the Catawba Valley tradition at the time, Kim adopted the use of local clay, alkaline glaze and wood firing to make his work.
According to Kim, the past influences his current work through the use of time-honored methods and materials specific to the Catawba Valley tradition. He adds, “I am also greatly influenced by the skill level and dedication to the use of local materials that has persisted locally for centuries. I do not attempt to replicate pots from the past. It is my objective to make relevant the forms, techniques, and materials of the Catawba Valley tradition to the present day and hopefully inspire others to carry them forward through their own interpretations and use.”
Kim is a featured artist in the Pottery Center’s current exhibition, The Last Drop: Intoxicating Pottery, Past and Present. For the exhibition, he reinterpreted a 1705 whistle cup from South Wiltshire, England, melding the Catawba Valley alkaline tradition with 21st-century references to opinions—both positive and negative—about alcohol’s use.
Kim’s talk will address his work, process, and inspiration. A potluck at 6 pm will begin the evening’s events, followed by the presentation at 7 pm. Come out for a great night of food and community!
Location: The NCPC Educational Building located behind the NC Pottery Center at 233 East Avenue, Seagrove, 27341.
This presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, call the center at 336-873-8430. This ongoing lecture series is facilitated by Emily Lassiter, NCPC Educational Program Manager.
