HILLSIDE POTTERY

Supported by Anna Graham, of New York and Pinebluff, N.C., Herman Cole opened Hillside Pottery in 1927, in Smithfield, N.C. Cole, the son of potter J.B. Cole, produced the pottery; Graham, a trained artist, sketched artware shapes to be duplicated. Sales were made at the shop’s roadside stand and numerous northern outlets identified by Graham. Hillside Pottery became Smithfield Art Pottery in about 1930.

SMITHFIELD ART POTTERY

With talented turner’s like Jonah Owen, Charlie Craven, Charlie Teague, Guy Daugherty, Bill Gordy, and others, Herman Cole turned fledgling Hillside Pottery into Smithfield Art Pottery, a pottery-making behemoth with thousands of finished wares shipped out weekly. For more than a decade, in the wake of the Great Depression, superbly turned shapes, and superior glazes ensured strong sales and acclaim for the pottery’s products.

Exhibition guest-curated by Stephen C. Compton.

Exhibition Reception, Presentation by Steve Compton, and Book Signing:
Saturday, March 16, 2024

Join us for a Reception (with light refreshments and beverages) for our new Hillside & Smithfield, A Tale for Two Potteries exhibit on Saturday, March 16th! The reception and presentation by Steve Compton are free and open to the public. Copies of Steve’s new book, North Carolina’s Hillside & Pottery and Smithfield Art Pottery: The Pottery with Two Names will also be available for purchase.

• Books will go on sale at 10:00 AM
• Reception: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
• Steve Compton’s Presentation: 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
• Book Signing by Steve Compton to follow the presentation

This exhibition, showing examples made during the Hillside Pottery period alongside those from Smithfield Art Pottery for the first time, proves the operation’s great success. Enjoy!