Bragging Rights (article in the 11th Hour)

Georgia’s main resources; cotton, peanuts, peaches, and clay? Georgia is by far the leading clay producing state in America; as well as stoneware and earthenware, natural kaolin is one of Georgia’s leading products. Kaolin is used not only by local potters, but by industries that make bathroom fixtures, tiles, and chinaware. It is also used in the paper industry, as commercial filler and paint pigment, and in pharmaceuticals.

There are natural deposits of some of the best kaolin right in middle Georgia. Native Americans discovered this natural resource, and used it for their clay ware. In the late 1700’s, European immigrants applied their craft techniques to the native clay. A few tons of southern kaolin were shipped overseas to Thomas Wedgewood, who praised the clay quality but deemed it too expensive to transport back to England.

Americans had no problem with the southern kaolin, and pottery became so widespread in the 1820s and 1840s that several pottery making centers sprang up in the south, known as “Jugtowns”. Peak years for Georgia potters was during the Civil War; they supplied the Confederate army with nearly all its storage vessels.

The Great Depression and increased production of cheaper glass and metal containers had the largest negative impact on Georgia potters. Unable to sell their wares to poor farmers, those potters who did not close their doors had to discover new ways to keep the tradition alive. One way potters began to appeal to a more diverse clientele was to add an artistic element to traditional forms: thus, the rise of the “face jug”. Oddly enough, many art collectors pay thousands of dollars for work was once produced for farmers.

Ceramic artists today use their “homegrown” Georgia clay and commercial clay (made with Georgia kaolin) to create an eclectic variety of ceramic pieces, ranging from the sculptural to the functional, to the functional with a little bit of “funk” added.

Regional ceramic artists keep the potter’s community alive; artist A.J. Argentina, who manages the Roswell Clay Collective, led a Mardi Gras “Clay Olympics” this year, which involved potters and the community in such competitions as ‘blind-folded wheel throwing’. In Crawford County, artist Shelby West organizes a kiln firing, open to the public, in a huge community kiln he helped build. Roger Jamison has an anagama kiln (Japanese for “cave kiln”) in his backyard, and has at least two annual firings. His kiln can hold up to 600 pieces of pottery, and about 20 artists come to his Juliette home to help keep the fires stoked ‘round the clock for 5 days.

Numerous art festivals and gatherings educate the public on the variety of ceramic work that is readily available, and give ceramic artists a chance to meet and exchange ideas. “Perspectives” at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville, is an annual ceramics show featuring 50 Georgia ceramic artists. It includes an exhibit that mixes the contemporary with the traditional, last year with a display of Georgia face jugs next to a large modern piece by artist Sooyeon Kim. The Georgia Jugfest and Old Knoxville Days, held in Crawford County every year, is a gathering of many traditional folk potters, including artists Mark and Coni Merritt, who own the Lizella Clay Co. The Merritts also have a small annual Pottery Festival each fall which features artists from the region, including Triny Cline of Byrd Mountain Pottery.

Macon has its own pottery festival. “Fired Works: A Regional Ceramics Show and Sale,” which features work by over 50 regional artists, including those mentioned in this article. Fired Works will be taking place later this month at the Round Building in Central City Park. Though the show itself is in its fifth year, and Macon Arts is proud to sponsor it, the history of ceramics in Georgia runs as deep as the kaolin fault-line; now that’s something to brag about.

"Fired Works: A Regional Ceramics Show and Sale" will be taking place this month, April 18th through April 26th.

Featured Pictures in this article: 1. Collaborative piece, thrown by Roger Jamison, glazed by Diane Mead. Part of Macon Arts' April show: Collaborations. Opening reception April 3rd, 5-8 p.m. 2. Artist A.J. Argentina throwing blindfolded as part of the "Clay Olympics", photograph by Michael Phillips. 3. Part of "Teapot Conversation", piece by Sooyeon Kim, one of the featured works in the "Perspectives" exhibit.

New Artists Participating this Year: Lora Rust

We are quite happy to have an extensive line-up of regional ceramic artists. In fact, the majority of our artists currently live in Georgia! This year, we're happy to announce that we have 12 new artists participating.

A newcomer to Fired Works is Lora Rust, from Atlanta. Katy McDougal was kind enough to suggest her, and we're excited to see more of her work. She is currently a studio potter, and also works as the instructor for Beginning and Intermediate Wheel courses at the Abernathy Arts Center in Sandy Springs, GA.

Lora Groton Rust

Biography and Artist Statement

January 2009

Growing up, our house was always full of ceramic art. An early admiration for artistic elements of design, form, and functionality were incorporated into my everyday life. When I found a way to express myself artistically, the modalities were always tactile. My initial inspirations and experiences were through sewing and needlepoint at an early age, and then clay, in my high school and college years.

In 2002, after a 15-year hiatus, I came back to clay and have been consistently working with it since. During a two year Assistantship at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, which I have just completed, I have built a solid foundation and developed my own style applying innovative techniques for surface textures and glazes. As I texture the clay, my intentions are to create a visual reflection of form and surface. Designs and patterns found in Gothic Architecture mixed with the fluidity of the Art Nouveau period are strong influences. I also use inspiration from fashion design to help capture a certain lushness to the texture on the form. In this process of experimenting with texturing techniques, I found that making my own tools made these surfaces more original and complete, providing more depth to the surface design. My hope is to entice the user with the initial visual reflection, and then invite them into depth of the surface created by color and texture.

Fired Works will be open daily April 18th through April 26th. Until you have the opportunity to peruse her table, check out more of Lora's ceramics at her Flickr Page.