May 2025 Round-Up: Your Story, Written in Clay

I have a distinct and specific memory of the brick kiln in the basement of the elementary school where my mother worked as an art teacher. An enormous grey hexagon, taller than I was at eight years old, and, at three flights down, only accessible to the very bravest devotees of clay—my mother being chief among them. Nobody else at the school used the kiln. On clay days, after her last class said their goodbyes and boarded the bus, she would gather their grinning pigs and lumpy pinch pots, schlepping them down the stairs with me in tow. Something of mine, a small coil pot, was going into the kiln, and I was determined to see it shove off, nightmarish basement be damned.

Making my first coil pot felt like a rite of passage. (I still have it, along with some badly made cups and one ill-advised teapot that came into being much later.) I suspect many families in Western North Carolina have a similar story, one that anchors them to the land and community where they work and live. Central Seagrove may hold the title for “Handmade Pottery Capital of the World,” but its 23 neighboring counties to the west surely deserve a close second. Clay is ubiquitous here. The region is home to numerous co-ops, classes, and galleries that offer ceramists opportunities to create, share, sell, learn, and collaborate. This month, we revisited our conversation with Sarah Wells Rolland of the Village Potters Clay Center, a teaching studio and small business that was decimated by Hurricane Helene last fall. Find out how you can support their reopening efforts and new space, set to open in summer 2025, by scrolling through the rest of this newsletter.

We also spoke with Black Mountain sculptor Libba Tracy, who does mind-boggling things with clay. If you ever wanted to see a chicken or a polar bear on wheels, now is your chance. Finally, enjoy a virtual tour of the Kamm Teapot Collection, the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of teapots and tea-related ephemera. While not all teapots selected for our feature are made of clay, each is crafted by an artist from Western North Carolina.

As we explore a small part of our local sculpture and pottery scene, we invite you to share your own story in clay—we want to see your very first pot! Share a picture of your inaugural creation on Instagram this week and make sure to tag us at @artsvilleusa. Don’t forget to follow us on IG so you can check out my first coil pot, too.

A Toast to Tea: Exploring the Kamm Teapot Collection

Very little in this life beats a cup of tea brewed in a proper teapot. There’s also something special about sharing a cup with a loved one, a simple act that fosters intimacy and conversation. As spring unfolds and the warmth of May envelops us, we find ourselves on the cusp of two holidays that invite us to slow down, reflect, and cherish the connections that enrich our lives: Mother’s Day (May 11) and International Tea Day (May 21).

In this spirit, we’re showcasing a selection of teapots from the Kamm Teapot Collection, the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of teapots, accumulated over 35 years by Los Angeles residents Sonny and Gloria Kamm. Headquartered in Encino, the Kamm Teapot Foundation also operates a storage facility in Statesville, North Carolina, where the physical collection is organized and catalogued. Their interest in teapots began as a complement to their collection of contemporary art, blossoming into a passion that has resulted in over 17,000 teapots, tea sets, and tea-related ephemera. While Sonny and Gloria collect teapots from all over the country, we've carefully selected artists from their collection who hail from Western North Carolina. Alongside teapots from the Kamm Collection, we highlight two additional pieces by regional artists Jan Kolenda and Laurie Caffery.

View WNC artists from the Kamm Teapot Collection here.

High Tide: Libba Tracy’s Sculptures Highlight the Urgent Plight of Endangered Animals

“Oh, look, there's a blue heron,” exclaims Libba Tracy as one flies across her 11-acre Black Mountain hay farm during our interview. The renowned ceramics artist interrupts her story about Hurricane Helene’s destruction of Highwater Clays to point out the large wading bird cutting across her patch of Western North Carolina’s midday sky.

“Our little corner of the universe, we always called it Camelot. Every season was equal, and it was paradise.” She pauses. “Until now.” Last September, Libba’s Shangri-la was shattered when Category 4 tropical storm Helene swept through the region. The storm unleashed torrential rain and peak winds of 140 mph, uprooting decades-old trees on her Black Mountain property. “Helene took down all my beloved big trees,” she recalls. “Now, people are afraid of the trees. That feeling was unheard of for us.”

Read our interview with Libba Tracy here.

Community Through Clay: A Conversation With Sarah Wells Rolland of the Village Potters Clay Center

Editor’s note: This episode was originally published in April 2022. We’re revisiting our conversation with Sarah Wells Rolland, owner, founder, and resident potter of The Village Potters Clay Center, as part of our clay-themed coverage in May 2025.

In the face of adversity, creativity has a remarkable way of shining through. No one embodies this spirit more than Sarah Wells Rolland, owner and founder of The Village Potters Clay Center, once an iconic gallery in Asheville’s River Arts District.

After Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to their facilities, The Village Potters is navigating the challenging recovery journey while looking forward to exciting new beginnings. They’re temporarily operating out of a warehouse as they prepare to open a new 18,000 sq. ft. facility this summer. Help The Village Potters cover the significant rebuilding costs by making a tax-deductible donation through their new fiscal sponsor or visiting their GoFundMe campaign.

Listen to our conversation with Sarah Wells Rolland here.

News + Notes From Asheville and Beyond

Here, we share quick craft bites for hungry minds and busy hands. Warm weather brings plenty of outdoor fun, including Asheville’s much-loved Art in the Park, now in its second decade.

Events + Exhibitions

• Art in Bloom: Now in its 19th year, the Art in Bloom fundraiser runs June 2-27 at Black Mountain Center for the Arts. Celebrate the fusion of art and nature with gallery exhibits, floral designs, and local garden tours. Buy tickets or see the whole slate of events here.
• ​​Blue Ridge Roots Revival: Hosted by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA) and Jazz Foundation of America, this summer and fall concert series aims to celebrate local music heritage and support community recovery following Hurricane Helene’s destruction. Dates, times, and locations can be found here.
• Asheville Art in the Park: Asheville Art in the Park, held in historic Pack Square, showcases local artists every June and October. This vibrant marketplace features handcrafted items made from glass, ceramics, wood, jewelry, and metal. With over $ 1 million generated for artists, it's a celebration of creativity and a must-visit destination for art lovers in Asheville. This year’s dates can be found here.
• WNC Craft Futures: From Here: Don’t miss the Center for Craft’s current exhibition, featuring 40 regional craft artists impacted by Hurricane Helene, on view through Aug. 30. This celebration of resilience includes a community reception and open studios on June 12, showcasing the artists' recovery journeys and creative responses to the storm's challenges. Learn more about the exhibition and the awarded artists here.

Call for Artists

• Azule Artist Residency Mountain Retreat: Azule offers a unique residency program for diverse creatives, including performers, writers, and artists, set in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. Accepting applicants year-round on a first-come, first-served basis, the program provides a communal living and workspace to foster collaboration and inspiration among residents. Find out more about the residency here.
• Toe River Arts 2026 Exhibition Proposal: Toe River Arts invites artists to submit proposals for its 2026 exhibition schedule, featuring both 2D and 3D work in the Kokol Gallery and 2D-only displays in the Owen Gallery. Open to all, applications are due by July 31. Learn more here.

Special Thanks to Our Partners

This copy has been edited for length and clarity. All photos published with permission of the artist(s); featured photo: “Monkey Pot” (detail) by Lisa Clague, courtesy of the Kamm Teapot Foundation.