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Tom Phillips
The Calligrapher Replies I
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Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano
Madonna and Child in a Landscape
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Ed Ruscha
Scratches on the Film
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Richard Diebenkorn
Berkeley No. 8
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Focus Works of Art
Esther Scroll (Megillah) and Case
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Galician or Ukrainian
(European)
Esther Scroll (Megillah) and Case,
19th Century |
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The Potter's Eye
Mark Hewitt, co-curator and featured potter of the exhibition The Potter's Eye: Art and Tradition in North Carolina Pottery, makes vessels that range from affordable small planters to massive pots such as this piece, which is over two and a half feet tall. From a narrow base, the body of the pot expands with a graceful curving line. The rim of the pot is flat and wide, making it sturdier. Hewitt has made shallow impressions under the rim to add texture. A series of intersecting, or cross-hatched, lines span the pot and add interest to the surface. Small pieces of blue glass are embedded at the top point of each diamond created by the incised lines.
How did the English-born Hewitt come to North Carolina and start his business?
Hewitt has absorbed traditions of pottery from England, West Africa, Asia and the United States. At Michael Cardew's pottery in Cornwall, England, Hewitt learned how to dig clay and use local materials for glazes, both practices that are cornerstones of pottery traditions around the world and in North Carolina. Hewitt learned about the business side of running a pottery from one of Cardew's former students in Connecticut, where he also met his wife. In the early 1980s the newlywed couple took a road trip to the South to explore area folk potteries. Attracted by the warm climate, the folk pottery tradition and a real estate bargain, Hewitt moved to North Carolina in 1983. He converted a chicken house into a workshop and built a kiln modeled on a 14th-century Thai kiln. He made pots he could produce quickly and sell inexpensively to build a foundation for his business.
Where does Hewitt find his materials?
Like other contemporary potters with an eye toward tradition, Hewitt blends local clay with commercially produced clay to create pots that retain characteristic markings of the earth from which they came. He makes his own glazes using local materials from his property and some commercial minerals and glass. His large planter above combines two techniques used in North Carolina since the early 19th century: alkaline glazes made from local materials and a salt-glaze kiln that creates unique effects by introducing salt into the firing process.
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Below are suggestions for using the Focus Work of Art with students in the classroom. The activity and discussion ideas are listed in order of difficulty. The activity instructions and italicized discussion questions may be presented directly to students. The icons below each suggestion note the related subject area(s). Click on each icon to determine which subject area it represents. Browse the thematic Lesson Plans for more ideas on how to use this work of art and theme in the classroom. |
- Pinch Pots
Discover how it feels to work with clay by making a pinch pot using self-drying clay. Decorate the pot by drawing lines and designs with a pencil or needle tool, or create a textured surface by making impressions with leaves or other objects.
- North Carolina Flavors
Chester Webster's pot holds five gallons. Calculate how many cups of a substance could fit in a five-gallon jar (1 gallon = 4 quarts, 1 quart = 32 ounces, 8 ounces = 1 cup). What are some grains and other foods grown in North Carolina that might have been stored in this jar? Select a recipe using one of these ingredients, and have an adult help you prepare the recipe. Share the food with your classmates at a North Carolina–themed picnic.
 
- Creating a Business Plan
Many artists in North Carolina, like potter Mark Hewitt, run their own small businesses. Imagine that you are a working potter. Create a business plan or summary that takes into account the following concerns: How much would it cost to run your business? How much do your materials cost? Do you work alone or have employees? Would you choose to make pots that were functional or purely decorative? Decide how much you would need to charge for your product to have a successful business. For help with your research, visit an area pottery or local crafts maker to learn more about how a business is run.
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