The dates for the next South Carolina Clay Conference and pottery sale are February 23-25, 2024. More info coming soon!
2022 Expert Presenters
Takuro Shibata
Bio
Takuro Shibata is a ceramic artist who is originally from Japan. His studio is based in Seagrove, North Carolina, USA. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering, Applied Chemistry from Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan. His interest in ceramics led him to become an apprentice at a local pottery studio “Tanikan Pottery” in Shigaraki, Japan in 1997. He and his wife, Hitomi Shibata first visited Seagrove, NC in 2003, and returned to the Seagrove area at the time Takuro accepted a position as the director of STARworks Ceramics in 2005. They established Studio Touya in Seagrove in 2007 and built an Anagama wood kiln. Takuro has developed a national reputation as a studio potter and as a wild clay specialist. His ceramic work and background story was prominently featured in the May 2017 issue of Ceramics Monthly magazine. He is a member of International Academy of Ceramics (IAC).
Artist Statement
Materials and playful experiment, that is about my work in functional pottery forms.
I am especially interested in jar forms. Good jar forms have a richness of emotion or spirit. It has a functionality to hold things but also a strong presence in space. I focus on the outlines of the form. To emphasize it, I make three sided triangular jar forms which are the simplest form but have the true essence. Each side has its own shape, the form will change depending on where you look at it from.
I prefer to use local materials as much as possible because it is unique and interesting for me to find materials around me and testing to see how I can use them. When I test it especially in high temperature wood firing, I always discover something. It inspires me to create new work.
Hitomi Shibata
Bio
Hitomi Shibata is a Japanese native, female ceramic artist in Seagrove, North Carolina. She has Ceramic art degrees (B.Ed & M.Ed in Fine Art and Craft) from Okayama University in Japan. She learned and worked as a potter in Shigaraki which is one of the oldest pottery villages in Japan. Rotary International scholarship brought her to the USA and became a special student at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, CVPA Ceramics in 2002.
She moved to NC, USA in 2005, and set up her permanent pottery studio in Seagrove which is the biggest pottery town in the USA. She makes functional wood-fired pottery and sculptural ceramic work from NC wild clays, and fires wood kilns with her husband, Takuro Shibata.
Artist in residence at Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Japan (1996-1997), Cub Creek Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Appomattox, VA (2003), and North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC (2005-2007). She led workshops at: Peters Valley School of Craft (2017), The Art League in Alexandria (2019) and Penland School of Crafts (2019). She was selected as a member of International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) in Geneva, Switzerland (2017). She has many ceramic exhibitions and pottery shows in Japan, USA, China and UK.
Lindsay Oesterritter
Bio
Lindsay Oesterritter is currently a full-time studio potter in Manassas Virginia. She is also a Co-Founder and Organizer of National Clay Week and member and Co-Founder of Objective Clay, two online organizations aimed at building and educating the ceramics community. She is an active board member of Studio Potter and co-organizer of Southern Crossing Pottery Festival held in her hometown of Louisville KY. In 2020 she published her first book, Mastering Kilns & Firing. She earned her MFA from Utah State University in Logan Utah. She held the position of Assistant Professor of Ceramics at Western Kentucky University (2009-2015) and earned Associate Professor in 2015. Lindsay had the fortune to be a resident artist at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg and in Australia at Strathnairn Arts Association. She has had the opportunity to lead workshops, curate exhibitions, lecture and exhibit nationally and internationally and is continually inspired by the craft community.
Artist Statement
My work is inspired by the inseparable relationship between time and place, and form and surface.
River stones, worn leather, and antique industrial objects are all uniquely changed by the environment in which they exist. When I work with clay I convey a similar narration of time and place. I work in an intentionally straightforward manner, choosing the clay and combination of processes for the marks that will be left behind. The processes of making are recorded on the surface of the object and begin to reveal the qualities of the material and tell a visual story.
I utilize the wood firing process and reduction cool techniques to continue to highlight form and surface variations, and reference the slow and continuous passage of time. Through wood firing, the form and surface become unique to the singular object.
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SCClayCon
Pottery Market
7th Annual SCClayCon Pottery Market
Free and Open to the Public
Friday, September 16, 2022 from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 17, 2022 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
The Old Newberry Hotel
1110 Caldwell Street
Don’t miss this once a year market that is becoming one of the largest collections of work by potters and clay artists in the state. Free and open to the public, this sale features pottery and sculpture by artists who have gathered to attend the South Carolina Clay Conference.
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Images from past SC Clay Con Pottery Sales
Newberry Manor
1710 College Street
Newberry, SC 29108
Phone: 803.597.5031
View Website
Hampton Inn, Newberry Opera House
1201 Nance Street
Newberry, SC 29108
Phone: 803.276.6666
View Website
Holiday Inn Express and Suites
I-26/Exit 76 (Main Street/SC Hwy. 219) 121 Truman Avenue
Newberry, SC 29108
Phone: 803.321.3955
View Website
Newberry Attractions
Newberry Museum
Newberry's official history museum is located right off Main Street. This new addition to Newberry features pieces and stories that depict our local history.
Newberry Opera House
The Newberry Opera House hosts many performances each year. This historic landmark has been a staple to our little community for many years.
Enoree River Winery
The winery is a popular spot in Newberry and features wine tastings and tours. The winery also is used as an event space for weddings, birthday parties and more.
Carter & Holmes
Carter & Holmes produces and sells premium orchids and draws in locals and visitors alike. They are located just outside the city of Newberry, where they welcome visitors to shop and view their greenhouses.
Wells Japanese Garden
The Japanese Gardens is a local landmark in Newberry and is a short walk from downtown Newberry. While the garden is small, the atmosphere provides a large amount of peace and tranquility to the visitor.
Other Outdoor Recreation
There are many other places to visit and spend time in Newberry and surrounding area. These places include, but are not limited, to the Oakland Tennis Center, the Newberry Country Club, the Mid-Carolina Country Club, Lake Murray and many others. Click the link to learn more about these places.
Newberry Attractions
Newberry Firehouse Conference Center:
The Firehouse Conference Center sits beside the Newberry Opera House in historic downtown Newberry. This building, once used as the district fire station, is now used as an event space for meetings, conferences, weddings and more. The conference center is where SCClayCon is held annually. It is only a short walking distance from the Newberry Arts Center, where the pottery sale is held. For more information please click their name or photo to visit their website.
Newberry Arts Center:
The Newberry Arts Center (NAC) is located in the Old Newberry Hotel. The Arts Center showcases local artwork for sale and hosts many classes such as pottery, painting, afternoon art for kids and more. For more information on NAC, please their name or photo to visit their website.
Old Newberry Hotel:
The Old Newberry Hotel is located in the heart of Historic downtown Newberry. Recently renovated, it is the home of the Newberry Arts Center, apartments, short-term rental space, a large event space, offices and more. SCClayCon holds the annual pottery sale in this space which is only a short walking distance from the Firehouse Conference Center. For more information on the Old Newberry Hotel, please click their name or photo to visit their website.
Our Sponsors
Great Supporters of the arts
Old Newberry Hotel
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Please let us know at SCClayCon@gmail.com.
We are supported by a 501c3, CREATE Newberry, Inc. Tax ID#85-1035631