Bruce and Samantha at the Potters Market Invitational 2015

A selection of Bulldog Pottery-Gholson & Henneke at the Potters Market Invitational, Mint Museum Randolph, Charlotte, NC

It has been around 2 weeks since the Potters Market Invitational in Charlotte, NC and we are still thinking about what a great time we had on Saturday at the Mint Museum Randolph. The weather was just right, and there were many excited pottery collectors that came for this exhibition.  The Delhom Service League once again put on a great event. They are wonderful hosts that made sure all the potters stayed hydrated throughout the day. It is always a treat for us to talk with the folks that love pottery as much as we do, and to also meet new people that are beginning to catch the bug of wanting to buy handmade pottery for their home.

A selection of Bulldog Pottery-Gholson and Henneke, that we had at the Potters Market Invitational, Mint Museum Randolph Charlotte, NC

Bruce Gholson & Samantha Henneke at the Potters Market Invitational, Mint Museum Randolph, Charlotte, NC

Our pottery booth this year was located at the entrance of the white tent.  All of the potters are located under one tent which gives the outdoor show a good cohesive feel for the potters and the collectors. Our neighbor at the show this year was Donna Craven who is also a neighbor potter in our Seagrove Pottery community.  The Potters Market was described by one of the organizers as a sort of home-coming for the potters because we all are excited to see one another and what each other is making. Sometimes this is the one time of the year for us to catch up with many of these other potters.  

The Delhom Service League hosts this pottery event, and the money raised goes to enlarge the exciting Delhom Pottery Collection. They will soon rearrange the exhibit space for their collection of British Ceramics. Brian Gallagher is the Curator of the Decorative Arts, and has recently published a catalog of this British Ceramics Collection that will soon be available for purchase.  

We are now getting ready for the upcoming invitational pottery show at the Washington DC's Hill Center in the Old Naval Hospital on October 30-November 1, 2015.  Also this Friday evening we will be giving a talk in Raleigh for the North Carolina Pottery Collector's Guild.  On the way to the presentation we will be dropping off some of Samantha's works to the Frank Gallery in Chapel Hill for the "Women in Clay" show.  It is a busy time for us here in Seagrove at Bulldog Pottery.

Our talk has been postponed to December 4, 2015 because of Hurricane Joaquin.

Donna Craven Pottery at the Potters Market Invitational, Mint Museum Randolph, Charlotte, NC

Potters Market Invitational at the Mint Museum Randolph

Potters Market Invitational at the Mint Museum Randolph, Charlotte, NC

Potters Market Invitational
Mint Museum Randolph
September 12, 2015

10:00am-4:00pm

Admission: $10

We are members of the Mint Museum located in Charlotte, NC, and the reason why is the Delhom Service League.  Back in the early 2000's we bumped into an article somewhere on the web about a group at the Mint Museum that talk about pots. We thought, "How cool is that!" We wrote down on our list of to-dos to find out about the classes.  A few months later pottery collectors, Leo and Elizabeth Kohn-a husband and wife collector team, visited us in our Bulldog Pottery shop and told us more about the Delhom Service League. The Kohns very warmly invited us to attend one of the League's classes, where we were very graciously received by the organization.

The Delhom Service League schedules monthly presentations at the Mint Museum Randolph by a ceramic scholar, as well as, organized classes by the group's members to teach docents and museum members about the Mint Museum's extensive ceramics collection. The Mint Museum has a wonderful collection of pottery named after the contributor Miss M. Mellanay Delhom.

The League was organized in 1972 following the arrival of Miss M. Mellanay Delhom and her outstanding ceramics collection of historical pottery and porcelain. The mission of the Delhom Service League is to create and develop interest in ceramics by studying the world of potters and their cultures, from ancient China to contemporary America.

Check out this year's Delhom presentations at the Mint Museum's website. We have been to a handful of them over the years, and wish we could attend more. We always look forward to making the trip to visit the Mint Museum in Charlotte to see their superb ceramics collection.

The Mint Museum Randolph in Charlotte, NC

From the Delhom Pottery Collection at the Mint Museum Randolph

Bruce Gholson and Elizabeth Kohn in 2009 at the Potters Market Invitational

PMI's 2015 North Carolina Participating Potters are: 

William Baker, Kyle Carpenter, Jim Connell, Josh Copus, Donna Craven, Will Dickert, Judith Duff, Kim Ellington, Susan Filley, Carol Gentithes, Terry Gess, Bruce Gholson, Samantha Henneke, Nick Joerling, Daniel & Kate Johnston, Fred Johnston, Matt Jones, Freeman & Maggie Jones, Shawn Ireland, Matthew Kelly, Eric Knocke, Jeannine Marchand, Andrew Massey, Alex Matisse, Will McCanless, Reiko Miyagi, Ben Owen III, Pam Owens, Travis Owens, Vernon Owens, Ronan Peterson, John Ransmeier, Lindsay Rogers, Michael Rutkowsky, Joseph Sand, Akira Satake, Ken & Connie Sedberry, Eric Serritella, Jenny Lou Sherburne, David Stuempfle, Hiroshi Sueyoshi, Liz Zlot Summerfield, Matt Wegleitner, Jim Whalen, and Julie Wiggins.