North Carolina Pottery Center’s 13th Annual Auction

The North Carolina Pottery Center has worked some extraordinary culinary magic for their upcoming Auction.  This year there will be an unprecedented, star-studded, pre-auction supper, called, “Fill Your Plate,” with food prepared by several of the Triangle’s best chefs, and served on plates made by North Carolina potters.

The chefs include Ashley Christensen of Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Chuck’s, and Poole’s Diner in Raleigh; Andrea Reusing of Lantern in Chapel Hill; Amy Tornquist, of Watts Grocery in Durham; Aaron Vandermark of Panciuto in Hillsborough; and Brendan Cox of the recently opened Oakleaf in Pittsboro. Never before has such a caste been assembled, these chefs are truly amazing, several have won or been nominated for the prestigious James Beard Awards, and with such gastronomic wizards on board, it’s bound to be a bountiful banquet!

This will be the Pottery Center’s 13th Annual Auction, “Going, Going, Gone to Pots,” and it will be held on Thursday, August 23 at Leland Little Auction& Estate Sales in Hillsborough, NC.

Before supper, each participant in “Fill Your Plate” will select a handmade plate which they can take home with them after supper. The pleasure of combining fine pottery and fine dining is something potters have known for a very long time, North Carolina’s ceramic history is filled with pickling jars, buttermilk pitchers, casserole dishes, pie dishes, and this event will remind patrons of the special relationship between food, pots, and potters. It’s going to be a memorable meal.

But the evening’s fun only begins with the feasting. There will be a silent auction featuring pots generously donated by over 70 of NC’s finest potters, as well as many enticing non-pottery items, like wonderful holiday stays at the beach, or in the mountains.

After supper the live auction will take place, highlighting several very special pots, antique and new, made by the best-known potters of NC and also some unique pottery “Experiences,” like making pots for an afternoon with Ben Owen, decorating plates with Alex Matisse, and helping Daniel Johnston and Mark Hewitt fire and unload their kilns. You’ll also be able to bid on having lunch and a private museum tour with Larry Wheeler, Director of the North Carolina Museum of Art, and a two-hour privately conducted golf-cart tour of the NC Zoo!

The North Carolina Pottery Center promotes awareness of North Carolina's world-class pottery heritage through exhibitions, education, outreach, and visitor service. Located in Seagrove, just south of Asheboro, it’s a great tourist destination, and serves as the perfect start to a visit of area potteries.

All in all, this year’s auction sounds unforgettable, so be sure to attend, and pass the word along to your friends. The cost of “Fill Your Plate” will be $75 per person, for which you’ll get the mouthwatering meal and a plate to take home, which is quite a bargain! Alternatively, if you’d like to attend only the auction, admission is $10.

Please contact NCPC directly for Tickets and Reservations - 336 873 8430. More information about the Auction and Supper is posted on NCPC’s web site www.ncpotterycenter.org