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Kiln Openings: A Brief History

Kiln openings are probably one of the most exciting events for the serious pottery collector. Most folk potters in the North Carolina Catawba Valley region have anywhere from two to four kiln openings a year. The potters of Catawba Valley have a unique method of selling their wares. Unlike most studio potters, they depend upon periodic kiln openings and outdoor pottery sales, rather than having showrooms or galleries open to the public.

Most of these potters have wood-burning kilns called "groundhog kilns". These kilns are very large and can accommodate anywhere from 150 to 400 pieces of pottery.

When the potter has turned enough pottery to fill their kiln (which takes several months) and it is dried, then it's time to" fire" the pottery (a process that's an intriguing art all by itself). Two days after the pottery has been fired and the kiln is cool enough to enter, the pottery is taken out and stored until the sale date, usually the next Saturday. When the day of the sale dawns, the pottery is set in the yard of the potter. People come from all around to see and purchase the new wares.

One way some of the potters choose to conduct their sales is to put up a rope with the customers on one side and the pottery on the other. At the predetermined time, the rope is dropped and the buyers race in to grab as many pieces as they can. You can imagine how intense this event is for most people. However, for the potter, it is a fast and effective way to sell their pots.

For a more civil atmosphere, some potters conduct their sales in another fashion. At a predetermined time, numbers printed on small pieces of paper are handed to the buyers. The numbers are called out, one by one. When the number the buyer selected is called out, that person walks in and picks the piece they want, then the next person does the same. This system seems to work well for the potters and the customers.

Catawba Valley pottery is one of the most unique styles of pottery in the South, not only the pottery itself, but the way in which the potters choose to sell their wares.

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