About the event
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This event is limited to 30 people. Pre-registration is preferred. Masks are required regardless of vaccination status.
Come and visit with Legendary Potter, N.C. Living Treasure, and unofficial Mayor of Penland, Cynthia Bringle. She will take us through her storied career and artistic process. Stay a while and listen, you won't be disappointed.
"Making work has been my life and joy for over 50 years. When a kiln comes out, I spend time looking to figure out what will come next. Each pot is a one off, be it a vase or mug. My pleasure is in the making and I hope yours in the use.”
-Cynthia
About the Artist
The following is from CynthiaBringlePottery.com
"The arts have been calling me since I was a child growing up in Memphis, TN. I took my first painting class when I was a teenager and could have made my first sale at age 14. I turned it down because I wanted to keep it.
Certain I was destined to be a painter, I enrolled in the Memphis Academy of Art. A required class in clay and a chance to throw at the kickwheel, however, caused me to reconsider. The next year, after a few more classes, everyone knew if you wanted to find me, the clay studio was where I’d be.
To immerse myself even more, I spent my summers in the early 60s, taking classes at the well-respected Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. After graduating with my BFA from the Memphis Academy, I moved to New York to earn my Masters in Art from Alfred University.
With my degree in hand, I moved back to Tennessee to open my first studio. After several summers spent teaching at the Penland School of Craft, I realized the North Carolina mountains were calling me. Although there were only a few studios in existence at the time, I had a sense it would become a community of artists. I have been living in the Penland Community since 1970. I feel honored to be recognized as the unofficial Mayor of Penland.
My work continues to be primarily wheel-thrown. I suspect there will never come a day when I’m not fascinated by how each piece takes shape. The same holds true for the excitement I feel opening the gas or wood kiln after a firing. There’s simply no detail about the process, whether trimming, altering or glazing, that I don’t enjoy.
I know I am privileged to live in this magical place where I am constantly inspired by nature’s wonders as well as so many amazing potters who either live nearby or take classes here. The years have passed quickly, but the one thing that never changes or diminishes is my joy of transforming an ordinary lump of clay into beautiful, functional objects that enrich my customers’ everyday experiences."
HONORS & AWARDS
N.C. Award for Fine Art
N.C Living Treasure
Granted Lifetime Membership by the Southern Highland Craft Guild
Honorary Doctorate from Memphis College of Art
Member of American Craft Council College of Fellows
Trustee Emeritus of The American Craft Council
Former Board Member of Penland School of Craft
INCLUDED IN COLLECTIONS OF:
Mint Museum, NC
Lowe Museum, FL
High Museum, GA
Gregg Museum, NC
Fuller Craft Museum, MA
Kitchen Cabinets across the globe
About the exhibition, Potters and Patrons: the Gorelick Collection
Carol Gorelick (1939-2019) began building her collection of pottery in 1970. Along with her husband Shelton (1929-2014), the Gorelicks were drawn to the medium’s texture and tactility and built a substantial collection of predominantly North Carolina pottery and ceramic objects over the proceeding decades.
The Gorelicks purchased what they liked, with Carol once saying, “I collect by the seat of my pants.” As the couple collected, they formed long-lasting friendships with the artists from whom they purchased work. Amassing a collection representing many of the state’s most prominent ceramic artists, the pair left an indelible mark on the tight knit pottery community as tireless and compassionate patrons. With works by Steve Abee, Michel Bayne, Herb Cohen, Josh Copus, Christina Córdova, Burlon Craig, Kim Ellington, Mark Hewitt, Daniel Johnston, Matt Jones, Stacy Lambert, Charles Lisk, Alex Matisse, The Owens family, A.V. Smith, and many others, the Gorelick collection serves as a testament to their fidelity to and love for the medium and to the individual makers who enliven it.
Interviews with exhibited artists, intimate archival imagery of the collection in situ at the Gorelick’s home, and an exploration of contemporary pottery in North Carolina and the couple’s pivotal role therein, will contextualize their legacy in the field and in the region. Further, through a generous loan of more than 150 objects, the Gorelicks have established an important survey of North Carolina pottery at BRAHM and expanded the scope of the museum and its programs.
PLEASE NOTE: Limited seating available. An 80% refund will be issued if the participant cancels three weeks prior to the event. For cancellations made less than three weeks prior to the event, BRAHM will issue a refund IF the museum is able to fill the vacated spot.
COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS:
In order to protect the health of our staff and patrons masks are required for this event.