John Rodgers on mon 4 jan 10
Not to detract from Jerry Brown, nor the Brown Family accomplishments in
pottery and their history, another long time pottery family of some but
lesser renown in Alabama is the Miller Family near Centreville, AL.
somewhat southwest of Birmingham off Hwy 25. Miller's have been a family
of potters since just after the civil war. I think at least 6
generations, maybe more. The first Miller started out down near Mobile
after the war, then moved to Centreville where Miller's Pottery has
been in operation every since. I have been there a number of times, and
watched the digging of the clay, the blundging of the clay first by a
mule operated blundging machine and later by the same blundging machine
when the mule was replaced by and electric motor. When I was there,
there were some issues being worked out as to whether the operation was
going to continue, but apparently it did since I have seen Millers at
many art and pottery shows since.
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
Martin Rice wrote:
> Here's the description:
>
> Unbroken Tradition is a portrait of Jerry Brown, a ninth generation potte=
r from Hamilton, Alabama. It looks at the continuation of this family tradi=
tion since Jerry's great-great-great grandfather set up his potter=92s whee=
l in Georgia around 1800. The film takes the viewer through the steps of ma=
king a churn from digging the clay and preparing it for the wheel with a mu=
le-powered pug mill, to the actual turning and firing of the piece. The fil=
m also includes Jerry=92s explanation of how he came to the potter=92s trad=
e relatively late in life, and the difficulty he has had deciding whether t=
o give up logging to become a full-time traditional potter. The film was sh=
ot in 1985 and 1986. Jerry Brown received a National Heritage Fellowship Aw=
ard from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1992.
> Music in the film is from Ricky Skaggs' 1982 album "Highways & Heartaches=
" available on CD from Amazon.com.
>
> And here's the link:
>
>
>
> If you haven't already seen this, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
>
> Martin
> Signal Mountain, TN
>
>
Martin Rice on mon 4 jan 10
Here's the description:
Unbroken Tradition is a portrait of Jerry Brown, a ninth generation =3D
potter from Hamilton, Alabama. It looks at the continuation of this =3D
family tradition since Jerry's great-great-great grandfather set up his =3D
potter=3D92s wheel in Georgia around 1800. The film takes the viewer =3D
through the steps of making a churn from digging the clay and preparing =3D
it for the wheel with a mule-powered pug mill, to the actual turning and =
=3D
firing of the piece. The film also includes Jerry=3D92s explanation of how =
=3D
he came to the potter=3D92s trade relatively late in life, and the =3D
difficulty he has had deciding whether to give up logging to become a =3D
full-time traditional potter. The film was shot in 1985 and 1986. Jerry =3D
Brown received a National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National =3D
Endowment for the Arts in 1992.
Music in the film is from Ricky Skaggs' 1982 album "Highways & =3D
Heartaches" available on CD from Amazon.com.
And here's the link:
If you haven't already seen this, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Martin
Signal Mountain, TN=3D
Steve Mills on tue 5 jan 10
I find this film inspirational. I found it a few years ago and bought a
copy. Still play it regularly.
This and the Potters' Eye book by Mark Hewitt and Nancy Sweezy wetted my
appetite for American Traditional Pottery, and led to Russel, Kate and I
being driven around NC by Ruth Ballou for about 10 days after last year's
NCECA, meeting a lot of awesome clay workers and being hugely inspired.
Holiday of a lifetime!
Steve M.
2010/1/4 Martin Rice
> Here's the description:
>
> Unbroken Tradition is a portrait of Jerry Brown, a ninth generation potte=
=3D
r
> from Hamilton, Alabama. It looks at the continuation of this family
> tradition since Jerry's great-great-great grandfather set up his potter=
=3D
=3D92s
> wheel in Georgia around 1800. The film takes the viewer through the steps=
=3D
of
> making a churn from digging the clay and preparing it for the wheel with =
=3D
a
> mule-powered pug mill, to the actual turning and firing of the piece. The
> film also includes Jerry=3D92s explanation of how he came to the potter=
=3D92s=3D
trade
> relatively late in life, and the difficulty he has had deciding whether t=
=3D
o
> give up logging to become a full-time traditional potter. The film was sh=
=3D
ot
> in 1985 and 1986. Jerry Brown received a National Heritage Fellowship Awa=
=3D
rd
> from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1992.
> Music in the film is from Ricky Skaggs' 1982 album "Highways & Heartaches=
=3D
"
> available on CD from Amazon.com.
>
> And here's the link:
>
>
>
> If you haven't already seen this, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
>
> Martin
> Signal Mountain, TN
--=3D20
Steve
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Lee Love on tue 5 jan 10
_The Potter's Eye_ is a great book_
Hewitt articulates some things about old pots that I realized too.
That there is a "natural selection" evolved in what survives. Someone
selected the best pots and then treated them as special, so they
didn't get busted in the kitchen like the everyday pots.
I saw an old Virginia pot on Antiques Roadshow last
night. Was appraised at over $30,000.00 If money was no object, I
would collect old Korean and early American pots.
Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D97tha=
t is, "T=3D
he
land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
within itself." -- John O'Donohue
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