Folk Potter Lin Craven is featured in the Folk Pottery Museum’s changing gallery for 2011-12. Lin was chosen as the featured potter in 2010 and was approached about assisting us with preparing the exhibit. She was thrilled with the honor of her creations being the focus of a one year exhibit. Little did we know then that cancer would take her from us in April and the exhibit would become a retrospective of her life and work. Suzanne Reese served as guest curator and worked closely with Lin in her last days to plan the exhibit and then with Lin’s family to gather the selected pieces and create a video tribute that was produced by David Greear.
The exhibit opens with a quote from Folk Pottery Museum curator, John Burrison:
"Born in 1946, Lin represents those North Georgia potters who have undertaken a one-on-one apprenticeship, however informal, with an experienced traditional potter. Although she is from one of the oldest White County (and Southern) pottery families, her grandfather and father left the craft, so as an adult, once her children were grown, she apprenticed with Bobby Ferguson at Gillsville… I first learned about Lin while visiting Betty Jean Meaders, Lanier’s widow; I saw on her mantel a group of tiny face jugs Lin had made, and Betty Jean insisted on introducing me to her. That first visit to Lin’s home and basement studio on Jenny’s Cove Road, out in the country west of Cleveland, convinced me of her talent as an artist in clay."
John A. Burrison From Mud to Jug: the folk potters and pottery of Northeast Georgia.
Twenty two pieces of Lin’s work both follow and trace her development as a folk artist in clay. The colorful exhibit captures the creative spirit and whimsical sense of humor that Lin brought to Georgia folk pottery.
Since opening in September, 2006, the Museum has introduced more than 20,000 visitors to the lives, work and legacy of remarkable pioneers. While touring the Museum, visitors hear the voices of folk potters and see displays of their finest work. Those interested in seeing the craft thriving today can pick up a map showing the locations of dozens of potters in the area carrying on the traditions passed down through generations.
The building has won three architecture awards for Robert M. Cain’s design of the structure in the style of a folk potter’s woodshed, featuring glass walls that bring the mountain setting into the pottery museum and displays. Southern Living Magazine designated the Museum a “Best Travel Tip” in 2008, and Fodor’s 2009-10 Guide to the Carolinas and Georgia describes the Museum as a “Fodor’s Choice Attraction.”
The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia is located four miles southeast of Alpine Helen on Georgia Highway 255 in Sautee Nacoochee, ¼ mile north of the junction with Georgia Highway 17.
The Museum is open Monday-Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday 1-5 pm. Admission is $5 adults, $4 seniors, $2 children. For further information contact cbrooks@snca.org or telephone 706-878-3300. |
