SC clay conference pottery sale returns to Newberry

NEWBERRY – Newberry will soon welcome an influx of visitors for the eighth annual South Carolina Clay Conference (SCCC) and pottery sale held this year on February 23-24 at the Old Newberry Hotel. The conference is being held at the Edward Kyzer Newberry Firehouse Conference Center.

The SCCC pottery sale has become one of the largest pottery sales in South Carolina, with this year’s sale including the work of more than 40 potters. The sale is free to attend, and visitors are welcome to view the work and purchase anything they’d love to take home to their own collections.

The pottery sale is held at the Old Newberry Hotel, 1110 Caldwell Street in Newberry on Friday, February 23 from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Saturday, February 24 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

“The quantity and variety of the work offered for sale, by the attendees to the conference is amazing,” said Marquerite Palmer, NAC program director. “Not only will you be able to view and purchase work of many in-state and out-of-state clay artists, but you will also have the opportunity to purchase the work of the 2024 presenters.”

While the pottery sale is open to the public, the conference itself is only open to those who have registered to attend. The three-day conference brings attendees from all over South Carolina, as well as additional states, to learn from presenters, demonstrating their expertise in clay.

Sponsored by the Newberry Arts Center (NAC), this year’s conference presenters include Jennifer McCurdy, whose work resides in collections of museums and patrons around the world, including the Smithsonian Museum’s Renwick Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Everson Museum of Art. McCurdy has been working with porcelain for over 40 years.

Christian Orthwein, an additional presenter, is a sculptor and potter who creates work for everyday use as well as realistic figural sculptures. She currently teaches at Bryn Athyn College, Pennsylvania.

A break-out session will be led by Alexis Gregg, Associate Professor of Studio Art and Wesleyan College in Georgia, on the importance of public art and architectural clay murals and structures.

For more information about the conference and the pottery sale, call the Newberry Arts Center at 803-321-1022, or visit the conference’s website at www.southcarolinaclayconference.com. You can also visit the NAC website at www.newberryartscenter.com.