South Carolina, with its rich clay deposits, is the home to two different, but very important ceramic traditions - Catawba earthenware and alkaline-glazed stoneware. Before European contact in the 16th century, the Catawba Nation controlled much of what is now South Carolina and most of the North Carolina Piedmont. This tradition has continued through elder potters sharing their knowledge and skills with younger generations. While their techniques remain ancient, they have adapted their forms to changing markets. Kinship and community were also important in the development and diffusion of the alkaline-glazed stoneware tradition during the nineteenth century. Using European and African forms and labor the Edgefield, South Carolina, potteries produced containers used primarily for food preservation and preparation. As some potters migrated west and to other areas in the southeast, they spread the alkaline-glazed tradition into Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi.

Content is provided by McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina.

For further information about any of the artists featured on Digital Traditions, send your questions and comments to hallagan@mailbox.sc.edu.

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Burlon Craig | Digital Traditions 1
Burlon Craig | Digital Traditions
Episode 1

Video

Grades: Higher Education

This is an excerpt from the program "Folkways: Face Jugs and Folk Pots" narrated by David Holt. Burlon Craig (1914-2002), Craig Pottery, Vale, Lincoln County, North Carolina. Craig is an example of...
Lanier Meaders & His Roots | Digital Traditions 1
Lanier Meaders & His Roots | Digital Traditions
Episode 1

Video

Grades: Higher Education

Meaders discussing his roots in traditional pottery. From the program "Venture: Southern Stoneware" co-produced by the SC State Museum and McKissick Museum. 1987.
Steps in Shaping a Pot, Part 1 | Digital Traditions 1
Steps in Shaping a Pot, Part 1 | Digital Traditions
Episode 1

Video

Grades: Higher Education

Footage from Folklife Resource Center documentation in the late 1980s. Filmed in Nola Harris Campbell's home. Related Links Catawba Cultural Preservation Catawba Cultural Center
Face Jugs | Digital Traditions 2
Face Jugs | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Video

Grades: Higher Education

This is an excerpt from the program "Folkways: Face Jugs and Folk Pots" narrated by David Holt. Burlon Craig (1914-2002), Craig Pottery, Vale, Lincoln County, North Carolina. Craig is an example of...
Steps in Shaping a Pot, Part 2 | Digital Traditions 2
Steps in Shaping a Pot, Part 2 | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Video

Grades: Higher Education

Nora Harris Campbell builds up the sides of the pot with "coils" and uses the lid of a tin can to scrape the inside of the pot smooth - blending the individual coils together. Footage from Folklife...
Firing His Kiln, Part 1 | Digital Traditions 3
Firing His Kiln, Part 1 | Digital Traditions
Episode 3

Video

Grades: Higher Education

This is an excerpt from the program "Folkways: Face Jugs and Folk Pots" narrated by David Holt. Learn more about Burlon Craig and the firing of his kiln from this is an excerpt from the program...
Steps in Shaping a Pot, Part 3 | Digital Traditions 3
Steps in Shaping a Pot, Part 3 | Digital Traditions
Episode 3

Video

Grades: Higher Education

Nola Harris Campbell finishes the outside of the pot by rubbing it with a corn cob. This "blends" the coils together and the pot is ready to cure or dry. Harris also demonstrates "scraping" a dried...
Firing His Kiln, Part 2 | Digital Traditions 4
Firing His Kiln, Part 2 | Digital Traditions
Episode 4

Video

Grades: Higher Education

This is an excerpt from the program "Folkways: Face Jugs and Folk Pots" narrated by David Holt. Learn more about Burlon Craig and the firing of his kiln from this is an excerpt from the program...
Bill Gordy Remembers Kilns and Biscuits | Digital Traditions
Bill Gordy Remembers Kilns and Biscuits | Digital Traditions
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

William J. Gordy (d. 1993), Georgia Art Pottery, Cartersville, Bartow County. Interview recorded June 1981. Dorris Xerxes "D.X." Gordy (d. 1994), Primrose, Meriwether County. Interview recorded June...
Elizabeth Ringus: Spongeware | Digital Traditions
Elizabeth Ringus: Spongeware | Digital Traditions
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Elizabeth Ringus, Paw Print Pottery Barnwell, Barnwell County. Interview recorded June 2007. Liz Ringus has been turning pots for over 36 years. A native of Massachusetts, Ringus and her husband Paul...
Experimenting with Glazes | Digital Traditions
Experimenting with Glazes | Digital Traditions
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Eugene Pottery, Cowpens, Cherokee County. Interview recorded June 2007 as the Folklife Resource Center continues to document pottery traditions in South Carolina. Winton Eugene is a self-taught potter...
Harold Hewell on Family Tradition | Digital Traditions
Harold Hewell on Family Tradition | Digital Traditions
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Hewell Pottery, Gillsville, Banks County. Interview recorded with family members in June 1981. The Hewell family potting dynasty began with Nathaniel H. Hewell (1832-1887). For years, the Hewell...