Hill Center presents its ninth iteration of Pottery on the Hill which runs Friday, November 1 through Sunday, November 3. The annual exhibit is one of Hill Center’s most popular events and exemplifies the center’s dedication to exceptional visual arts programming. Open to the general public, Hill residents have the luxury of having nationally renowned artists exhibiting right in their neighborhood., and a chance to purchase one-of-a-kind gifts right before the holidays.
Audiences should expect an event more like an art fair than many of the craft markets that pop-up regionally each fall. Since its inception, Hill Center staff, with the help of participating potter Dan Finnegan, carefully select artists whose work sets trends in contemporary ceramics and this year is no exception. Twenty potters from as far away as Minnesota and Texas will travel to DC to exhibit pottery that functions as useful every day tableware as well as unique, hand-crafted works of art.
Dan Finnegan summarizes the selection as follows: “Each of these top ceramicists has their own distinct style. By seeing them all together, it really reveals the exciting range of pots and kilnwork today.”
Hill Center Executive Directory Diana Ingraham explains that “Pottery on the Hill is about integrating handcrafted art into everyday life with functional pottery, including cups, plates, platters, vases, cooking pots, and more. The artists want people to drink their coffee from a hand cast mug, make lasagna in a covered dish, and serve dinner on a cleverly wrought platter. The artists do not want their works to simply sit on a shelf, unused.”
Pottery on the Hill 2019 will feature mainstay potters like Bandana Pottery Michael Hunt & Naomi Dalglish (Bakersville, NC), Dan Finnegan (Fredericksburg, VA), Michael Kline (Bakersville, NC), Matthew Metz (Alfred Station, NY), Stacy Snyder (Arlington, VA), Sam Taylor (Westhampton, MA) and Catherine White (Warrenton, VA).
Several “Pottery on the Hill Alum” will return this year including Bulldog Pottery – Samantha Henneke & Bruce Gholson (Seagrove, NC), Warren Frederick (Warrenton, VA), Richard Hensley (Floyd, VA), Matthew Hyleck (Baltimore, MD), Donna Polseno (Floyd, VA) and Mark Shapiro (Worthington, MA).
New additions to this year’s lineup include Studio Touya – Hitomi & Takuro Shibata (Seagrove, NC), Katherine Maloney (Cologne, VA), Matthew Krousey (Harris, MN) and Lisa Orr (Austin, TX). Orr is the first ceramist invited to Pottery on the Hill from the Lone Star State.
Matt Krousey, from Harris, Minnesota, who is new to Pottery on the Hill this year, says that, “It is really just an honor to participate in such a top tier show. Since Pottery on the Hill began, I have marveled at the quality of the potters who have exhibited and their work. Many of them, including Dan Finnegan, Matthew Metz, and Robert Briscoe, were the potters I grew up idolizing during my formal training. Thus I was humbled to be invited and can’t wait to show with a stellar line up at an astonishing art center. I create salt fired stoneware pots decorated with the flora and fauna of my beloved Midwest landscapes. My hope is that the daily use of these pots can be a gentle reminder about the vanishing natural world around us.”
Katherine Maloney, who will also be exhibiting at Pottery on the Hill for the first time, adds, “Participating in Pottery on the Hill is a big honor during these early years of my ceramics career. My current work explores a narrative and aesthetic conversation between animal sculpture and functional ceramics. This cohesion intends to encourage introspection about our human environment within a shared natural environment.”
Pottery on the Hill opens with a ticketed preview reception on Friday, November 1 at 6:30 p.m. This allows ticket holders first dibs to purchase work and to meet the artists in a less hurried environment. In addition, Hill Center offers the first 100 attendees at the preview reception an opportunity to select a complimentary cup created by one of the potters.
Saturday and Sunday, November 2 and 3, Pottery on the Hill opens free of charge to the general public and includes a series of programming. On Saturday, District Clay offers a raku demonstration where visitors can decorate a piece of pottery and collect it after the firing. On Sunday, visitors can learn how to use decals on pots, create slip decorations and carve boat forms out of clay.
Hill Center is located in the historic Old Naval Hospital at 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, just one block from the Eastern Market metro station. For more information about Pottery on the Hill including a complete list of artist bios and images of their work at www.potteryonthehilldc.org
Pottery on the Hill 2019 Schedule
Preview Reception, Friday, November 1
Tickets: $35/advance, $40/day of
Tickets are available at PotteryontheHillDC.org or call 202-549-4172.
Show & Sale (Open to the public free of charge)
Saturday, November 2 , 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, November 3, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday Programing
10 a.m.-5p.m.—District Clay Raku firing
Sunday programming
11:30 am: Stacy Snyder—Using Decals on Pots
1 pm: Bandana Pottery —Slip Decoration
2:30 pm: Sam Taylor—Carving Boat Forms
For those who might not be able to attend the show and sale in person, virtual shopping is available. Email PotteryontheHill@HillCenterDC.org to schedule your appointment.
Phil Hutinet is the publisher of East City Art, a publication dedicated to DC’s visual arts. For more information visit www.eastcityart.com
