In the middle of the North Carolina Piedmont, halfway between Charlotte and Raleigh, there’s a little town called Seagrove that is famous for one thing: Pottery. Dozens of potters live and work there, continuing a tradition that has lasted in Seagrove more than 100 years.
Ben Owen III is a descendant of one of the first families of Seagrove pottery. He brings his family’s values into every piece he makes. Ben’s work appears everywhere from the Smithsonian to hotels and galleries all over the world. He has spent his life turning lumps of Carolina clay into works of art. Here’s our conversation.
Let's keep the conversation going. Send a tweet to @tommytomlinson or @wfae, and use the hashtag #WFAESouthBound. You can also email me at ttomlinson@wfae.org.
Show Notes:
- Ben's bio
- A history of the Owen family and Seagrove pottery
- A gallery of his work
- A list of official North Carolina Living Treasures (Ben was named one in 2004)
Other music in this episode:
- Blue Dot Sessions, "Clay Pawn Shop"
Where to Listen:
New episodes of SouthBound will come out every other week on Wednesday. Subscribe:
Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher NPR One
SouthBound is a production of WFAE. Our host is Tommy Tomlinson. Our producer is Nick de la Canal. Our web manager is Jennifer Lang. Our audience engagement producer is Joni Deutsch, and our theme music comes from Josh Turner.