Complaint filed over festival rift

Complaint filed over festival rift

By Mary Anderson -- Staff Writer
Posted: 10/26/08 - 10:12:42 pm CDT



SEAGROVE — Will there be two pottery festivals on the same weekend in November?

The Museum of N.C. Traditional Pottery (MNCTP) in Seagrove is taking steps to prevent that.

MNCTP has filed a complaint against the Town of Seagrove seeking a temporary restraining order and then a permanent injunction against the Celebration of Seagrove Potters to hold a festival on the third weekend in November when the traditional Seagrove Pottery Festival takes place. MNCTP coordinates the Seagrove Pottery Festival.

The complaint, filed by Greensboro attorney Nancy Quinn in Randolph civil court on Oct. 2, also asks for a sum in excess of $10,000 plus interest and compensatory damages, a declaratory judgment that the town ordinance was improperly applied and an injunction to prevent the SAPA craft and pottery festival.

The Celebration potters will hold their festival under the auspices of SAPA, the Seagrove Area Potters Association. MNCTP claims SAPA is not a 501.c.3. nonprofit corporation and violates the Seagrove town ordinance that vendor permits are valid only for nonprofit groups. The complaint asks the court to determine whether the permit was properly granted.


SAPA is a 501.c.6 nonprofit organization, an Internal Revenue Service designation specifically for professional and trade organizations.

The complaint comes after months of disagreement among potters which became public last June, when a group of dissenting potters joined forces and announced that they were withdrawing from the Seagrove Pottery Festival and would hold a separate festival on the same weekend.

Members of the MNCTP were outraged and accused the dissenters of trying to steal and destroy the traditional pottery festival. Potter Phil Morgan, now president of the MNCTP board, called it a power play that appeared to be a hostile takeover.

Potter Ben Owen III said the more than 60 potters who wanted an alternate festival wanted their own voice in the community and the potters had been left out of decisions made by the MNCTP board.

On June 27, the Seagrove Board of Commissioners approved permits for the Seagrove Pottery Festival and the Festival of Seagrove Potters to hold pottery festivals on Nov. 22 and 23. The Festival of Seagrove Potters later withdrew that application when opponents argued that the permit would be valid only for Owen, who signed the application, and that every potter involved would need an individual permit.

The dissenting potters changed their name to Celebration of Seagrove Potters and the town board granted a new permit under the umbrella of SAPA. The Celebration group proceeded with plans to hold their festival at the vacant Luck’s Inc. plant on the edge of town.

When this permit was approved by the town commissioners in August, the MNCTP board had already retained Quinn, who served notice of possible legal action.

The complaint further alleges:

X That the Seagrove Board of Commissioners were acting as a Board of Adjustment and N.C. law authorizes aggrieved parties to seek a review of decisions by Boards of Adjustment.

X That the Seagrove Pottery Festival is vital to the survival of the MNCTP and complements the N.C. General Assembly’s mandate that the Seagrove area is the state birthplace of traditional pottery and that the Seagrove Pottery Festival is the premier pottery festival of N.C.

X That holding a second festival craft and pottery festival through SAPA at the same time would cause irreparable harm to the MNCTP by requiring it and its member potters to either choose between festivals, attend both with duplicative expenses, cause confusion with the general public visiting the town for the festival and diminish the value of the reputation they have built up over the last 27 years.

Seagrove Mayor Mike Walker referred questions to the town attorney, Bob Wilhoit, who could not be reached late Friday.

The 27th annual Seagrove Pottery Festival

What follows is a news release about several Moore County potters (known as The Celebration of Seagrove Potters), designed to compete with the original Seagrove Pottery Festival. The original 27th annual Seagrove Pottery Festival is operated by the Seagrove Pottery Museum in downtown Seagrove, and will focus on the legacy of its founder, Richard Gillson, who suffered a tragic death earlier this year.


THE CELEBRATION OF SEAGROVE POTTERS

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters warmly welcomes you to experience a 200-year-old tradition and spend a leisurely time browsing and shopping, seeing the process, developing and renewing relationships with us - the potters of Seagrove. This festival offers shoppers a one-stop, indoor shopping opportunity to purchase clay work made only in the area defined authentically as Seagrove. Visit the Web site for details and for ticket information for the Gala Preview Party on Friday evening from 6:30-9pm.

Celebration of Seagrove Potters
Phone: 336/381-4921

Event Web site: http://www.celebrationofseagrovepotters.com
Location: The Historic Lucks Cannery, NC 705 (Pottery Highway) in Seagrove
Cost: Free - $35

(Be prepared to spend 35 dollars to get into the old bean factory and spend time with those that have diligently tried to destroy the Seagrove Pottery Museum, its Festival, and the life's work of Richard Gillson.)

Yes, 35 dollars.

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters is a seperate and subservient, sometimes called "lesser" event to the original Seagrove Pottery Festival.

Those familiar with the Seagrove Tradition know that the 27th Annual Seagrove Pottery Festival will be held at Seagrove Elementary School on November 22nd and 23rd.

Seagrove, North Carolina is one of the largest communities of potters in the United States with roots dating back to the late Eighteenth Century. The Festival emphasizes hand-made pottery and traditional crafts.

Pottery lovers know that this is the time to come, as it is the only time during the year that most of the Seagrove area potters sell their reds, blues, purples, yellows, greens, blacks – and the list goes on of gorgeous colors and styles of pots – all at one place..

In addition to a wide range of potters from the Seagrove area, the festival also offers some 25 traditional craftspeople showcasing their talents. The Festival is based upon our heritage, so demonstrations will take place both days. You will see the blacksmith and tinsmith demonstrating their trade, as well as broom and basket making, woodcarving, weaving, rug hooking, spinning, and pot throwing. Large Percheron draft workhorses, known for their strength and large size, will be there along with a Civil War reenactment.

The 27th Pottery Festival Auction will take place on Sunday afternoon, beginning at 4:00 p.m. The Festival draws loyal collectors eager to place their bids on limited edition pottery, made specifically for this event. Each piece is signed and dated and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity stamped with the corporate seal. If you can’t be present for the auction, sealed bids will be accepted until noon on Sunday. Proceeds from the auction and Festival benefit the sponsoring non-profit organization, the Museum of North Carolina Traditional Pottery.

Die-hard shoppers will want to take advantage of the Early Bird preview, from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Admission is $12 per person and is valid for the entire day. Regular admission is $6 per person from noon – 6:00 p.m. Saturday and 09:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. Members of the Museum of Traditional North Carolina Pottery and children under the age of 12 will be admitted free with an adult. Advanced ticket sales are available for groups of 15 or more.

The first 500 children 12 or under accompanied by an adult each day will receive a hands on opportunity to glaze and see fired a piece of raku pottery as a free gift from the” Seagrove Pottery Museum”.

Thanks to all media outlets for their kind support in helping us publicise the 27th Seagrove Pottery Festival.

Additional information can be found on the Pottery Museum's website:
The original Seagrove Pottery Festival