“Pot Madness: A Shared Passion for Fire / Wood-fired Pots from the Collection of Bill Potter” on View Jan. 16 at Hunt Gallery

From January 16 through February 3, 2017, the exhibition, Pot Madness: A Shared Passion for Fire / Wood-fired Pots from the Collection of Bill Potter, curated by Nancy Ross will be on view at Mary Baldwin’s Hunt Gallery.

Nancy Ross majored in Studio Art in college, focusing on drawing and painting. She earned her MA in ceramics from James Madison University in 1980 and her Master Artisan status from Artisans Center of Virginia in 2008. She discovered clay as her lifetime medium for the first time in a community program in Charlottesville after returning from the Peace Corps in 1973, and she’s been hooked on it ever since. As a one-woman studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Central Virginia, Ross makes both functional wheel-thrown pottery and sculptural works. In 2002 she began teaching ceramics at Mary Baldwin University and joined the faculty at Piedmont Virginia Community College in 2009. In 2013 Nancy started teaching at City Clay in Charlottesville. She describes her teaching practice as the perfect complement to her personal studio work — stimulating and modifying her approaches to clay.

Nancy describes her first visit with Bill Potter at his Nelson County home:

I had no idea what to expect. From a front porch full of pots, to room after room full of pots, I was struck with awe by a home filled from floor to ceiling with the most extensive personal collection of pottery that I had ever seen. As a potter with 40 years of experience, I felt I had arrived in heaven. I’m sure my feelings are easy to understand for those who are afflicted, makers as well as collectors.

Hunt Gallery is grateful to Nancy for her two-year labor of love bringing us a glimpse into Bill Potter’s extensive collection, born from his passion for fire-flashed pottery.

A reception will be held for Bill Potter and Nancy Ross from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on January 16 in Hunt Gallery. The public is invited to attend. Hunt Gallery is dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary work in all media by regionally and nationally recognized artists. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday during the academic year. Hunt Gallery’s schedule for the 2016–17 academic year can be found at go.marybaldwin.edu/arts/huntgallery.