Three potters artist talk: guest speaker michael sherrill

Please join us for an artist talk with guest speaker Michael Sherrill.   

At the time when the Industrial Revolution was changing the world, the people who lived in the beautiful Southern Appalachian mountains were still dependent on their own skills for making the things needed to support their lives and to nourish their souls. Being somewhat isolated and slow to let go of the “old ways” created a culture that both supported and preserved craft. Not only was North Carolina the birthplace of Forestry study, but it also became the birthplace of Penland the School of Craft. When Sherrill was in high school he aspired to become a potter. Sherrill was convinced, the mountains were the most likely place for him to learn the art and craft of pottery in a culture that was still actively making things. Since then, Sherrill has enjoyed a birds-eye view of those who have come before him as well as his contemporary fellows and the current generation of makers. During his presentation, Sherrill will share with you his observations as a participant in the art-craft movement and his insights about where he lives and works and why it’s so important to the larger craft and art scene. 

About the Artist

The son of an inventor/motorcycle racer and warrior princess/homemaker, Michael Sherrill has lived in the western North Carolina mountains since 1974. He considers himself a materials-based artist experimenting primarily in the media of metal, clay, and glass. At the heart of his interest is the intersection of where humans and materials meet in both handmade objects and the natural world. Michael’s work is in several public collections including the Smithsonian’s Renwick Museum of American Craft, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Mint Museum, the Museum of Art and Design, Corning Museum of Glass, and Takoma Glass Museum, among others. In 1993, the Year of Craft, Michael was selected for the White House collection, which traveled to venues around the United States. His piece, “Incandescent Bottles,” now resides in the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. In 2003, Michael was honored as Artist of the Year by the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, in Charlotte, North Carolina. As part of the International Ceramics Symposium (World Ceramic Exposition Foundation), Michael was one of 10 artists invited in the summer of 2004 to participate in a residency creating outdoor sculptures to be placed permanently at the International Ceramic Museum in Inchon, S. Korea. His other residencies include: Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts (2005), John Michael Kohler Arts Center (2006), and Museum of Glass (2010). Michael is the 2010 United States Artists Wingate Fellow. Most recently Michael was honored by the James Renwick Alliance as the 2019 Master of the Medium, Clay.