Open June through early August, the Currie Craft Center and Sally Jones Pottery offer transformative experiences to hundreds of annual visitors during the summer months. Guests of all ages rediscover their creative spark at the potter's wheel and hand building tables, or in a number of class offerings featuring renowned artisans.
Classes are reserved for persons 12 and older. Class limits apply.
Adult Craft Classes
Summer in Montreat brings a variety of art and craft classes offered at the Currie Craft Center. All materials will be provided and are included in the class fee, unless specified otherwise.
Pottery Classes
Join us in the Sally Jones Pottery Studio and create masterpieces from stoneware clay. Open during the summer months. Classes include both wheel and hand-building, and you'll be guided through the process from beginning to end, all the way to glazed, finished pots.
A Note About Masks
Montreat Conference Center continues to monitor the need for masks. To find mask requirements for specific events, please visit our Covid Health and Safety page.
Pottery Hours (Upstairs)
| Monday– Tuesday |
9:00 am–12:00 pm 2:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Wednesday | 9:00 am–12:00 pm |
| Thursday | 2:30 pm–5:30 pm Glaze Day |
| Friday | Normally closed |
| Saturday | 8:00 am–11:00 am Pottery Pickup |
Craft Hours (Downstairs)
| Monday–Thursday | 2:00–5:00 pm |
Costs
| Clay Canteen | 3lb Chunk: $6.00 Yay Clay! Box: $6.00 |
|---|---|
| Glaze | $8.00/lb |
| Classes | Fees vary. See class descriptions. |
Glazing
Glazing of pottery is on Thursdays. You must be 12 or older. Please sign up for a slot at the craft shop.
Clay Canteen
Open Monday -Wednesday. Come buy your clay at the "Clay Canteen" to take home and play! Located in front of the craft building, YAYCLAY boxes, or 3lb chunks of clay available for $6. Return masterpieces Wednesday by 11am to have fired.
Pottery Pickup
Saturdays, 8:00 am–11:00 am
Social Media
Check us out on Facebook and Instagram for photos of what we're making and updates to classes and schedules.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellations may be made by calling the Craft & Pottery center. Refunds are not being offered at this time. If you need to make changes to your class registration, please call us at 706-809-7301. No shows: thank you for your donation!
Support the Arts at Montreat
Crafts and pottery are a vibrant part of the mission and ministry of Montreat Conference Center. The Currie Craft Center and Sally Jones Pottery offer transformative experiences to individuals and promote the use of arts ministries in churches and communities. These opportunities would not be possible without the generosity of donors and dedicated volunteers.
This Week in Montreat
This Week in Montreat (TWIM) is a weekly digital publication of Montreat Conference Center. It lists weekly activities in and around the community.
Registration
For the first time, we are taking registrations and credit card payments online at montreat-pottery.square.site. We will no longer have a paper sign-up sheet outside of the Crafts & Pottery shop. Registrations for the following week will open Thursdays by 6:00 pm.
If you prefer to pay with cash or check, you must call Nancy Hyde 706.809.7301 on Friday mornings between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm, or the following Monday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm to register. If you need further assistance, please email montreatpottery@gmail.com or call Ann Laird Jones at 662.347.3614.
Classes are reserved for persons 12 and older. Class limits apply.
Class Schedule
| Class Time | Class Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 27, 2022 | ||
| 9:00 AM | Thrown Syrup Pitcher (1 of 2 days) | |
| 9:00 AM | Thrown Batter Bowl (1 of 2 days) | |
| 9:00 AM | Independent Wheel Throwing (1 of 2 days) | |
| 9:00 AM | Independent Handbuilding | |
| 9:00 AM | Montreat Sgraffito Tiles | |
| 9:00 AM | Montreat Memoriabilia | |
| 2:00 PM | Whimsical Fish Wall Hanging | |
| 2:00 PM | Breakfast Sets (1 of 2 days) | |
| 2:00 PM | Chip & Dip (1 of 2 days) | |
| 2:00 PM | Independent Wheel Throwing (1 of 2 days) | |
| 2:00 PM | Independent Handbuilding | |
| 2:00 PM | Little Churches to Illuminate | |
| 2:00 PM | Fourth of July Trays/Dishes | |
| 2:00 PM | Hanging Bird Feeder/Bath | |
| 2:00 PM | Fused Glass & More! | |
| Tuesday, June 28, 2022 | ||
| 9:00 AM | Thrown Syrup Pitcher (2 of 2 days) | |
| 9:00 AM | Thrown Batter Bowl (2 of 2 days) | |
| 9:00 AM | Independent Wheel Throwing (2 of 2 days) | |
| 9:00 AM | Independent Handbuilding | |
| 9:00 AM | Extruded Prayer Towers | |
| 9:00 AM | Mini Nativities | |
| 2:00 PM | Wise Old Owl Lanterns | |
| 2:00 PM | Breakfast Sets (2 of 2 days) | |
| 2:00 PM | Chip & Dip (2 of 2 days) | |
| 2:00 PM | Independent Wheel Throwing (2 of 2 days) | |
| 2:00 PM | Independent Handbuilding | |
| 2:00 PM | Fourth of July Appetizer Tray | |
| 2:00 PM | Kid's Class: Little Monsters | |
| 2:00 PM | Large Leaf with Vine and Stems | |
| 2:00 PM | Fused Glass & More! | |
| Wednesday, June 29, 2022 | ||
| 9:00 AM | Independent Handbuilding | |
| 9:00 AM | Fairy Doors | |
| 9:00 AM | Tiny Gnomes | |
| 9:00 AM | Montreat Leaf Ring Dish | |
| 10:00 AM | Outside Demo | |
| 2:00 PM | Pottery Closed | |
| Thursday, June 30, 2022 | ||
| 2:30 PM | Glaze Day: Sign Up for a Time Slot | |
Artists-in-Residence
Kay Clegg, Lisa Galloway, and Carol Wilhelmi are our resident fused glass team. They are from Florida, South Carolina, and Black Mountain.
John Stoudenmire is a potter, cook, and musician. He teaches applied voice at the Berkeley Center for the Arts at Goose Creek High School preparing students for college/university study scholarships. John studied clay with Carol Sutherland, a potter with the Southern Highland Craftsmen Guild, and Cynthia Bringle. He is a working member of the Charleston Crafts, a cooperative in Charleston, SC.
Your Pottery Staff include: Ann Laird Jones, Nancy Hyde, Anne Stone, Sarah Peters, Cathie Dodson, Blair Hartman, Emma Wilson, Ross Hartmans, Christina Carlisle, Lucy Hazlehurst, Nat Scott, and Dyann Myers.
Fall Craft Week
Sign-up for Fall Craft Week, September 25–30, for a week of classes in various arts and crafts this fall.
Arts, Music, and Theology Lecture Series
Arts, Music, and Theology is a mission and ministry of Montreat Conference Center. Its purpose is to provide the community with educational nourishment via various lectures and lecturers during our summer season. Themes of the lectures span disciplines.
About the Craft Center
In 1974 Marilyn Jones, with the help of church volunteers, started the Upper Story, a pottery and craft co-op, sponsored by Montreat Conference Center. Marilyn, a longtime potter herself, taught in those early summers using one old kiln and her trusty wheel, “Big Blue.” She was joined by other artists and saw her vision become a true ministry at Montreat. In 1989, upon Marilyn’s retirement, Montreat renamed and dedicated the Sally Jones Pottery in memory of Marilyn’s daughter, Sally. The Wilbur Hoke Currie Craft Center was dedicated in memory of Mr. Currie in the summer of 1993. Most recently, in 2000, the Potters Porch was given in joyful memory of Mr. John C. Updike by his family.
Today, the downstairs portion of the craft center is used by the Montreat Clubs Program for arts and crafts each morning and for adult craft classes in the afternoon.
The upstairs is used to teach throwing and hand building classes, as well as sewing. Every summer renowned artists come to share their talents as potters in residence and artists in residence.
For more information during the summer months, please email montreatpottery@gmail.com or contact Ann Laird Jones, Director of Arts Ministry at Montreat Conference Center at 662.347.3614 or email annlairdj55@gmail.com. Keep up with us on our Facebook page.