This is our 50th year at the Sally Jones Pottery! In 1974, Marilyn Jones started "The Upper Story" pottery, renamed the Sally Jones Pottery in 1989 in memory of Marilyn's 12-year-old daughter, Sally. Fifty years later, we are celebrating this ministry all year long with a theme Marilyn loved, "Be always kind and true!"
Open June through early August, programs and classes at the Currie Craft Center and Sally Jones Pottery offer transformative experiences to hundreds of annual visitors during the summer months. Last summer, our talented and experienced staff taught pottery to 2,020 eager students, offering 230 classes and featuring 35 artists in residence who come as volunteers from all over the country. Guests of all ages rediscover their creative spark at the potter's wheel, hand building tables, or at a number of class offerings featuring renowned artisans.
Weekly class lists are released online each Friday at 9:00 am during the summer season. When registering for classes, make sure to check out and complete your order through our Square site. (Credit card information will be required.) Once completed, you will receive an email from Square confirming your registration. If you do not receive that email, your registration is not complete, and we will not know you are coming!
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 options. You'll be guided through the process from beginning to end, from wet clay all the way to glazed, finished pots.
Classes are reserved for persons 12 and older. Class limits apply.
- Nancy Hyde | 706.809.7301
| Class Time | Class Name | Timespan |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, July 29, 2024 | ||
| 9:00 AM | Thrown Montreat Mugs with Perfect Handles | 1 of 2 days |
| 9:00 AM | Thrown Bud Vases | 1 of 2 days |
| 9:00 AM | Independent Throwing | 1 of 2 days |
| 9:00 AM | Painted Ornaments | |
| 9:00 AM | Butter Dishes | |
| 9:00 AM | Independent Handbuilding | |
| 9:00 AM | Bird Bath with Glass! | |
| 2:00 PM | Thrown Neapolitan Ice Cream Bowls | 1 of 2 days |
| 2:00 PM | Thrown Two Part Forms | 1 of 2 days |
| 2:00 PM | Independent Throwing | 1 of 2 days |
| 2:00 PM | Painted Sgraffito Trays | |
| 2:00 PM | Tiny Villages | |
| 2:00 PM | Independent Handbuilding | |
| 2:00 PM | Espresso Cups & Saucer | |
| 2:00 PM | Carved Bears | |
| 2:00 PM | Fused Glass & More! | |
| Tuesday, July 30, 2024 | ||
| 9:00 AM | Thrown Montreat Mugs with Perfect Handles | 2 of 2 days |
| 9:00 AM | Thrown Bud Vases | 2 of 2 days |
| 9:00 AM | Independent Throwing | 2 of 2 days |
| 9:00 AM | Painted Sgraffito Trays | |
| 9:00 AM | Lighted Christmas Trees and Santa Gnomes | |
| 9:00 AM | Independent Handbuilding | |
| 9:00 AM | Prayer Towers | |
| 9:00 AM | Sewn Quilted Crazy Potholders or Trivets | |
| 2:00 PM | Thrown Neapolitan Ice Cream Bowls | 2 of 2 days |
| 2:00 PM | Thrown Two Part Forms | 2 of 2 days |
| 2:00 PM | Independent Throwing | 2 of 2 days |
| 2:00 PM | Painted Ornaments | |
| 2:00 PM | A Simple Nativity | |
| 2:00 PM | Wall Pockets | |
| 2:00 PM | Independent Handbuilding | |
| 2:00 PM | Small Leaf Bowls with Acorns | |
| 2:00 PM | Fused Glass & More! | |
| Wednesday, July 31, 2024 | ||
| 9:00 AM | North Carolina Woven Reed Star | |
| 9:00 AM | Clay Angels with Glass Skirts | |
| 9:00 AM | Three 3-legged Salsa Bowls | |
| 9:00 AM | Glass Mosaic Tiles | |
| 12:00 PM | Pottery Closed | |
| 2:00 PM | Watercolor Painting: Flowers! | |
| Thursday, August 1, 2024 | ||
| 2:30 PM | Glaze Day | |
| 2:00 PM | Watercolor Painting: Watercolor Your Summer | |
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!
Pottery Hours (Upstairs)
| Monday– Tuesday |
9:00 am —12:00 pm |
| Wednesday |
9:00 am —12:00 pm |
| Thursday | 2:30—5:30 pm Glaze Day |
| Friday | Closed |
| Saturday | 8:00—11:00 am Pottery Pickup |
Craft Hours (Downstairs)
| Monday–Thursday | 2:00—5:00 pm |
Costs
| Clay to Take Home | 3 lb Chunk: $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 to Take Home
Open Monday - Thursday. Clay to take home is available upstairs in the pottery. We have 3lb. chunks of clay for $6. Return your masterpieces Wednesday by 11:00 am to be fired. You may pick them up Thursday 2:30–5:30 pm in their bisqued form for $4lb, and take them home to paint with acrylic paints, or glaze them for $8/lbs and pick them up Saturday 8-11:00am. Cash, check, or credit card payment available.
Social Media
Check us out @sallyjonespottery on Facebook and Instagram for photos of what we're making and updates to classes and schedules.
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.
With Gratitude
Thank you to our incredible pottery staff for an amazing summer, and to each of you for your creativity and contributions to this community of arts at Montreat Conference Center. Thank you for helping us celebrate year number 50 with great joy.
Artists-in-Residence
Caitlin Wallace-Rowland is a renowned artist from New Orleans, LA. With a B.A. in English and Studio Art (Painting) from Tulane University and an M.A. in Fibers (Textile Design/Print & Pattern) from the Savannah College of Art and Design, She works as an artist and textile designer, and has worked as a print designer for Lilly Pulitzer. She has fabric collections available with Dear Stella Fabrics, and has products in Target and HomeGoods stores. Caitlin loves the collaboration between clay and painted designs, as well as the lyrical possibilities of watercolor, especially in Montreat!
Kay Clegg, Lisa Galloway, and Carol Wilhelmi are our resident fused glass team. They are from Florida, South Carolina, and Black Mountain, NC.
Volunteers
Lewis Galloway, Julie Culpepper, Linda Stroupe, and Ed Beasley.
2024 Sally Jones Pottery Staff
Ann Laird Jones, Nancy Hyde, Gatewood Campbell, Sarah Peters, Cathie Dodson, Hannah Gorman, Rachel Skidmore, Henry Baxter, Christina Carlisle, Blair Hartman, and Nat Scott.
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.