ACC Reads: One Family's History Seen Through Ceramics

Through the hills of the North Carolina Piedmont run rich strains of clay that have given birth to a unique local economy of potters - attracting and inspiring artists and art-lovers from around the world. Like much of the pottery of the region, Christopher Benfey comes from the union of local and exotic: his mother’s family has lived in the area for centuries, farming and “turning and burning,” making pie plates, jugs, and pots for sale during the colder months. His father comes from Jewish refugees escaping Berlin; his aunt and uncle were Josef and Anni Albers, artists who led Black Mountain College, a center for education and arts that had an influence on 20th-century art far greater than its quarter century of existence would imply.

Benfey explores the tangled skeins of his family history in his memoir Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay, leading a journey across time and examining how the different people who have lived in America have used its natural bounty artistically. Native Americans, colonial explorers, simple Quakers, and 20th-century immigrants from Germany and Japan all have their place in the story. At the ACC Reads discussion of Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay, we’ll talk about what it takes to create art and what it takes to create a new life starting from nothing.

Ideas to ponder include:

• How does an artist begin when staring at that empty wheel or blank page?
• Do works of art come to mind full-blown or do they emerge bit by bit?
• What role does place have to play in craft?
• Does lack of resources contribute to more ingenious works?
• Does suffering contribute to great art, or is it worthless?
• How does art help create a community? Can it be a force for divisiveness?
• Can being artistic run in a family? Is talent genetic or is it nurtured by growing up with creativity?

Please join me Friday, February 22, at 6:00 p.m. at the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore, where fellow panelists and I will have a discussion about Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay and the questions it inspires.

We also invite you to share your impressions of the book, fun facts, and unique connections to craft by following along on Twitter at @craftcouncil and using the Twitter hashtag #ACCReads. You don't have to be a Twitter user to participate - just check here for the latest Tweets tagged #ACCReads.

Celeste Sollod, the Baltimore Bibliophile, writes about literary life in Charm City at BaltimoreBookTalk.com.