BEN OWEN III WILL BE PRESENT FOR THE OPENING

Ben Owen III is an American studio potter working in Seagrove, North Carolina. Born into a traditional pottery family, he was first introduced to clay by his grandfather when he was eight years old. Owen's natural talent and unusual level of interest led to an apprenticeship with his grandfather and father at age thirteen. Through high school, he carefully studied the shapes, glazes, and traditions of the Owen aesthetic and learned to appreciate the history and legacy of generations of craft. Owen’s works are included in numerous museum collections including the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, the International Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design in Charlotte, North Carolina. Over the past decade, Owen has worked with designers and collectors to create custom works installed in a series of premier hotels and public spaces including the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. He has received many awards and honors, including being named a North Carolina Living Treasure in 2004, and induction into the North Caroliniana Society.

Mallory Lake lived in Vermont, but the rolling hills, tall cypress trees, stucco buildings, and incomparable light of Tuscany were her inspiration. Lake took frequent sojourns to Europe and would then return to her studio, with photographs in hand, to bring her handsome and luxuriously textured pastels to life. Each piece captures the dimension and shadow, the spirit and mood of its place. Her work has been the subject of various articles and exhibitions and is included in several New England and Canadian collections. Mallory Lake passed away in the summer of 2017.