Best of WNC 2011 | Mountain Xpress | Asheville, NC
- 1. Mangum PotteryFunctionality and flair are both winners as Xpress readers voted Rob and Beth Mangum of Magnum Pottery Best Ceramics/Potters in the area for their selection of high-fired tableware and sculptural pottery. “It’s such an honor to win this because there are so many great potters in the area,” says Beth. The couple met as design students at N.C. State University, and they opened their Weaverville shop in 1989. Advertised as “stuff you can use,” and with prices ranging from $18-$75, Mangum pottery is as affordable as it is practical. The biggest sellers in the shop are mugs, of which Beth has been known to make up to 100 each week. Meanwhile, Rob uses his hand-building expertise to produce more inventive (and more expensive) forms like fiddles, banjos, clocks, fountains and furniture. The ceramic clocks are fully functional, as are the instruments. But if you’re planning to audition for the Asheville Symphony, you might want to leave that raku violin on the wall. — U.G.
- 2. Heather Knight, Element Clay Studio
- 2. Akira Satake Pottery
- 3. Josh Copus
also, let me take a minute to say congrats to mr josh copus aka "the man behind my new studio" in the river arts district. yay!
keep on keepin on, and makin good things happen....
