The Contemporary Woodfire Potters of Georgia

The Contemporary Woodfire Potters of Georgia exhibition showcases a multigenerational collective of artists whose practices span folk pottery lineages, Japanese kilntraditions, and contemporary ceramic artistry—united by a shared devotion to the centuries-old craft of woodfiring. The group includes some of the most influential names in Southern pottery, among them legacy potters with more than 30 years of firing experience such as Roger Jamison, Geoff Pickett, Jon Brinley, and Allen Gee, as well as studio innovators including Stephen Hawks, and Ron Meyers. Equally central to the movement are the next generation of fire chiefs and apprentices—Rebecca Wood, Kyle Jones, and Liz Bloodgood—and a rising cohort of nationally recognized ceramic artists including , Linda Suskin, Kimberly Shelton and Joel Huff.

Woodfiring remains deeply rooted in Georgia’s cultural landscape, with kiln sites spread across small rural communities in Juliette, Farmington (Pickett’s Pottery), Midland (County Line Art Farm), Greenville (Primrose Flattop), Rabun Gap (Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts), Comer, and beyond. Potters often travel great distances and work through the night to participate in firings that range from short, traditional folk sessions—echoing the iconic Meaders, Gordy, and Hewell families—to multi-day Anagama and Naborigama firings inspired by the traditional Japanese practices.