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Christina Bendo Pottery
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The work of Christina Bendo Pottery has a uniquely strong connection to the earth. Christina’s first experience in pottery came through her 5th grade art teacher who shared his own pottery with the class. Christina started college as an English major, but she caught the pottery bug and changed her path. She first became interested in using local clays after digging miocene marine clay in Virginia and, in 2017, she moved to North Carolina to further study raw materials at STARworks Center for Creative Enterprises. Today, at her studio just a few blocks from Main Street in downtown Waynesville, she uses a clay body and slips containing local North Carolina clay, and fires with wood and salt in the tradition of a long line of North Carolina potters. She chooses these processes to further a connection to the geological and human history of place.

Visitors to Christina Bendo Pottery can enjoy and browse her work on display in the front of the studio. Throughout the rest of the space, they can see her working on the wheel or painting designs on pots, as well as all the stages of work in progress and equipment used for her process. Her pieces often begin on the wheel; some are altered and combined with other parts to create more complex forms. Christina’s work is functional and highly decorative, often featuring flora and fauna that she has observed while hiking, foraging, and studying field guides.

Hours: Saturday 9 am-12 pm, Otherwise by Appointment

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