SAPA MAP MEETING

Next map Meeting: August 19, 2009, 6pm Seagrove Library

We will probably wrap up the map P&P and move on to the web site so please review what we have covered already and I’ll see you Wednesday. Thanks for all the support.

Map Policies and Procedures

Front cover components:

Ø “Potters of the Seagrove Community” should be positioned at the top of the map so it can be read while sitting in a rack.

Ø The picture needs to be current.

o Hold a public contest each year for new picture.

o Advertise and promote in media.

o Ask people “What does Seagrove mean to you?

o “Seagrove is important to me because_________.”

Ø The information square at the bottom has SAPA web and contact information.


Establish dates:

Ø Map committee meeting in July

Ø Get 3 bids from printers in July

Ø January due date for all ads from potters and sponsors

Ø Payment to be included


Potters ads:

Ø Who can be on the potters side of the map

o All businesses within the defined Seagrove area who have a state ID#.

o Must be an “Enhanced Member” of SAPA.

o Membership $100, map ad $100 for a 12 month period.

Ø Pictures:

Photos and Bios

We need your photos and bio or shop information for the Celebration web site before September 1. Also high resolution photos for consideration for print media.

Web site Photos: maximum 400 x 400 pixels at 72 dpi

Hi Res Photos: maximum 2400 x 1900, this is approx. 34" x 27" at 72 dpi or 8.2" x 6.5" at 300 dpi

PLEASE SEND ALL YOUR PHOTOS AND BIOS TO marketing@celebrationofseagrovepotters.com

Notes from the Aug Board meeting.

We had a great Board meeting this past Tuesday August 4th at the Library with about 10 members attending.

◘ Mary Holmes reported that we have almost 60 potters who have signed up for the Celebration Festival with a few more people pending.

◘ Sally Larson reported on the map meeting last month with 13 members attending. Many suggestions were made and good progress was made on the Policies & Procedures manual. The next meeting will be August 19th and anyone interested in attending is encouraged to join us. Confirmation email will be sent out.

◘ SAPA now has a permanent Seagrove address at the Von Cannon House where we will have a room available for our files and storage of the Celebration signage. We’re very appreciative of the NC Pottery Center for allowing us to rent it.

◘ We received a letter from one of our members concerned about the discrepancy between the hours potters publish and the hours they actually keep. She has had many complaints from customers who come for the day only to find many potters closed. The problem is that when those people leave the area they are disappointed and may not want to come back. There are a couple of things we all can do to help:

¤ Please take down your open signs on the roads and at your pottery if you are not there and consider putting up a closed sign.
¤ Update your hours on your web pages and web sites when your plans change.
¤ Consider using language in your description that reflect your real hours during different times of the year.. June –Aug open Thurs-Sat, or Sept –Jan open Monday – Sunday , closed February & March. Whatever description applies to your situation. Communicating honestly to our customers is very important.

◘ David Fernandez has come up with a map information kiosk idea that will help visitors find what they are looking for when they come to our area. These will be available to buy for anyone who is able to put one on their property and will greatly improve the experience customers will have when they visit. The different options are:
¤ 1 4X4’ sign with frame and 2 4X4’ posts to be installed by buyer for $339.
¤ 1 4X4’ map on metal and weather proof that can be mounted on the
side of a building for $225.
¤ 1 4X4’ map on plastic that can be mounted on a wall but isn’t as
long lasting as the metal ones $190.

David will take orders up to November and can be contacted at (336)207-6985
artists@seagrovestoneware.com

◘ Bobby Marsh is asking anyone who would like to recommend pottery books to be ordered for the Library to please stop by there to see the list of what they already have and make suggestions.


Volunteers needed to help organizing the Celebration Festival. Below is a list of committee heads and members. If you see something you might be interested in working on please get in touch with that committee head. This is such a great event so please jump in and help out and sign up!!

Ben Owen III (Chair of Celebration)
Gordon Ray (co-chair)
Fred Johnston (co-chair)
Will McCanless (co-chair)

Mary Holmes (treasurer/ manager)
Crystal King

Ed Henneke (secretary)

Susan Greene (Chair Publicity)
Jennie Keatts (Publicity co-chair/ website)
Bobby Thomas
Samantha Henneke
Bonnie Burns

Ben Owen III (Chair Sponsorship)
Sherry James
Bonnie Burns
Pat Newby
Susan Greene

Gordon Ray (Chair Infrastructure)
Bobby Marsh (co-chair)
Mary Holmes
Ben Owen III
Will McCanless
Darius Luck


Will McCanless (Chair Potters Relations)
Meredith Smildsen
Byron Knight

Bonnie Burns (Chair Vendors/Volunteers)
Susan Greene
Lisa Martinez
Sherry James

Fred Johnston (Chair Gala)
Nan Revel
Dick Peterson
Joanne Peterson
Talmadge Baker
Sara Baker

Loy Sellers (Chair Auction)
Joanne Peterson
Talmadge Baker
Sara Baker



Our next Board meeting will be 7PM September 1st at the Seagrove Library. Please join us!

Raleigh Convention Center

COST: FREE
WHO: SAPA ENHANCED MEMBERS
DEADLINE: August 15, 2009 drop off at Great White Oak


1. Raleigh Convention Center has offered SAPA display space on the main floor. This is a new, gorgeous facility that is booked straight for the next 18 years. They have a serious commitment to showing off the Arts and Culture of NC to all meeting attendees. The building is 500,700 sq. feet. Completed in September 2008, the Center welcomes over 500,000 attendees annually: its visitors include local, state/regional and international groups. www.raleighconvention.com/

2. The display area offered is free to all enhanced SAPA members.
There are 7 vitrines - glass containers used to store and display items. They are lit, double-sided and therefore visible from inside the meeting rooms and the lobby. This is the main lobby where the office is located and all that enter the building must pass by. The displays are locked and insured by the Convention Center. The display cases are at eye level approximately 17” tall, 11’’ wide and 9 feet long. They can contain approximately 90 pieces of pottery in total. The total number of pieces from each potter is dependent on how many reply to this opportunity. You should count on submitting 2 pots/pieces of your choice. There may be room for more as information comes in. It is to our advantage to display the large diversity and talent of our community with pieces ranging in height and width and surface decoration for maximum impact.

3. SAPA Marketing obligation is to deliver the pots as well as provide forms for each pot that list:
• Potter name and contact info
• Title and description of process
• Artist statement (not required but smart to include)
• Retail price for insurance purposes
Also to
• Supply new pots for ones that have been purchased
• Make the signage for the display cases
• We have the option to include in the displays any information on the Seagrove Community of Artists, how to get here, why we are unique, our heritage, etc.
• The information (excluding price) will be printed out and placed on foam board beside each piece in the displays

Pieces will be for sale but are not required to be. Prices will not be listed on the descriptions in the display case. A master list will be provided to the Convention Staff and if an inquiry is made for purchase that transaction will occur between the artist and potential buyer. Any piece that is bought must be replaced by another item. You can deliver or mail it to them, should you wish to continue participation and have the opportunity for another sale. Please be sure to fill out the form for description so that we can create another description label for it to go with your pot.

The convention center will also distribute the SAPA map and the NCPC brochure. The display will be up for a one year period, possibly two. All of this is at no cost to us. The Convention Center Arts Subcommittee is very sincere and appreciative of the asset of the Seagrove Pottery Community. The Convention Center Arts Subcommittee and the City of Raleigh staff are soliciting other artists for other displays throughout the center.

To detail how fortunate we are to have been freely solicited without the hassle of submission requirements for this opportunity, take a look at what other artists must submit to even be considered. www.raleighconvention.com/Images/PDF/RCC-Exhibition-Application.pdf

The installation period must occur on August 27/28. That is the only time that they are not booked. Bonnie Burns and Susan Greene have agreed to deliver and set up the display.

If you chose to participate this is what you need to do.
Select your pots of choice. Maximum height 13”. Maximum width 18” . Fill out the form below completely and include the forms with your box of securely wrapped pots. Label outside of box with name of your shop.

Deliver to Great White Oak Gallery by August 15th. No exceptions.

We need two weeks to prepare adequate and professional signage for the display cases.
Potters Relations Committee (Will McCanless and Meredith Smildson) will follow up with those those that do not have or use email access.

If you have questions regarding your membership status please call Meredith at 267-4554 or email her at moe11177@yahoo.com

Other considerations regarding urgency are that August is extremely busy for marketing due to compiling attendee information for COSP 2009 for brochure printing and distribution, poster development and distribution, frequent website additions and other promotional opportunities.

It would really be helpful if you could deliver your pots as soon as possible.

I hope you will take advantage of this remarkable promotional opportunity for enhanced members of SAPA and help us promote and show 500,000 people just how unique and talented the Seagrove Pottery Community is. Hopefully, you will make some sales too!

Use a separate form for each piece.
Potter name

Potter address
Potter phone
Potter email
Potter website(s) blogs,
Title of piece
Description of process (ex. Porcelain, stoneware, redware, saltglaze, etc.)




Artist statement (not required but smart to include)

Retail price for insurance purposes
Potter name
Potter address
Potter phone
Potter email
Potter website(s) blogs,
Title of piece
Description of process (ex. Porcelain, stoneware, redware, saltglaze, etc.)

Sandhills and Uwharrie Visitor Centers

Sandhills and Uwharrie Visitor Centers

COST: FREE

WHO: SAPA ENHANCED MEMBERS

DEADLINE: FIRST COME FIRST SERVED

The Sandhills and Uwharrie Visitor Centers are privately owned, family businesses run by Rebecca Cox and son Judson (tech support). Their urls are www.sandhillsvisitorcenter.com (see the Seagrove tab at the top of the page for current promotions) and www.uwharrievisitorcenter.com. They have 35,000+ subscribers in NC and surrounding states. Their monthly newsletters are well received and they garner new subscribers nearly every day. Their goal is to promote tourism and independent businesses. They believe the advantage in what they offer is that, while maintaining a website full of visitor information and resources, they also send out a newsletter to their subscribers, who then forward it on to countless others.

They would like to dedicate an entire section of their websites for the Seagrove potters (a directory) with an individual page for each potter. They would begin running a series of bios on each potter on a first come first served basis. Enhanced SAPA members will be given first priority followed by those members with basic memberships. These would be 500 - 750 word articles with 2-4 pictures and contact information. There would also be room on the pottery directory page for the potters to purchase ads for their businesses should they choose. They would feature a link to the pottery section on each of their visitor center websites.

They will offer two ad sizes for the directory page: Buying ads are optional and NOT REQUIRED FOR PARTICIPATION, will be contracted by the individual potter and the Cox's.

$25 = w 3" x h 1.75" (business card size - text only)

$50 = 3" x h 3.5" (double business card size, with room for logo and/or picture)

Ads will link to the advertiser's website if available. These ad rates are ½ off the regular rates as a special promotion to Seagrove Potters. There is also an additional 10% discount for advertising for 3 months at a time. You do not have to purchase an ad to be listed on the directory but it is certainly an economical way to reach 35,000+ paid subscribers. Judson, the web person is available and willing to help you develop your ad if you need assistance. He can be reached at visit@uwharrievisitorcenter.com or by phone at 828-733-9030.

They have started 4 visitor center websites (http://www.sandhillsvisitorcenter.com/, http://www.uwharrievisitorcenter.com/, http://www.appalachianvisitorcenter.com/ and http://www.brunswickislandsvisitorcenter.com/.

Due to the enormity of the project, and the constraints on time, they need to partner with SAPA for the collection of the bios. Ideally, each potter would send in their bio/article and photos of themselves and their work as soon as possible to publicity@celebrationofseagrovepotters.com. If you need to send it via regular mail please mail to: SAPA Marketing, PO Box 309, Seagrove NC 27341. SAPA marketing will then have the opportunity to utilize the material for publicity as well. The directory and bio pages would be a free service to all potters. They can post 2 potters a week as soon as we start providing the information.

If we begin on this project quickly, we should have everything in place before the Seagrove fall event, which will help promote our event as well as visits to individual shops year round.