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When Vale, North Carolina potter Burlon B. Craig died in July 2002 at the age of 88, it was truly the end of an era. Widely viewed as one of America's best traditional folk potters, Craig was among the last of the North Carolina potters to work in alkaline glaze. He took no shortcuts in his pottery production: from the start, in which he dug clay by hand from the banks of the South Fork of the Catawba River, to turning the clay on a foot-powered wheel, he took pride in his traditional methods. He was adept at making swirl ware, and he created a deep blue glaze from natural substances found in the Catawba Valley clay. He worked hard to mentor other potters in his methods. Many attribute the thriving pottery scene in Catawba Valley to his influence. Craig was widely recognized during his life for his amazing talent. His works can be found in the Smithsonian's permanent collections, and he received the prestigious National Folk Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1984. In 2003, Charlotte's Mint Museum of Art mounted a major exhibition, "Burlon Craig and His Legacy."
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