ceramic, marked on bottom, dated 1976

measures approximately: 8 1/4" H x 6 5/8" W (spout to handle) x 3 7/8" base diameter 

Dorothy Cole Auman was an eighth-generation potter that was drawn to the potter’s wheel at the age of 10, becoming one of the first women in North Carolina to learn the art. Dorothy’s education in pottery stemmed mainly from her father, Charlie, and uncles, with an independent spiritual influence from her grandmother, Sarah. The Cole family created many labor-saving devices for the trade, including the first horizontal aligned pugmill from the transmission of a 1924 Dodge automobile.

Walter Snoten Auman lived a few miles down the road from the Cole family. Walter’s adulthood was shaped by his family’s involvement in the production of utilitarian pottery pieces after the War between the States along with a childhood filled with influences of the art pottery movement. However, Fletcher Auman, Walter’s grandfather, was not a potter but rather a local entrepreneur that hired journeyman turners to produce his pottery wares, one in particularly named J.B. Cole. Fletcher Auman died when Walter was only a year old, leaving Walter to gain his pottery education and experience from time spent with his Aunt Beulah and Uncle Herman Cole at the Smithfield Art Pottery in Johnston County. Walter established an eye for quality production and well-glazed pieces that solidified his legacy. 

Married in 1949, the Aumans purchased an old beer joint and renovated it into a retail store called Seagrove Pottery in 1953. Dorothy and Walter were a balanced team in life and in the pottery shop. Dorothy at the wheel, where she could turn 1,000 half-pound vases a day during her prime; and Walter in the back, digging the clay, working the pug-mill, and mixing glazes. At this shop, they were also able to create an apprentice program to help several young potters establish themselves. 

Once they moved from Asheboro to Seagrove, the couple took advantage of every opportunity to promote their craft and community. Becoming ambassadors for the pottery industry in Seagrove through demonstrations at the NC State Fair in the Village of Yesteryear by seeing thousands of people from 1951 to 1976. In addition, the Aumans went on to found the Seagrove Pottery Museum, dedicated in 1969, and were integral in starting the Seagrove Pottery Festival in 1982, which is now an annual event in it’s 37th year. The Aumans also partnered with the Randolph Arts Guild, organizing the first North Carolina Pottery Conference in 1987, with primary intentions to join the older traditions to the newest generation of potters. Their constant devotion to educating society of the art and heritage of pottery, the Aumans’ work continues to impact the industry. 

Generous, charitable, and never hesitant to answer questions about pottery making, Dorothy and Walter Auman were true pioneers of the Seagrove Pottery community. Their tragic, untimely deaths in a 1991 automobile accident didn’t define their impact on the on the largest community of working potters in the U.S. Their work is represented in the Mint Museum and the Smithsonian. 

60EKCB