Michael Hunt
Potters of the Roan Exhibit

Michael Hunt Biography

Michael got hooked on clay in high school, and became a student at Penland School of Craft shortly after graduating. It was there that he met Will Ruggles and Douglas Rankin who became teachers and mentors to him. Several years later he was invited to go to Korea to learn the traditional method of making large Ongii storage jars with master Ongii potter Oh Hyang Jong. Upon returning from Korea, Michael began setting up a studio and building a large Thai-shaped wood kiln in the Penland area.

Michael Hunt Artist Statement

We make our pots using primarily coarse, impure local materials. Our pots are thrown on a slow turning Korean-style kick wheel, and the large jars are made using a traditional Korean paddle and anvil technique. We then fire the pots in a large, Thai-shaped wood kiln. Through this collaboration with powerful materials and processes, we hope to create an environment in which pots can be born with a beauty beyond what is possible with our own hands. Beginning with the geologic processes that form the coarse red clay, passing through our hands and kiln, the life of these pots is continued through years of daily use.

Michael Hunt Artist Resume

Education:

2002 Apprenticeship with Onggi potter Oh Hyang Jong in Kwangju, Korea

2000-2001 Resident Artist at North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC

1999 Traveled and researched traditional kilns and potteries in South East Asia

1996-1997 Core student at Penland School of Crafts for two years; Penland, NC

1993 Graduated from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida Pottery program with Mike Lalone

Selected Recent Exhibitions with Naomi Dalglish: