THE FREDERICKSBURG POTTER Dan Finnegan shares his 40 year journey
Dan told FPF that it was hard to put 40 years into 750 words...He is correct. So below is excerpts from Dan’s Journal: Forty years ago this month I arrived in Fredericksburg with all of my worldly possessions packed into my '66 Chevy van. The Fredericksburg Pottery was founded by two local families in 1976, the Bicentennial year, and was located at the corner of Sophia Street and Hanover Street. Phil Chapman got his start there. . Fredericksburg in 1980 was a very different town...early that year the Spotsylvania Mall was opened and most of the shops left downtown. It might be hard for more recent residents to believe, but a number of major department stores including Sears and Penney's used to be located in our fair city. I was hired to expand the pottery's business beyond Fredericksburg. There was no longer enough foot traffic to support us so I designed a simple line of pottery and trained the two potters that I had inherited to make them. We then began selling work up and down the East
Coast to galleries and craft shops and restaurants. The most significant restaurant was in our back yard...just a few months after I arrived Sammy T's was opened. Founded by a college professor and two former UMW students it was a welcome addition to town, bringing in a menu that went way beyond barbecue (vegetarian and vegan food!). We made
them an offer that they couldn't refuse...I would trade pottery for food so that I could get my work on the tables in front of their customers. This was a happy relationship and most of my friends today were met in that cozy restaurant. I made little creamers and bud vases and I still occasionally meet a former customer (or employee) who confesses to taking one or two home! I didn't mind, as it meant I could make more and eat more! In 1984 I purchased the business and moved to a farm on the Rappahanock River in Dogue. I was now on my own and I carried on the wholesale business while spending a lot of time developing new work and ideas. I sold pots in a couple of shops downtown as well. Then, in 1991, I discovered the building at 106 Hanover Stree (below) was vacant and with the financial support of some dear friends I moved back to town and resumed my business directly across the street from the old pottery. This was a very fruitful time for my career. Downtown's revival was ongoing and it had certainly become a more interesting place. The VRE coming to town sparked a great interest with developers. All of a sudden living and working downtown seemed viable. It wasn't long
will follow us. The shop at 106 had a bit of magic to it, created by all the friendships and relationship that flourished there. Some bought a pot, some bought a 100 pots, but I like to think that it was a place for good conversation and goodwill as much as a place of business. Being the 'town potter' was a privilege and my work sometimes had greater meaning than a mere piece of pottery, I made pots to celebrate weddings and for church services and urns for ashes for the remains of loved ones. During this time I was invited to teach a course for the Art League at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Va. I didn't know it when I agreed, but this was a baby step towards a career on a national rather than local level. As one thing led to another I was invited to teach at The Penland School of Craft In NC, a
before I was selling all of my work through the shop, an unusual business model for a potter. Most craftspeople have been packing up their vans and travelling to shows all over tarnation...I always aspired to living a more civilized life and the shop allowed me to sleep in my own bed every night and spend my energy creating rather than hustling to shows. By now I saw the need for help in the shop and that it was time to begin training the next generation of potters. I was incredibly fortunate to work in England at the historic Winchcombe Pottery before I came here and that very unique experience gave me the knowledge and experience to be successful. Being part of a long tradition creates a responsibility to pass on that knowledge to those who
very prestigious 'summer camp for adults"!. There is an irony in my teaching career...I left college because I was certain that I didn't want to be a teacher but rather a maker. I now teach 3 or 4 workshops a year at craft schools and universities. The other project to note here is LibertyTown...When I began to take on assistants I wanted to make sure that I could pay them a fair wage to survive here. The pottery alone would have had difficulty accomplishing that. So I started a little pottery school across the street where my assistants and friends could teach and I could pay them much better for that work. I had no idea that we would find such strong interest in pottery classes, but that inspired me to look for a bigger space. This is what led me to start LibertyTown in 2001. I won't tell that story here, but 23 local people lent me money and with the help of a couple of friends we converted the former Plumbing
Supply building into a spectacular Art Center that continues to thrive today. For those keeping count, I then built my fifth (and LAST!) studio on a farm in Caroline County. Ever since my training in England I had wanted to build a kiln that burned wood for fuel (Left). This is an ancient technology that continues to be relevant and engaging today. I had built that kiln at the farm a few years before and when the shop was closed I was welcomed to move my studio there. This is where I work now and where I am writing from today. Up until the pandemic I had been building a new business, selling my pots at national invitational shows and teaching a few workshops as well as keeping a supply of work for sale at Libertytown. Just as I closed the door for the last time on Hanover Street I was invited to the biggest, most prestigious pottery show held in Minnesota each year and this really helped introduce me and my work to a national audience. It has been a real privilege to spend time with potters whose work I had admired from afar and make new friends. I even helped start a national show in Washington DC called 'Pottery on the Hill'. This will be our 9th year at the Hill Center (hillcenterdc.org) and this show has become a popular model for others...a small, finely curated show of potters making useful pots in an elegant and intimate setting. The Fredericksburg community has always been supportive of me and my work, and as we look at downtown today, there are artists and galleries everywhere who are also finding that same support. I am very grateful for that support over these many years. Thank you! Be sure to read the complete Dan Finnegan Journal danfinneganpottery.com danfinneganpotterry.com/shop www.danfinneganpottery.com
front porch fredericksburg
October 2020
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