Like a Sherpa for Ceramics

WNC native leads art tours with an insider’s edge

As an unemployed college student in the early ’80s, Sherry Masters would cobble together her extra money and look for artisan-made pottery. When she and her husband, Mark, were wed, they registered for their dinnerware at the Folk Art Center. Over the years, her collection of locally made coffee mugs, bowls, and other vessels kept stacking up.

At her split-level Mid Century rancher in North Asheville, in the kitchen the couple remodeled in 2007, the daily ware is visible in the glass-door cupboards. By extension, it showcases Masters’ desire to be an advocate for the arts community in Western North Carolina. The pieces come from a mix of regional potters, including Michael Rutkowski, Joy Tanner, Marcia Bugg, and Karen Newgard. Beyond the kitchen, handmade objects — furniture, lamps, wall art, wood sculpture — are part of every room in the house. 

Masters grew up in Mars Hill, went to the university there, and earned a degree in Fashion Merchandizing. She began her career in the arts as the assistant of acclaimed quilter Georgia Bonesteel of Flat Rock — the inventor of “lap quilting,” and also an author and the former host of a PBS show. She helped Bonesteel at her shop and started the mail-order side of her business; a small piece that the quilter made as a wedding gift hangs in the home.

After her stint with Bonesteel, Masters worked as an assistant manager at the Folk Art Center. That job led to a position at the newly opened Grovewood Gallery in 1992; the venue, housed among a historic suite of buildings next to the Omni Grove Park Inn, today covers more than 9,000 square feet and sells work from the artsiest enclaves of Western North Carolina, and from around the country.

After 20 years, in 2013, Masters left her job as the general manager of Grovewood. She was about to turn 50 and needed a new challenge, and after going on a custom tour with a guide in Mexico, she figured she could do something similar in Asheville. “There’s so much that I know about Western North Carolina from growing up here and always being involved in the arts community … I knew that I could plan tours,” Masters says.

She started a company called Art Connections, where she uses that insider knowledge to conduct art tours across the region, and she’s also begun a consultation service to link those who want to collect WNC art with WNC artists, to find the just-right pieces for their homes and businesses. (Her leadership role with American Craft Week, a movement that celebrated its 10th anniversary in October, keeps her involved on a national level.)

Masters’ small office is in the remodeled first level of her home. A wall was partially removed to add natural light to the room, which has special pieces on the walls. There’s some artwork by her sons, a carved face of an old mountain man, and her third-degree Black Belt accommodation. “In my mind,” she says, “I’m a ninja.”

You had handmade pottery on your bridal registry decades before it was a trend. How did you know?

Actually, our entire wedding included artisan-made pieces. In addition to the dinnerware registry, we added serving bowls and trays, we chose handmade wedding bands, our invitation was written and then printed by a local calligrapher, our guest book was handmade with marbled papers inside, and I spent 10 months making my wedding dress. It didn’t occur to me to have anything mass produced for such a special occasion.

What did you like about this house? 

My husband, Mark, is from North Asheville, and he was familiar with this neighborhood from bike riding; he always liked this house. Mark’s an architect, so he pays attention to houses. When we looked at this one, the people who were living here were art collectors, and they had Art Deco furniture and lots of paintings. We liked the windows. We liked the potential. We liked the fireplace and the views.

What kind of planning goes into your art tours?

I plan an itinerary based on whether we’re spending a half day or a full day, and that itinerary is planned with input from the tour participants on what they want to learn or see or do. We go and really have a great time meeting the artists and letting the tour participants hear from the artists, see some of the processes, and see new works that they’re working on. A full-day tour adds lunch and usually is four to five hours, and we can go beyond Asheville.

What areas beyond the city limits have the most interesting art scenes?

Weaverville and Black Mountain both have really active art communities; then beyond Buncombe County you can find talented artists any direction you want to go.  A few of my favorite areas beyond Asheville include visiting Celo [a land trust in Yancey County with a high concentration of potters and glassworkers] and Waynesville — and lately I’ve had more opportunity to go south into Hendersonville and down to Tryon.

For a new homeowner, what would be one piece of advice you’d give about adding art to the home?

It’s best for a homeowner to select something that speaks to them, that they have a connection to, whether that’s an item that reminds them of something they love, or because they met the artist and really enjoyed that visit. I have a strong sense of design and know what is good quality in handmade [goods] and art, but more important to me is the person that made the art, and bringing that friendship or that connection into my home.

Are you an artist? 

Well, I have dabbled in a lot of things, but I I don’t feel comfortable saying I am because I know what it means to be a professional artist — to sell to the public and make your living [as a maker] — and I’ve never done that. I’ve never developed items to sell. I’ve made lots of things to give to family. I tried pottery in college. I’ve tried stained glass. One thing I really want to try is woodturning, because that really intrigues me … I’ve seen more of it in recent years, and it looks like something that would be fun to learn.

Art Connections with Sherry Masters, full- and half-day tours, custom tours, and art consultations. For more information, call 828-779-6808 or see artconnectionsnc.com.