Carol Gentithes
North Carolina

Ceramic
Non-functional
9.25"w x 6.25"l x 6.5"h

About the Teapot
Instead of racing to get ahead, we should slow down and relish the odyssey.

About Carol
Carol Gentithes grew up in the flatlands of Ohio. She graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in English Literature. After graduation, she worked for several years in the travel industry, where she managed a travel agency, escorted groups to Europe, and handled tourism campaigns for various countries. In 1989, she was accepted to Alfred University, where she received her B.F.A. cum laude in ceramics.
To establish her own perspective and style beyond what she had absorbed in school, Carol spent a year as a resident artist at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee. In 1997, Carol and her husband, Fred Johnston, established Johnston & Gentithes Art Pottery in Seagrove, NC. Carol and Fred received the NCECA 2010 International Artist Residency in Jingdezhen, China, spending six weeks at the Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute to explore ancient and contemporary Chinese porcelain.
Carol is best known for her quixotic sculptures. Abstracting from mythology, literature, and life’s observations, her subject matter ranges from pictorial witticisms to political commentary. Her work has been published in several books and periodicals. It is exhibited nationally and internationally and is included in the permanent collections of the North Carolina Pottery Center, the Hermitage Museum, and the Mint Museum.

Artist Statement
Times are now that an artist must make a statement. To make the task easier, this particular artist decided to enlist the help of experts. The first stop was the donkey.

“Donkey,” she asked, “how can I explain to people that my art is about humor?”

“Tell them your art is a joke,” he replied, and with that wise statement he started to laugh with no mind to quit.

Thinking his comment simplistic, the artist rejected his suggestion and moved on to the fox for help.

“Fox,” she asked, “I make art based on the literature that I read, mythology that I learned, and life observations that I have made. But how can I make a statement about this?”

“Ah,” the sly fox replied, “that is easy. Disguise what you want to say with big words and esoteric terms. This will not only impress the viewers, but it will intimidate and confuse them as well.”

“Thanks,” said the artist, but “no thanks,” she muttered under her breath. With her last hope for advice, she approached the frog.

“Frog,” she pleaded, “please tell me how to make a statement about my art.”

With his eyes half shut, the frog unabashedly released a loud croak and then said, “It is obvious, little phrasehopper. If the art speaks for itself, then the statement is made.”

*Teapots that are purchased will remain on display in the gallery for the duration of the exhibition, through September 14, 2026. 
After the show closes, teapots will be carefully packed and shipped by September 28, or they may be picked up at the gallery.