Atlas Obscura
Every three years, a small art gallery just outside of Durham, North Carolina, celebrates the humble teapot. Since 1989, Cedar Creek Gallery has been hosting the National Teapot Show, which showcases artists from across the country working in various mediums.
Inspiration for these pieces comes from everywhere you can imagine—nature, science, mythology, classical and modern art. At first glance, you might not even realize that some of them are functional teapots. Highlights from past shows include a pot in the shape of a roaring Bengal tiger, another in the shape of a Scottish thistle made from felted wool, one that doubles as a fully functioning lamp, and one designed to look like Andy Warhol peeking out of a can of Campbell’s soup.
Southern Living Magazine
Whether you take yours hot and steaming or ice cold and sweetened, nearly everyone likes tea. It’s easy to see why, aside from water, it’s one of the most popular drinks in the world.
Anybody with an appreciation for the aromatic beverage will get a kick out of The National Teapot Show, in Creedmoor, North Carolina. The show, which promises to change the way you look at teapots forever, has been returning to Cedar Creek Gallery every three years for more than 30 years. Now that's what we call steeped in tradition!
The 11th National Teapot Show features teapots in a vast range of materials including glass, metal, pottery, wood, fiber, and mixed media. Pots hail from almost every state, and range in price from $70 to $6,000. Visit either in person or online to see how “150 artists start with a humble concept and craft extraordinary creations.”
Our State Magazine
Lisa Oakley is in the hot seat. She’s facing a 2,000-degree furnace — a temperature equivalent to molten lava — but she isn’t fazed. Using a four-and-a-half-foot metal rod, she gathers liquid glass out of the furnace, carefully adds colored glass to the searing, red-hot ball, and places it into a form, where she turns, blows, and shapes it into a pumpkin.
When she’s finished, another gourd will join Cedar Creek Gallery’s pumpkin patch — a community staple in Creedmoor. So each October, when the breeze turns cold, Oakley rolls up her sleeves and takes her place in the hot seat.