Local StoriesMay 30, 2023

Life & Work with David Fernandez

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Fernandez.

Hi David, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I graduated from Whitman College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Art, with honors in Art. As a senior at Whitman, the Olin art building was opened, and I worked closely with the representative from Alpine Kiln company on the installation and firing of the gas kilns in the new building. That experience sparked my interest in the clay medium.

My first position upon graduation from college was with the Ferdinand Roten Art Galleries based in Baltimore, Maryland. I was the Western States Sales Representative, selling limited edition prints. I traveled to and installed exhibits in galleries, colleges, and art centers. I sold signed etchings, serigraphs, and lithographs by artists such as Picasso, Rembrandt, Dali, Leroy Neiman, Miro, Chagall, and Goya.

While working for the Ferdinand Roten Art Galleries, I applied for and received a Crafts fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts to pursue my interest in clay. The fellowship lasted for one year.

Upon completing the National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, I was hired by the N.E.A. as the Western States Coordinator for Visual Arts and Crafts in their education program. I traveled throughout the western states, reviewing programs and working with the various state Arts Councils to improve their nationally funded programs. This position included the review of the state grant requests as well as my recommendation for improvement in their programs. I held that position for two years.

During one of my visits to the Utah Art Council, while working for the National Endowment, I was asked if I would be willing to consult on a new art facility (The Kimball Art Center) in Park City, Utah. I worked closely with the architect, Max Smith, giving advice on the design of the center’s studio and workshop spaces. I later designed and built the center’s high fire-down draft gas kiln.

When the Kimball Art Center was completed, I was hired as Assistant Director. After two months, the Executive Director left. I was named Interim Director while a national search was conducted. I applied and was hired as Executive Director. I held that position for three years. As Executive Director, I had the responsibilities of all programing, fundraising, grant writing, installation of all the exhibits in all of the galleries, as well as hiring and firing staff. During my tenure as Executive Director, I partnered with the University of Utah to accredit the educational programs offered by the center. In addition, I organized various concert series ranging from The Utah Symphony to The Beach Boys in locations close to the center. I also brought the Park City Art Festival under the umbrella of the center. By partnering with other nonprofit organizations, we were able to create programs that not only helped fund the center but were financially worthwhile for all who participated.

Once I felt the Kimball Art Center was on stable ground financially, educationally, with strong programming, I left to pursue my first love… clay. I have been a full-time potter since. I have exhibited in most major national art shows throughout the United States. These include the American Craft Council Shows in Baltimore, Atlanta, Charlotte, St. Paul, and San Francisco. I have also exhibited at the Lincoln Center in New York City as well as the Renwick Gallery in the Smithsonian in Washington D. C.

In 2001, I moved to North Carolina and in 2007, opened Seagrove Stoneware. My wife Alexa and I converted our home to a bed and breakfast in 2009. In 2020 when Covid-19 upended the world, Alexa and I moved our gallery to the original Seagrove Bank building and converted our previous space (the Seagrove General Store building) to a wine bar. The General Wine and Brew has become the premier gathering place in the heart of North Carolina. While living in Seagrove, I have been a board member of the Seagrove Area Potters Association, a board member of the North Carolina Pottery Center, a board member of the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation, a board member of the Piedmont Triad Region Council, a member of the Asheboro Rotary, a Town of Seagrove Commissioner, and I am currently the Mayor of Seagrove. I was one of the eighteen of the more than fifteen hundred North Carolina potters to be selected for the “Dirty Old Men of North Carolina” calendar. I am a member of the Seagrove Area Potters Association and a member of the Piedmont Designer Craftsmen. Please refer to our websites www.seagrovestoneware.com, www.thegeneralwineandbrew.com.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Moving a business (studio equipment, kilns, wheels, etc.) is always a challenge. When we moved to Seagrove, we needed to first build a studio. The existing oversized garage was perfect but needed a lot of work to make it usable. We replace the garage doors with glass patio doors, insulated the walls and ceiling, ran booth power and water to the building. Then we build a kiln building to house our gas and electric kilns. The house also needed a tremendous amount of renovation to update and modernize it so that it could be a bed and breakfast. For example, we did away with the antiquated wood boiler heating system and installed a heat pump. We converted two of the kitchens (the house originally had four) to bathrooms.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I make wheel-turned, decorative stoneware, gas reduction-fired pottery. I mix my clay and glazes for formulas I have developed and fire my pieces in a kiln I designed and built. I am best known for the variety of glazes and the surface treatment of my pieces. Until recently, most of my pottery has been marketed outside of North Carolina at major art shows. These include the American Craft Council Shows in Baltimore, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. I have exhibited at the Lincoln Center in New York City as well as a group show at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid-19 upended our business model. All major art shows were cancelled for more than a year during the pandemic. That is why my wife Alexa and I decided to move our gallery (Seagrove Stoneware) to the old Seagrove bank building in the center of Seagrove. We then decided to renovate the general store building, where our gallery was originally, and convert it t0 a wine bar (The Genera Wine and Brew).

Pricing:

Vases $145. to $495.
Bowls $95, to $295.
Planters $195. to $295.

Contact Info:

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