Local Talent: People Who Color Eastern North Carolina

The Crystal Coast is known for the sun setting over clear blue waters, delicious local chow, friendly locals, and more, but did you know it's also home to the most gifted humans around? Art is not limited to paintings hanging on parlor walls, but includes pottery, photography, glass art, and is now recognized as a therapeutic tool. Local art studios offer shops to purchase their creations, classes, and camps, and area schools recognize the importance of creating now more than ever. Imaginative talent like photographers, potters, and glass artists color Eastern North Carolina with their gifts, and opportunities for locals and visitors to learn new crafts are a stone's throw away.

The highly-coveted work of Eric Vithalani has been featured in area publications and he has earned awards for his keen eye. His breathtaking piece featuring a surfer in front of the Surf City Pier on Topsail Island recently made the cover of the Summer 2023 Topsail Magazine. Although his work is not limited to Topsail Island, his eye knows how to capture the color and elegance of the place we call home, making him one to be watched.

Another local talent, Erin Sapre, a potter, is the owner of StellaNCWorks based in Stella, NC. Striving to source her clay locally, she appreciates where the “pines and ferns meet the estuaries and ocean” and she “reflects the unique environment in [her] work, pressing seashells and ferns into the clay, drawing White Oak River maps, and glazing with greens and blues.” Not only does Erin add to the creative beauty in ENC, she is a veteran herself who officially calls the area home.

A native of Sneads Ferry, Kelsey Lynn, former potter herself, met a glass artist in 2019 and the two taught each other their crafts which birthed her passion, Bone Dry Goods. Kelsey creates one-of-a-kind pieces while continuing to refrain from mass producing: “I make a valiant effort to stay true to my interests with the craft. I hope my vision draws in those who are interested in a piece of my work. I’ll never be a machine. It all takes time. Blood, sweat and tears.” Of course, it also takes lots of practice, and there's no time better to learn than in youth.      

Schools in the area understand the significance of art as well. Jacksonville High School’s own Creative and Performing Arts Academy (CAPAA) has a goal to “inspire a lifelong passion for the arts and foster the development of the academic, technical and aesthetic skills that students require to be globally competitive.” Also, Swansboro HS caters to the artistic students so they can “explore personal creativity and build friendships with fellow artists.” They hold meetings, fundraisers, a Halloween social, and an Extravaganza during Art Appreciation month. Carteret County Schools also foster the ingenuity of young minds through band, chorus, elementary music, and visual art.

Adults like to create, too, and the local area offers art schools and studios like Wine and Design which holds private events, children’s painting classes, after school programs, camps, and they offer team building for coworkers because “The Team That Sips Together, Stays Together.” They also host a program called “Paint if Forward” to raise money and awareness for organizations, local and national. Their studios are in Morehead City, New Bern, Jacksonville, and Emerald Isle, but they're not the only ones: Another studio, Art Works in Jacksonville fosters an environment of joy through therapeutic art, camps, and classes in ceramics; Wild Child Art Studio in Hampstead is a potter’s dream; and ArtExposure, also in Hampstead, holds classes for adults and children, a gallery for local artists to show their work, and a custom frame and gift shop. Art studios need community support, but they also lean on the support of art councils.

ENC art councils understand the magnitude of creation and its therapeutic effects: The Arts Council of Carteret County's mission is "to encourage and support the development, promotion, and expansion of the arts.” Nearby, The Jacksonville/Onslow Council for the Arts promotes their call to action, #KeepOnslowCreative, which is part of the Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, a member of the National Endowment for the Arts which “seeks to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military and veteran populations exposed to trauma.” The area is also home to the Pender Arts Council which “recognizes the rich, cultural heritage of Pender County.” Local organizations rely on The North Carolina Arts Council which offers support to the area's award-winning talent.

Whether you wish to purchase art from nearby talent, learn a new craft, or discover how creating is healing, ENC has what you need to curtail boredom of the chilly weather and shorter days of winter. So, invite your friends to a painting class, take your kids to a local gallery to inspire their inner creators, or pay a visit to a local art gallery to immerse yourself in the area’s craft.

‍