GENERATIONS OF LUCK POTTERS

"It has been my goal, all my life, to carry on as much of the old traditional work as I can." --- Sid Luck

Beginning with William Luck, the Luck family has continued the time-honored techniques of wheel-thrown pottery.  In 1957 by age 12, Sid began turning for the J.B. Cole Pottery in Seagrove.  With the encouragement of local potters such as Waymon Cole and Nell Cole Graves, he continued turning off and on for the next 30 years.  A four year hitch in the Marines, stints at Sandhills Community College followed by a degree in chemistry from North Carolina State University and high school teaching jobs in Florida and North Carolina then took precedence over pottery.  Sid opened Luck's Ware on a part-time basis in 1987 at its current location and used both gas and electric kilns.  Three years later Sid left teaching to pursue his pottery dream full time.  In 1994, Sid was honored as the recipient of the Living Treasure of North Carolina Award given by UNC at Wilmington's Museum of World Cultures.  He was the subject of two 1999 documentaries, Crawdad Slip  and Luck's Legacy, by Jim Sharkey.  Sid, as well as sons Jason and Matthew, was featured in 2001 in the UNC-TV's Folkways series on The Potters of Seagrove hosted by David Holt.   In 2006, Sid was nominated by the North Carolina Arts Council for inclusion in the Southern Artistry registry, a joint effort of the Southern Arts Federation (SAF) and the Center for Arts Management & Technology at Carnegie Mellon (CAMT).  In April 2009, Sid was awarded the Brown-Hudson Folklife Award by the North Carolina Folklore Society for his contributions to the appreciation and continuation of North Carolina folk traditions.  The North Carolina Art Education Association awarded Sid its "Friend of the Arts" award in November 2012 "for outstanding commitment and exemplary service to art education within the state of North Carolina."   On May 20, 2014, Sid was awarded the prestigious North Carolina Heritage Award by the NC Arts Council honoring his lifetime contribution to the cultural traditions of North Carolina.  View a video of the award performance at this site. 

Sons Jason and Matthew are both accomplished potters.  Jason, an attorney, turns pottery when he's home and at various art facilities in Charleston (SC) where he works.  Younger son Matthew lives nearby with his wife, Jennifer, and children, Madison, Austin, and Jackson.  While he received his college degree in forestry, Matt is now a part-time potter at Luck's Ware as well as owner of Lucky Farm.  Matthew, Jason, and Sid are featured in this vintage-look photograph (courtesy of Lex Youngman).                                                                                  

Find out more about Sid and pottery making from the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina or listen to the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler podcast.