VALLEY ABLAZE

A native Charlottean, Jason Harpe received his undergraduate degree in History and Master of Arts degree in Public History from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  For nearly sixteen years, Harpe has been the Executive Director of Lincoln County Historical Association and Lincoln County Museum of History in Lincolnton, North Carolina, and in 2008 started Harpe Consulting, L.L.C.  He has authored and edited eight books, including Two Centuries of Potters: A Catawba Valley Tradition and four local history books with Arcadia Publishing. 

Dr. Brian Dedmond was born and raised in Lincolnton, North Carolina, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and a Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He now practices dentistry with his father in Lincolnton.  In undergrad, Dedmond took several independent study courses in ceramics and became interested in making pottery.  Not too long after, in 2002, he purchased his first Burlon Craig face jug and has been passionately collecting contemporary Catawba Valley pottery ever since. 

Melany Dawn Crouse of Lincolnton, North Carolina became interested in Catawba Valley pottery after attending a summer sale of Kim Ellington's around 2006.  She started experimenting with photography while working full-time at the La-Z-Boy plant in Lincolnton. She has always loved photography and dabbling in projects that require her to use her creativity, so she decided to combine her interests in both photography and Catawba Valley pottery.  In addition to operating Melany Dawn Crouse Photography, Crouse is a part-time photography instructor at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, North Carolina.