Georgia Harris

Georgia Harris (July 29, 1905 – January 30, 1997) was known for preserving traditional forms of Catawba pottery. A member of the Catawba Tribe in South Carolina, Harris was a recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship for her work. Although ranging centuries, the earliest records of the Catawba pottery tradition that have been obtained date back to 1702. It was this rich history that Harris was responsible for preserving, including during a time period that ranged from the 1930s to the 1960s, when the tradition suffered due to demand. Harris's grandparents were both talented in craftwork. Her grandmother Martha Jane was known as one of the best Catawba potters of the nineteenth century, while her grandfather, Epp Harris, was an extraordinary pipe maker. Just as Catawba potters before her had done, Harris would then fire her pottery in a wood-burning open-pit fire. She was known for creating a variety of pottery, ranging from the ceremonial wedding jug to smoking pipes. Harris would gather clay from the riverbanks in South Carolina, craft it by hand, and then bake the pottery in a fire pit. Towards the end of her life, Harris began teaching the next generation of Catawba potters the traditional methods that she had used. Over time this tradition has evolved to meet the needs of the Catawba community, therefore rendering it as a type of visual history of the nation's economic and social experiences. While this trend continued into the 1960s, Harris refused to compromise the level of her work, and eventually helped to usher in the revival of Catawba pottery that took place in the 1970s. Harris died in Dallas, Georgia on January 30, 1997.