MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2000 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Representative Moody

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING STEWART POTTERY UPON RECEIVING THE 2000 GOVERNOR'S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS HERITAGE AWARD.

WHEREAS, Stewart Pottery will receive the 2000 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts Heritage Award on March 17, 2000; and

WHEREAS, the Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts is a program coordinated by the Mississippi Arts Commission and hosted by Governor and Mrs. Ronnie Musgrove; and

WHEREAS, Homer Wade Stewart established Stewart Pottery in 1888, taking advantage of the rich deposit of natural clay found in the county; and

WHEREAS, Stewart Pottery has produced a steady stream of beautifully glazed, exceptionally crafted, hand thrown pots, churns, bowls, cups and vessels; and

WHEREAS, Homer Stewart's three sons, Gerald, Tom and Winford, all became potters as well as his grandson, Frank, and great-grandson, Keith; and

WHEREAS, Keith, a graduate of art history and ceramics at the University of Mississippi, is continuing the rich Stewart Pottery heritage as part of a thriving colony of artists in Taylor, Mississippi, where he is pushing the possibilities of clay to newer and higher limits, never losing sight of his legacy as a fifth generation Mississippi potter; and

WHEREAS, while Stewart Pottery has seen many changes in the market and technology, there remains a rare continuity in their art; and

WHEREAS, the Stewart family's finely honed skills, techniques and unique designs are handed down from one generation to the next; and

WHEREAS, the Stewart legacy is one that provides each succeeding generation with the necessary skills, passion and appreciation for the clay to produce a style of southern folk pottery whose beauty is found in the unity of form and function; and

WHEREAS, over 100 years later, the Stewart Pottery tradition continues in Mississippi, with the same family, from the same vein of clay in the Red Clay Hills of Winston County:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Stewart Pottery upon receiving the 2000 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts Heritage Award.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Stewart Pottery and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.