Cowpens Potters: The Work of Winton and Rosa Eugene
Opening Thursday, March 12, 2026
V.I.P. ARTIST RECEPTION: 5:00 – 6:30PM
Event Info & Ticketing
Public Reception: 6:30 – 7:30pm
Runtime: March 13 – May 8, 2026
March 31: Blue Ridge Craft Trails Peer Networking Event and Panel, 5 – 7pm (The Eugenes will be panelists)
Tryon Arts & Crafts School (TACS) is proud to exhibit the work and artistic legacy of celebrated artists Winton and Rosa Eugene. Married in 1968, the Eugenes are mainstays of the vibrant Southern craft tradition that is clay. Their history in ceramics began in 1986 as a second career. They devoted themselves to studying the medium and built a commercially successful studio, Pottery by Eugene, operating in Cowpens, South Carolina. They typically collaborate to create vibrant, distinctive stoneware including functional wares, face jugs, as well as larger sculptural pieces. American Craft magazine called them “a marriage of making.” As Rosa wrote, “Winton loves design and I am captured by shapes and colors. In our creative dance, we combine these passions so that the final product moves with balance and harmony.”
The Eugene’s dedication to their craft has earned them wide-ranging acclaim and recognition. Their pottery is frequently featured in major collections and exhibitions throughout the region and beyond. By 2000, they were selected as members of the African-American Design Archive at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in New York. In 2016, the couple received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of South Carolina Upstate (where Rosa also graduated), recognizing their significant contributions. Their commitment extends beyond creation, as they have spent years sharing the history, techniques, and cultural importance of their artistic lineage, particularly within the African American ceramic art traditions of the Upstate region of South Carolina.
The pieces exhibited at TACS are richly varied in size, form, and function but all showcase the Eugenes’ deep mastery of the ceramic medium. The works’ rich glazes and tactile textures often comment on contemporary social issues such as community, history, civil rights, and more. Much of their work tells stories relating to their lives and values, suggesting the rich possibilities of meaning embedded in their work.
TACS’s annual sponsor is New View Realty. Additional event and general sponsors include Overmountain Vineyards, Nature’s Storehouse, and Tryon Theatre. TACS also gratefully acknowledges ongoing operational support from the Polk County Community Foundation, North Carolina Arts Council, and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.