William J. Gordy (May 18, 1910 – August 19, 1993) was an American potter based in

Cartersville Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,187. Cartersville is the county seat of Bartow Cou ...

, Georgia, who has won several awards and honours for his work. Trained as a folk potter, he branched off and created a style uniquely his own. His work is well known and loved by people throughout the country and by the people in his community.

Biography

Gordy was born in Aberdeen, Georgia in 1910.http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/gordonobits/do:gco-dg-00008320 His father was a potter who owned his own business in

Alvaton, Georgia Alvaton is an unincorporated community in Meriwether County Meriwether County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,613. The county seat is Greenville, home ...

. He learned to make pottery by watching the men his father had hired from all over the United States as they made primarily butter churns, jars, pitchers and jugs. He left his father's shop and worked in several pottery businesses in North Carolina and Georgia, seeing and learning new techniques. These experiences helped him develop his own extraordinary style. He served on a destroyer in the

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during

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, and enjoyed traveling to different ports and seeing the local pottery. Gordy was married to Jewell Gordy and together, they had three daughters and two sons.''Evolution of a Potter'' Lindsey King Laub, The Bartow County History Center 1992 He opened his own pottery studio in 1935, in Cartersville, where he made the pottery while his wife handled the business and sales. He was a lifetime member of the

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, and was also an instructor at John C. Campbell Folk School in

Brasstown, North Carolina Brasstown is an unincorporated community located mostly within Clay County, North Carolina, United States, though roughly one third of Brasstown is within the adjacent Cherokee County. Etymology The name, "Brasstown," was given to several historic ...

Style

Gordy was one of the first potters in Georgia to transition from the common functional, utilitarian style to an artistic style. Some people consider him a folk potter, but while he may have begun his career making folk pottery, he developed a style that was quite unique. While still being functional, his pottery is beautiful enough to be displayed as art. He sold to his neighbors, as well as to people throughout the country. Both

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and Sir John Wedgwood visited him in his studio and purchased several sets of pottery from him. Gordy not only had his own signature style of pottery, but also created his own blend of clay and exclusive glazes. He was the first Georgian potter to use colors in his glazes.

Awards and legacy

Gordy's pottery has been on display in the

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since 1940. He received the ''Governor's Award in the Arts'' in 1983 and the ''Heritage Award'' from

Bartow County Bartow County is located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,901, up from 100,157 in 2010. The county seat is Cartersville. Traditionally considered part of northwest Georgia, B ...

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lists W. J. Gordy as the "foremost potter in the southeastern United States". This heritage is survived by his grandson, Darrell Adams.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordy, W. J. 1910 births 1993 deaths American potters People from Peachtree City, Georgia People from Cartersville, Georgia Artists from Georgia (U.S. state) United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American ceramists