Woods Hole Public Library Pottery Raffle

For more than twenty years, the Woods Hole Public Library has been fortunate to receive pottery from their favorite local potters to raffle in an effort to raise funds for the Library’s operations. This year’s raffle features six unique offerings from five talented and generous local potters. The public eagerly awaits this opportunity to win a piece of local art, and simultaneously support their local library.

This year the featured potters are Ann Newbury, Susan Nowogrodzki, Anne Halpin, Tessa Morgan, and Anju Rajani. All are avid users and supporters of the Library. Considering the geographical closeness of their studios, the craftsmen’s styles are surprisingly different.

Ann Newbury’s work is strong, traditional, functional, and beautiful. This year she has generously donated two unique pieces to the raffles. One is a large footed bowl, glazed with marine hues of blue and green. The other is a vase with three separate compartments for holding seasonal stems from the garden that each connect into a bowl at the bottom for holding water.

Anne Halpin’s pieces are also traditional, with a graceful touch. This year she has donated a beautiful set of three nesting bowls featuring a striking lavender glaze that transitions from an ethereal hint of color at the top to a rich depth at the base. The set is elegant, yet useful.

Susan Nowogrodzki, who spends several months in Woods Hole every year, and sells most of her pieces in her winter home of New York, has donated a whimsical tile painted with a playful fox surrounded with a unique handmade wooden frame.

Tessa Morgan specializes in “sgraffito,” in which she creates an image by carving away the surrounding surface, leaving it unglazed. This year she has donated a lamp adorned with a school of fish swimming around its base amid a sea of gorgeous blue glaze.

Last, but certainly not least, Anju Rajani has donated an oblong serving platter, with an eye-catching graphic flower design which would be at home on both a modern and classic table.

All the pottery is on view at the Library and also on the Library’s website www.woodsholepubliclibrary.org. Tickets for the raffle, which are $2 for one ticket and $5 for three tickets, are available at the Library at 581 Woods Hole Road. Drawing of the winning tickets will be held on December 11. The Library encourages the public to visit these generous artists at their studios, and support them, just as the potters have done for the Library.