08/08/2026
A well written post. It’s nice to be recognized!
Made in Waxhaw: The Potter Whose Work Reached the Smithsonian
Waxhaw’s artistic history is not limited to painters and photographers. One of the town’s best-known modern craftsmen is potter Bill Stewart, whose work helped make Waxhaw a destination for handmade pottery and fine craft.
Stewart moved to the Charlotte area in the 1970s and studied ceramics at UNC Charlotte. In 1980, he and his wife, Holly, began Stewart’s Stoneware and Porcelain, eventually establishing a gallery and pottery studio in Waxhaw.
From that Waxhaw studio, Stewart created functional stoneware and porcelain that found an audience far beyond Union County. His pottery was carried by galleries and museum shops across the country, including the Smithsonian Museum Shop in Washington, D.C.
His influence also reached another generation of artists. Potter Nathan Mays later credited Stewart as one of the master potters under whom he apprenticed, showing how Waxhaw became not only a place where pottery was sold, but also where the craft was taught and passed on.
Even part of Waxhaw’s modern downtown story connects to Stewart. The building that later became home to Waxhaw Tap House was originally constructed in 1993 as his pottery studio.
Today, Stewart’s story is an important reminder that Waxhaw’s history continued to be shaped by artists and craftsmen well into the modern era. From clay worked by hand in a Waxhaw studio to pieces displayed and sold through nationally recognized institutions, Bill Stewart helped place a small Southern town within a much larger American pottery tradition.
Learn More: https://stewartsvillagegallery.com
