Mark Bassett lives in the Cleveland, Ohio suburb of Lakewood. He teaches full-time at Case Western Reserve University, and operates this website in his spare time. Between 1990 and 2005, he was a regular exhibitor at American art pottery, Art Deco, and quality antiques shows. Nowadays, his travel schedule is restricted primarily to the summer (see below).

Besides selling autographed books and decorative arts by mail through his on-line showcase or at auction through Ebay, Mark exhibits items for sale at a few annual antique shows (esp. American art pottery shows). He is also a popular speaker, and continues to research and write about American art pottery. He also serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of the American Art Pottery Association.

Some of Mark's travel schedule is shown below.
 

SHOW AND TRAVEL SCHEDULE

For ideas about where to stay and other things to do during the annual "pot fest," visit
http://www.zanesville-ohio.com
 

It's always difficult to decide when to arrive in Zanesville and also how long to stay. Regardless of the advertisements you read, and regardless of which website you visit, you can usually win the bet that someone will arrive earlier than you ever expected. Tales of hot deals abound down there!

If you are visiting Zanesville in July 2008, be sure to read about the George Krause Collection of Roseville Pottery!

Check out the May-June 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Art Pottery Association for information on and stories about the great finds you can make during the Pottery Festivals that occur in the Zanesville area every July! (If you're not a member of AAPA, visit http://www.AAPA.info for details about membership, which includes an annual subscription.)

There are several different Pottery Festivals in mid Ohio every July--not just one!

The oldest event is the "Crooksville-Roseville Pottery Festival," which is held at the National Ceramic Museum and Heritage Center.

Another is held at the Comfort Inn (Zanesville), and organized primarily by the McCoy Pottery Collectors Society.

Another is held at the Crooksville (Ohio) High School, and organized by the Hull Pottery Association.

For collectors of such art potteries as Roseville, Weller, or Rookwood, or for those interested in Arts and Crafts-era pottery, contemporary studio pottery, and/or European art pottery, there are at least two additional "festivals."

One is the annually impromptu and unpredictable assortment of buyers and sellers who, every July, gather near the Airport Exit in Zanesville, Ohio and/or in the local antique malls. Some are local entrepreneurs; others are from out of town (or even out of state). Some are primarily collectors; others are primarily dealers. No one monitors these activities, so no one can predict exactly what will happen--nor who will have which rarity for sale--or where! Every year, the chase is on! (The Hull and McCoy groups also participate in "room sales" activities on the dates surrounding their official events.)

Some of the Airport Exit activities are piggybacked onto the convention of a group called "Pottery Lovers," whose recent advertising has attempted to explain both the "room sales" festival and the official "Pottery Lovers Reunion" festival.

* * *

I'll try to explain what went on in 2007, to the best of my ability. Perhaps you can use this information as a guide for 2008:

Sunday, July 15 (morning):  Belhorn Auction Services, LLC., held an Art Pottery Auction at the Vistor's Center, downtown Zanesville.

Sunday, July 15 (evening): McCoy Pottery Collectors Society mixer and auction, Knights of Columbus Hall, Zanesville. Auction conducted by Jeff Koehler.

Monday, July 16: The Pottery Lovers' Hospitality Desk opened at the Ramada Inn. Rooms open, but sales and traffic very spotty. No one set up in parking lot. Some folks left town today to return home, and a few more departed within the next day or so. Meanwhile, additional exhibitors set up in the Holiday Inn for the first time today.

Monday, July 16 (evening): McCoy Pottery Collectors Society banquet and Show and Tell, Comfort Inn, Zanesville.

Tuesday, July 17: PL Show and Tell tonight at the Ramada Inn. Rooms open, but sales and traffic very spotty. No one set up in parking lot. This was my one day to sell pots in my hotel room, so hardly worth the bother--even though I did sell a few choice pieces there! (My most expensive sale was made here today, instead of at the show in Cambridge on the 20th and 21st, which is typical for me.) The theme this year was "My Prized Possession," and WOW--everyone definitely brought out all the stops. Many of these outstanding finds from years gone by were captured in photos (by yours truly and others). Visit the Pottery Lovers website to see them!

Wednesday, July 18: Practically everyone with vintage pottery for sale in the Airport Exit hotels is packing (or already packed) by this afternoon, so shopping in the rooms is officially over. PL Banquet tonight at the Ramada Inn, followed by auction preview. This year's banquet speaker is Keith Knight, who was the financial advisor for some members of the Sam Weller family.

Wednesday, July 18 (evening): City of Zanesville throws an annual event downtown called "A Taste of Zanesville," in which the McCoy Pottery Collectors Society participates.

Thursday, July 19: Set up day for exhibitors participating in the Stoffts' Show and Sale, so practically no room sales are possible. (Pottery Lovers receives a small percentage of the proceeds from the Show and Sale, which is featured in their advertising.)

Thursday, July 19 (evening): Pottery Lovers auction at the Ramada Inn, conducted by Greg Belhorn. While walking around the hotel that evening, I could see that only 2 rooms near the pool (widely considered the prime location at the Ramada Inn) still contained pottery for sale tonight. One exhibitor was packing up tonight, and the other probably planned to do so Friday morning.

Friday, July 20-Saturday, July 21: American Art Pottery Show and Sale, at the Pritchard-Laughlin Convention Center, Cambridge, Ohio. As always, there were exhibitors at the show who had not sold pots previously this year, anywhere in the area. And I myself had an additional 8 boxes of pottery that I did not put out for sale in my room on Tuesday the 17th (my one day of selling this year in the hotel). So there were lots of great goodies to be had--in all price ranges--at the Show. My own sales included 21 items below $100 apiece (in these categories: AMACO, American and European tile, California pottery, Frankoma, French and Dutch pottery, Haeger, Muncie, Red Wing, Roseville, Southern pottery, Weller, and reference books). I also made my second highest sale here on Friday. As far as I can tell, I made absolutely no sales on Saturday--which many exhibitors find typical of this show.

No more room sales this year! With our new treasures, and hopefully a little cash, we all head wistfully home, daydreaming about another year, another festival.

© 2008 Mark Bassett
Updated 6/24/2008