Virtual auction paddles flew up to bid on teapots and jars during the Durham Arts Council’s month-long “Creative Clay: Works By Skip Cunningham” fundraiser.

From Jan. 15 to Feb. 17, people browsed 25 clay objects crafted by Sylvia “Skip” Cunningham, a New York-born artist who settled in Durham, North Carolina. When Cunningham died in 2023, her son donated a body of work from her estate to the Durham Arts Council, known as the DAC.

The auction raised $1635 after being open for a month on the DAC website. Laura Montgomery, the Director of Development and Communications for the DAC, said the studio plans to use the money from the auction to maintain and update the Clay Studio, where Cunningham dedicated decades of her life as a student, studio assistant and supporter.

“Our clay classes are one of the most sought-after classes,” Montgomery said. “We always have waiting lists, and so our hope is that we can use these funds that we’re raising to possibly expand, but also to maintain our kilns and our spaces down below.”

The Clay Studio uses two kilns in its location at the main DAC building in Durham, but the DAC has plans to grow bigger someday, Montgomery said.

“Clay kind of requires some extra maintenance, and we want to keep our clay studios in top-notch condition and top-notch state, so all of our students can really enjoy the space down there,” Montgomery said.

Lee Jones, the Clay Studio Coordinator, was a student when she met Cunningham, who was a studio assistant at the studio’s former Tobacco Warehouse location.

“That’s how I got to know her and appreciate her art,” Jones said. “We became friends, so I was able to go by her house and see all her beautiful artwork she collected.”

Jones grew to know Cunningham personally and spoke fondly in an interview about her creativity and techniques.

“She was an inspiration to watch,” Jones said. “She was very calm, methodical. She, of course, over the years, has learned ways to do things easier, better, quicker, more efficiently and more beautifully.”

Jones said Cunningham was always willing to stop and talk to other artists, offer advice or just get to know them. Cunningham also taught Jones about patience, inspiration and support.

“Bringing in your surroundings, as far as creating what works, what speaks to you,” Jones said. “Her travels and her family, all of that, you know, was reflected in her work.”

Cunningham constantly searched for other artists’ pieces to add to her collection, Jones said. She often attended CenterFest, Durham’s annual fine arts festival, to meet up-and-coming artists. 

Although she did not know Cunningham, Montgomery said she learned a significant amount about the artist and her work through organizing the auction. She particularly enjoyed witnessing the variety in Cunningham’s work.

“She has some really whimsical kind of pieces,” Montgomery said. “She has pieces that are extremely ornate. She has pieces that are really modern.”

Along with exploring Cunningham’s extensive pottery collection, Montgomery said she learned more about the close-knit pottery community in Durham. During the auction, Montgomery received handwritten notes from friends and former classmates of Cunningham’s who bid on her pieces, sharing their appreciation for the artist.

“It’s been nice to see that community really just coming together to celebrate the impact that the arts can have,” Montgomery said. “This practice and her artwork really helped to ground her and center her wherever she was.”

One woman who bid on several pieces of artwork told Montgomery that she also purchased Cunningham’s former house, deepening the tie between Cunningham and the DAC.

“I thought that was really nice and lovely,” Montgomery said. “Some of Skip’s pieces are actually going to be on display in her old home.”

Along with bringing the Durham pottery community together, the “Creative Clay” auction paid homage to a space Cunningham loved and frequently donated to, Jones said.

“I think it’s a great way to highlight the fact that she wanted the Arts Council to very much succeed, and provide these opportunities for people that are interested in the pottery,” Jones said. “It was such a part of her and a way to express herself.”

Jones said she hopes Cunningham’s work and story remind people in the Durham community that art is not only fun, but important, too.

“It can express everything from whimsy to very serious feelings,” Jones said.

Montgomery said the DAC has close to 140 pieces of Cunningham’s art and plans to auction more of her work in the future, to raise further money for the Clay Studio. Montgomery hopes that people in Durham use the past and future auctions to recognize art as a means to bring people together.

“The Arts Council is kind of a cultural hub and it’s a place where people can come to make art, to express themselves, to enjoy all the well-being benefits,” Montgomery said. “But, most of that is a place for the community to connect. “Skip was a wonderful example of just being really engaged in her community.”

Cunningham’s kindness and creativity carried over from her work to the people she surrounded herself with, Montgomery said.

“She seems like somebody that you could not fit into a box, just from the variety of things that she was interested in, in her work,” Montgomery said. “It just seemed like she was a curious person and a person who would just explore any kind of path that was interesting to her.”

Alongside her vast interests and unique artwork, Cunningham’s friends remember her for her positivity and the way she carried herself, Jones said.

“She had a lovely sense of humor and was just a joy to learn from and be around,” Jones said. “It was very encouraging. I really miss her a lot.”