Meet Wyatt: A Young Potter Making Waves

Recently recognized through the 2026 Scholastic Art Awards, recent R.J. Reynolds High School graduate Wyatt Stebbins’ ceramic work is now featured at The Mint Museum. Charlotte Is Creative was also excited to choose him as this year’s “Biscuit Award Winner” – an annual distinction selected from Scholastic’s Gold and Silvery Key portfolios. But his path into pottery began long before the gallery walls, back when art was something he discovered through family, community and curiosity.

“We never had actual art classes at my elementary school,” Wyatt says. “Instead, parents would come in and do something called Meet the Masters. My mom volunteered for that, so she was really the one who introduced me to art.”

His early exposure wasn’t structured. It was exploratory and evolved with Wyatt trying drawing, painting and whatever creative outlet caught his attention at the moment.

Nothing stuck for long. Until clay.

Building Connections With Clay

Like many young artists, Wyatt experimented widely before discovering the material that truly captured his attention.

“I kept jumping from one thing to another,” he says. “One week it was drawing, the next week watercolor.” Then came pottery.

“I took a class and had the option of doing photography or pottery,” Wyatt says. “I picked pottery.” The experience immediately demanded something different from him.

The constant motion of the pottery wheel is part of what drew him in. Working on the wheel requires attention, patience and a willingness to learn through mistakes. For Wyatt, that challenge became the hook.

Finding Community and Opportunity

Wood firing is a traditional technique that uses massive kilns fueled by wood. The process takes many people and long hours to complete, which naturally builds community among potters.

“It’s something you can’t do yourself,” Wyatt says. “You have to work together to fire these huge kilns.”

Through those firings, Wyatt began meeting artists from across the region and beyond. Potters from different states often know each other through shared kiln experiences. Wyatt noticed something else as well.

“Every time I’ve wood fired, I’ve been the youngest person there by more than a decade.”

Rather than being intimidating, the experience has been encouraging. Older potters have welcomed his curiosity and enthusiasm. Because of these experiences, Wyatt is considering a different route into the ceramics world.

Instead of a traditional degree, he hopes to pursue apprenticeships with working potters. That path will begin with an adventure far from home.

Wyatt was recently accepted into a five-week residency at Driving Creek Pottery in New Zealand. It will be his first time traveling internationally alone.

“Is this what adults feel like?” he says with a laugh.

The Wheel, Pots and Wyatt

The best part of working with clay is being at the wheel, where he can let the creative process take over. Whether he allows his mind to wander or focuses intently on the project, his time at the wheel is important and intentional.

“It’s like the whole world doesn’t exist… Time has a strange way of passing during creative sessions. I’ll look up at the window and suddenly it’s dark outside.”

[EDITOR’S NOTE: We think we’ve all been there before.]

Wyatt’s pieces, as beautiful as they are, are meant to be used. His mugs and jugs may begin as objects of craft, but they gain meaning through everyday life. The most interesting part of pottery isn’t the moment the object leaves the studio but what happens afterward.

“The more you use a pot, the more special it becomes.”

Describing a pottery piece he purchased from another artist, Wyatt says, “The more I use it, the more I notice things about it. I just hope my pots become that for someone else.”

From One Young Potter to Another

For people curious about ceramics but unsure where to start, Wyatt’s advice is refreshingly simple. “Clay is just dirt.”

“If you mess something up,” he says, “it’s not the end of the world. You just grab more dirt and turn it into another pot.” It’s a mindset rooted in experimentation, patience and curiosity.

That approach has already taken him from a beginner’s wheel to an exhibition at The Mint Museum and soon, a kiln in New Zealand. And that’s coming from a potter whose journey with clay began four short years ago.

Not too bad, Wyatt. Not too bad.

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