About Our Artisans
Chris is a soap maker, working each day at By Nature Soap, producing handmade soaps and other personal care products. Chris is an exceptional young man. Like most young people these days Chris is constantly looking for new challenges, enjoys working on his computer, and likes to have fun. What makes Chris unique is that because he has physical and mental challenges he requires a bit of assistance in his daily life. Chris is one of some 300 men and women who have developmental disabilities and live at O’Berry Center in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
O’Berry Neuro-Medical Treatment Center, a part of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is a cluster of group homes serving the needs of people with a wide range of physical and mental challenges. In addition to providing all the services you would expect, O’Berry also offers to those who live here the opportunity to participate in a variety of Creative Enterprises that offer meaningful activities. “Being creative and active is a vital and important part of every person’s life,” explained Deborah Exum, Center Director at O’Berry. “We know that personal satisfaction and the sense of accomplishment derived from completing a task is important to all of us. That is our challenge, to provide meaningful activities to all our residents who choose to participate,” added Exum. “The principle difference between our Creative Enterprises and traditional creative arts programs is that participants are compensated and we sell our completed products. The proceeds from our sales allow us to reinvest constantly in our various enterprises and expand opportunities”.
By Nature Soap is one of the main Creative Enterprises for those at O’Berry Center. The soapworks produces very high quality handmade organic soaps, lotions, butters, and balms. “All our products use the finest quality oils, butters, botanicals, and essential oils from all around the world,” said Phyllis Ezzell, the Soapworks manager. “We search the world to find only the best, pure certified organic ingredients. They cost substantially more but, because our mission is to provide opportunities not large profits, we can still offer our products at very competitive prices,” Ezzell said. By Nature Soap offers more than forty different kinds of soap, lip balm, body butter moisturizers, lotions, bath salts and scrubs, all of which have one thing in common. “All our products use natural ingredients and contain no chemicals, additives, petroleum products, artificial ingredients, preservatives, or fillers,” added Ezzell. “Our products are 100% pure, mild and hypoallergenic.”
In the Soapworks are a number of people completing various task. Walking through you will see Linda, mixing ingredients for soap or lip balms under the watchful eye of Ezzell who mentors her work. After the soap is poured into molds, Chris, Paul, and others begin the process of cutting the bars, grading the various soaps, and packaging the products into their individual containers. Mary and her co-workers complete the packaging process by labeling each product. Each day the products to be made change, so do the jobs performed by the various individuals.
Anita Smith along with Randy Wright guides the pottery studio. “North Carolina has a long tradition in pottery as exampled by the world wide reputation of the Seagrove area known as the pottery capital of America. We use only native North Carolina clay and our work is hand thrown on the potter’s wheel, made on our slab rollers, or extruded,” Smith said. “We use all the traditional methods of throwing, coil pottery, and slab building.” After drying, the clay is fired in the studio’s kiln to 1850 degrees for the first, or bisque, firing. Various artisans then apply glaze and the items are fired to their final temperature of 2350 degrees producing durable high quality stoneware. There are a wide variety of task performed by the individuals in the studio. They include preparing and weighing the clay, operating the slab roll or extruder, and glazing the bisque. “Our pottery mentors guide the creative process,” Smith added, “we use techniques that are specific to the needs of each individual. With some who work on the wheel, we use a hand over hand process that assists them in forming the item”.
Others can work independently through a particular phase of creating an individual item. Most of the items produced in the pottery studio are utilitarian in nature. The pottery makes a variety of strong sturdy mugs, plates, bowls, and vases, in addition to other items that are more just for fun such as their character jugs and pots.
“Our pottery has been really well received. We have had pieces purchased by knowledgeable private collectors and other items that have gone into public spaces”, noted Spiron. “We were especially pleased to be asked by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to provide lamps and other pieces of pottery for the main reception area at the division headquarters in Raleigh”.
“The accomplishments of the individuals who work in the pottery with their mentors has been an exciting process for all of us”, continued Spiron. “One of our greatest honors was to be contacted by the Governor’s office after work by our individuals was shown to officials in Raleigh. The Executive Director of the North Carolina State Service Commissions, William Lindsay, would be attending the National Association of State Service Commissions annual meeting in Seattle, Washington. Each State Director was asked to bring a product representational of their home state. The Governors office chose to provide a piece of pottery since North Carolina has such a rich heritage in hand thrown pottery. The piece chosen was made here at O’Berry in our own Artisan Studio”.
“We are very proud of the soap and personal care products we are making,” noted Charles Spiron, Business Manager for the Creative Enterprise Group that markets their products through Berry Towne Crafts. “But, the Soapworks is only one of nearly a dozen Creative Enterprises that provide options for the individuals living here.” Other artisan areas include pottery and woodworking studios, a custom printing shop specializing in note pads, and a specialty foods program where we prepare a full line of snack foods built around fresh local pecans and peanuts. “We are fortunate to have dozens of mature pecan trees on our campus that we harvest annually. Recently we expanded into peanut products when we began a relationship with a local peanut grower. We have more that twenty items sold under the brand ‘The Old Log Cabin Mercantile’, everything from roasted in the shell peanuts to chocolate covered pecans”, added Spiron. “We want everyone to know that when they buy from us they are getting ‘Handmade from North Carolina”.
“As our businesses expanded, we identified the need to provide an enhanced shopping experience to better showcase the exceptional work of our individuals”, added Barbara Doerter, Coordinator for the Creative Enterprises Group. “We have recently moved into our new retail shop. Berry Towne Crafts has constructed a 1600 square foot old fashioned hand hewn and chinked log cabin in keeping with our traditional crafts. The cabin was a long time dream of our Center Director, Dr. Frank Farrell, now retired, and became a reality because of his leadership”, Doerter said. “We are so pleased with the support we get from our Center Director, Ms. Deborah Exum, as well as the public who visit our store and shop online,” Doerter continued. “When people buy our products, they are ensuring our continued success and enabling us to expand our Creative Enterprises and the opportunities we can offer to the people we serve. We all work for one common purpose, to offer meaningful, life enriching creative opportunities grounded in fun and expressive activities”.
O’Berry Neuro-Medical Treatment Center, a part of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is a cluster of group homes serving the needs of people with a wide range of physical and mental challenges. In addition to providing all the services you would expect, O’Berry also offers to those who live here the opportunity to participate in a variety of Creative Enterprises that offer meaningful activities. “Being creative and active is a vital and important part of every person’s life,” explained Deborah Exum, Center Director at O’Berry. “We know that personal satisfaction and the sense of accomplishment derived from completing a task is important to all of us. That is our challenge, to provide meaningful activities to all our residents who choose to participate,” added Exum. “The principle difference between our Creative Enterprises and traditional creative arts programs is that participants are compensated and we sell our completed products. The proceeds from our sales allow us to reinvest constantly in our various enterprises and expand opportunities”.
By Nature Soap is one of the main Creative Enterprises for those at O’Berry Center. The soapworks produces very high quality handmade organic soaps, lotions, butters, and balms. “All our products use the finest quality oils, butters, botanicals, and essential oils from all around the world,” said Phyllis Ezzell, the Soapworks manager. “We search the world to find only the best, pure certified organic ingredients. They cost substantially more but, because our mission is to provide opportunities not large profits, we can still offer our products at very competitive prices,” Ezzell said. By Nature Soap offers more than forty different kinds of soap, lip balm, body butter moisturizers, lotions, bath salts and scrubs, all of which have one thing in common. “All our products use natural ingredients and contain no chemicals, additives, petroleum products, artificial ingredients, preservatives, or fillers,” added Ezzell. “Our products are 100% pure, mild and hypoallergenic.”
In the Soapworks are a number of people completing various task. Walking through you will see Linda, mixing ingredients for soap or lip balms under the watchful eye of Ezzell who mentors her work. After the soap is poured into molds, Chris, Paul, and others begin the process of cutting the bars, grading the various soaps, and packaging the products into their individual containers. Mary and her co-workers complete the packaging process by labeling each product. Each day the products to be made change, so do the jobs performed by the various individuals.
Anita Smith along with Randy Wright guides the pottery studio. “North Carolina has a long tradition in pottery as exampled by the world wide reputation of the Seagrove area known as the pottery capital of America. We use only native North Carolina clay and our work is hand thrown on the potter’s wheel, made on our slab rollers, or extruded,” Smith said. “We use all the traditional methods of throwing, coil pottery, and slab building.” After drying, the clay is fired in the studio’s kiln to 1850 degrees for the first, or bisque, firing. Various artisans then apply glaze and the items are fired to their final temperature of 2350 degrees producing durable high quality stoneware. There are a wide variety of task performed by the individuals in the studio. They include preparing and weighing the clay, operating the slab roll or extruder, and glazing the bisque. “Our pottery mentors guide the creative process,” Smith added, “we use techniques that are specific to the needs of each individual. With some who work on the wheel, we use a hand over hand process that assists them in forming the item”.
Others can work independently through a particular phase of creating an individual item. Most of the items produced in the pottery studio are utilitarian in nature. The pottery makes a variety of strong sturdy mugs, plates, bowls, and vases, in addition to other items that are more just for fun such as their character jugs and pots.
“Our pottery has been really well received. We have had pieces purchased by knowledgeable private collectors and other items that have gone into public spaces”, noted Spiron. “We were especially pleased to be asked by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to provide lamps and other pieces of pottery for the main reception area at the division headquarters in Raleigh”.
“The accomplishments of the individuals who work in the pottery with their mentors has been an exciting process for all of us”, continued Spiron. “One of our greatest honors was to be contacted by the Governor’s office after work by our individuals was shown to officials in Raleigh. The Executive Director of the North Carolina State Service Commissions, William Lindsay, would be attending the National Association of State Service Commissions annual meeting in Seattle, Washington. Each State Director was asked to bring a product representational of their home state. The Governors office chose to provide a piece of pottery since North Carolina has such a rich heritage in hand thrown pottery. The piece chosen was made here at O’Berry in our own Artisan Studio”.
“We are very proud of the soap and personal care products we are making,” noted Charles Spiron, Business Manager for the Creative Enterprise Group that markets their products through Berry Towne Crafts. “But, the Soapworks is only one of nearly a dozen Creative Enterprises that provide options for the individuals living here.” Other artisan areas include pottery and woodworking studios, a custom printing shop specializing in note pads, and a specialty foods program where we prepare a full line of snack foods built around fresh local pecans and peanuts. “We are fortunate to have dozens of mature pecan trees on our campus that we harvest annually. Recently we expanded into peanut products when we began a relationship with a local peanut grower. We have more that twenty items sold under the brand ‘The Old Log Cabin Mercantile’, everything from roasted in the shell peanuts to chocolate covered pecans”, added Spiron. “We want everyone to know that when they buy from us they are getting ‘Handmade from North Carolina”.
“As our businesses expanded, we identified the need to provide an enhanced shopping experience to better showcase the exceptional work of our individuals”, added Barbara Doerter, Coordinator for the Creative Enterprises Group. “We have recently moved into our new retail shop. Berry Towne Crafts has constructed a 1600 square foot old fashioned hand hewn and chinked log cabin in keeping with our traditional crafts. The cabin was a long time dream of our Center Director, Dr. Frank Farrell, now retired, and became a reality because of his leadership”, Doerter said. “We are so pleased with the support we get from our Center Director, Ms. Deborah Exum, as well as the public who visit our store and shop online,” Doerter continued. “When people buy our products, they are ensuring our continued success and enabling us to expand our Creative Enterprises and the opportunities we can offer to the people we serve. We all work for one common purpose, to offer meaningful, life enriching creative opportunities grounded in fun and expressive activities”.
Berry Towne Crafts: Exceptional People - Exceptional Work
