“Mornings start with hot tea or coffee. It is the best way to feel fresh and give a kick-start to a busy day. You might be a coffee-lover or tea fanatic; your cup gets the attention. Have you felt that drinking from your own mugs adds to the flavor? Yes, more than sixty percent of people are emotionally attached to their mugs. Sipping the hot beverage from your mug is what you choose to crave,” according to elementary.com.
Many of us have a favorite mug. One of the unwritten rules in offices is to not use or touch another person’s mug. Bring your own mug or use a plastic cup. Cape Fear Studios is exploring this idea with "The Mug" exhibit. The Cape Fear Studios Mug Exhibit opened April 26 and runs to May 21. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free
“The first mugs were made of bone during the Neolithic Stone Age. Japan and China crafted pottery mugs in 10,000 BCE. Just ask the Greeks, they made clay mugs back in 4000-5000 BCE,” said Gareth Parkins.
What is the origin of the name mug? Mug is associated with human face and head. Ceramic mugs are a common choice. Mugs can be produced in bronze, gold, lead, and silver. Clay was not workable for the Greeks.
“Clay mugs proved too thick to fit into the mouth,” said Gareth Parkins.
“Mugs are physical links to memory. According to research, mug shape and color play a role in our perception of coffee taste and smell. A 2014 survey presents the finding that sipping coffee out of a white mug boosted its intensity and taste as compared to glass mug,” said Alexandria Brooks.
Why do we love our mugs? Nostalgia, comfort, warmth, stressbusting and relaxation are several reasons.
Jill Dieffenbach, Curator of Cape Fear Studios, shares “We are hoping to show how an ordinary vessel, The Mug, can be elevated by each potter’s creativity and skill into a piece of art enriching the life of its owner. The way it fits the users’ hand as they drink their morning tea or coffee, and the joy that comes from the way the decoration has been applied to the surface, turns an ordinary vessel into an artistic experience. We feel this work will illustrate the joy and importance of ‘The Mug.’”
The artists exhibiting their work include Leah Leitson, Mark Hewett, Tammy Josephson, Ray Im and Gay Smith Bakersfield.
Mugs can be an obsession, a reflection of our personal identity, awareness, wisdom, and living in the present moment. Mugs can be a contributing vessel in our process to make sense of our lives.
“Art is not what you see but what you make others see,” according to the Pinterest website. When we purchase a mug from an artist, we have a shared moment of creation, our memory, and the soul of the artist. Immerse yourself in the art encounter of “The Mug” exhibit at Cape Fear Studios. Contact information for “The Mug” exhibit is the Cape Fear Studios website www.capefearstudios.com, or by phone at 910-433-2986.

(Photo: One of the mugs in the exhibit at Cape Fear Studios.)