Throngs of pottery connoisseurs and redware faithful attended the 28th annual Stahl's Pottery Festival in Zionsville recently.

Nearly 30 vendors travelled across Pennsylvania and New Jersey to display their craftsmanship. Despite their common trade, a wide array of ceramic selections and styles were showcased. Traditional Pennsylvania Dutch redware, referring to the color of the earthen clay, predominate the festival. While many pieces emulate the signature look of early 20th-century pottery, designs are distinctly modern.

"We do traditional Pennsylvania redware, what we don't do anything that is a reproduction," Bob Hughes, of River Rat Pottery in Conestoga, explained. "We're always adapting ideas from either historical pieces any kind of American folklore, textiles, but we try to look at stuff from 1700-1800s time period and embed it in redware, so even though it's a new idea it still looks old."

Many vendors deviated from the traditional redware, however. Kissimmee River Pottery exhibited a selection favored in western parts of the United States: personalized pots with animal hair textures seared into ceramics utilizing a process called quartz inversion, rendering a popular item among the cross-demographic of animal and pottery enthusiasts. While horsehair is the most common and aesthetically-pleasing request, craftsman John Fulwood has also received request for custom pots made from dog, cat, rabbit, goat and pig hair.

"It's connected to Native American culture and people come into my studio and say, 'Oh, I've gotten one of these out in Arizona," Fulwood said. "And Jersey, there are a lot of horses in New Jersey, so it's pretty popular. It's gaining in popularity on the east coast."

The proceeds from the festival benefit the Stahl's Pottery Preservation Society.