BOARD MEMBERS for the Teapot Museum Project are (from left) Bryan Edwards, Sandy Carter, Betty Huskins, co-vice president Rob Mangum, President John Brady (seated), Project Manager Sarah Ross, co-vice president Charlotte Haynes, LeAnn Gambill, Sara McMillan and Rita Woodruff. Not pictured are Betsy Bethune, secretary treasurer, Nick Bragg and Ruth Summers.

Teapot Museum has new leadership

The Sparta Teapot Museum continues to move forward, including looking in new directions for the future.

The museum had been scheduled to have a groundbreaking this fall, but that has been moved back indefinitely. Organizers say the museum has raised, through grants, pledges, donations and other sources, more than $4 million. However, about $8 million is needed in order to build the facility and various fund-raising efforts continue.

Meanwhile, a new interim director, Sarah Ross, was hired for the museum project. She has a background in museums and education, including a stint working on designs and exhibits for a number of museums.

Earlier the plan to build a larger museum was estimated at nearly $14 million, which led organizers to scale back the project. The scope of the displays for the museum also may change to some degree; although those involved say the overall mission remains the same. To that end, the Teapot Museum board is currently in negotiations with Sonny and Gloria Kamm, whose 10,000-plus-piece teapot collection was the impetus for the museum project's founding. A memorandum of understanding negotiated with Kamm earlier states that the museum will furnish a "high-quality" facility to hold Kamm's collection and that only his teapots will be displayed in the majority (83 percent) of the proposed museum's exhibit area. However, the board is now seeking to possibly broaden the museum's focus.

"We're looking at what going to be in the museum-it may be more than just the Kamm teapots," said recently elected Sparta Teapot Museum Board President John Brady. "We would like to have some things that are more indicative of the area as well as teapots, but teapots will still be the focus. We're looking at several possibilities."

He said the teapots are important because they help set the Sparta museum apart from hundreds of others. "Teapots will be the thing that makes us unique," he said.

Brady said the board has not settled on what types of objects may be included, but is very conscious of trying to choose wisely and make sure the collection of objects displayed matches up well.

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