The urns are huge and hand made and there’s only one way to get the chance to have them.

And that goes for the paintings, too, all made by local youngsters and professional artists Tommy Moorehead and Russell Everett during Arts Camp this summer.

The pieces will be up for auction during the museum’s first Southern Soiree, set for Thursday, Sept 16 starting at 6 p.m. at Heritage Hall Museum.

To have the chance to bid on the art, as well as enjoy the evening of live entertainment, art and great food, all it takes is becoming a Heritage Hall Museum member.

“This event is one to thank our current members and to urge others to join in and support our museum,” Moorehead said. “We think everyone will be impressed with the quality of art we have for the auction and want to have the chance to own it.”

The pottery pieces are made from red Tennessee clay, all put together using the coil method of rolling out lengths of clay and forming them by hand into their various shapes.

Once the piece is formed, the artists and student assistants for Arts Camp decorated them with imprints and fluting, some pinched into shape with fingers and others decorated by using an implement.

The urns are made so they can be used as planters, drain holes have been cut into their design.

“There are perfect for using outdoors,” Moorehead said, who supervised the pottery project. “And they can hold large plants or even trees.”

There are about a dozen urns in the collection of pottery for the auction.

There was a special urn made during a session of Arts Camp, presented to the family of the late Callie Wright, whose friends and family formed the organization “Callie’s Kids” in her honor to offer Arts Camp for youngsters whose families couldn’t pay the tuition for camp.

The urn was presented to Wright’s family as a way of thanking them for the camp, and was decorated with clay pieces the youngsters made.

The piece will be displayed during the event.

The paintings, overseen by Everett, include an assortment of large canvas paintings, which he and Arts Camp assistants produced.

A pair of happy gila monsters is placed on one canvas, painted head to tail in patterns of bright dots and there’s a pair of hydrangeas, one bunch green, the other blue, ready to hang in almost any décor and lots of large paintings done with youngsters in mind.

All items in the auction will be offered using the silent auction method, and those who attend and bid on the art don’t have to stay the entire evening to claim their pieces, Moorehead said.

Entertainment will be from accordion player Lynwood French and friends, The Lizard Scrape Mountain Playboys, who will play a variety of folk favorites and bluegrass along with some classic country selections.

Food for the occasion will be catered by Polly Mitchell, owner of Café Royale in Talladega, the Stemley Road Chevron deli and Lunch in Pell City.

Individual membership in the museum is $25 a year, family membership is $35, business membership is $100 and corporate membership, $500. Student memberships are available for $15.

Members of the museum receive notice and invitations to receptions for exhibiting artists, become part of the network of museums across the country participating in the North American Reciprocal Museum Association which provides discounts and special offers in cities throughout the country at museums that include Atlanta’s High Museum of Art; the Kentuck Museum in Northport, Ala.; and the Birmingham Museum of Art; among hundreds of other museums.

Members also receive a 10 percent discount on items in the museum’s new gift shop. The shop offers pieces of local art ranging from pottery to jewelry, along with photographs, glass art and books.

Those who wish to join the museum may do so at the auction event. There will be a membership table set up to welcome new members, Moorehead said.

Benefits to membership also include knowing you’re part of a group of people supporting an impressive variety of arts opportunities in the community, Moorehead said.

“Most cities our size don’t have what we have here,” he said. “We have had national touring exhibits, hosted exhibits for internationally reputed artists and our permanent collection is an outstanding one to be very proud of.”