Virtual Lecture “Made in America: Crafting a Southern Identity”
David Drake, Three-Gallon Jug, 1859, alkaline-glazed stoneware, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Bayou Bend Collection, Museum purchase.
Daniel Kurt Ackermann, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
November 15, 2020
Presented by Daniel Kurt Ackermann
Many museums collect and celebrate American-made objects. But what does “American-made” really mean? And how do these objects reflect the development of a unique American—and Southern—identity?
This talk explores iconic Southern objects and the ways immigration, migration, faith, race, and place influenced the creation of American objects and Southern identity. Examples from the Bayou Bend Collection and Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), as well as resources like the MESDA Craftsman Database and William J. Hill Texas Artisans and Artists Archive, tell the story.
Live via Zoom / Sunday, November 15, 4:30 p.m. CST
About the Speaker
Daniel Kurt Ackermann is the chief curator and director of collections at Old Salem Museums & Gardens and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has curated a wide range of exhibitions, including “Black and White All Mix’d Together”: The Hidden Legacy of Enslaved Craftsmen and Our Spirited Ancestors: The Decorative Art of Drink. Ackermann began his career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
About the Carol and Les Ballard Lecture Series
Twice a year, the Carol and Les Ballard Lecture Series presents renowned scholars who speak about interesting aspects of American decorative and fine arts. Admission is free.
Questions? Contact jmilillo@mfah.org or call 713.639.7759
This lecture series is generously endowed by Carol and Les Ballard.