Adrienne Spinozzi: Retelling History—A New Look at Stoneware from Edgefield, South Carolina

Adrienne Spinozzi, Assistant Research Curator of American Decorative Arts in the American Wing, is currently engaged in research and exhibition development for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s upcoming show, Stories in Clay: Stoneware from Old Edgefield District, South Carolina (scheduled to open February 2022).

This exhibition will present new interpretations of Edgefield stoneware with a focus on the enslaved African Americans whose labor enabled this industry to prosper in the nineteenth-century American South. It will highlight a range of utilitarian forms produced and used throughout the region—from the large plantation storage jars bearing verses by enslaved potter and poet David Drake and the ubiquitous functional wares of everyday life to the face vessels that continue to fascinate and confound scholars and collectors alike. Adrienne will share some of the challenges and opportunities of the project including some of her research efforts and goals for the exhibition.

Tickets must be purchased by noon of the day of the event.

Please Note: All times are Eastern Standard. An email with login instructions will be sent to all participants prior to the event.