Furniture Romp and Potter Visit

Investigating furniture at MESDA during the 2011 Summer Institute

 This morning I had the chance to basically be a glorified chaperone for a group of furniture makers who were visiting the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA). It was great to go through the rooms and watch what objects they were attracted to, and be a part of their close inspection of the pieces. I became a part-time guide at MESDA late last fall and really enjoy spending time with the objects, sharing the collection with visitors, and learning from experienced visitors like these furniture makers. It reminded me of my days in the Winterthur Program which sometimes (more often than not) looked like this:

Learning about tea tables, their construction, and identification

 I really enjoy teaching and learning about history and culture through objects. Learning about the manufacture of those objects just makes the whole study even more exciting. Following ceramics, furniture is probably the close second in my material culture interests (and then a close follow-up is glass and textiles). I will have to tell you about my boat building and furniture making experiences some day. Luckily, this morning we did not have anything happen like this:

My reworking of a Lewis Miller print from Pennsylvania with a cupboard being toppled by a bull

 This afternoon I had a lovely excursion to meet up with Dennis Allen from Whistle Creek Pottery at the North Carolina Pottery Center and show him through the exhibition I put together. Some time ago, I had the small-world experience of reading Dennis' blog and then poking around to learn more about him. I noticed his shows were primarily in Southern Ohio (where I grew up) and then saw something about Lebanon, Ohio (where my family is from). Long story short, Dennis is from Lebanon, and it is nice to make a connection with a distant, yet local (to my roots), potter! It was great to walk through the exhibition and talk about my thought processes with developing the exhibition and the various pieces and potters involved. It was also a great chance to get to know Dennis a little more! Thanks, Dennis for visiting!

Dennis Allen at the North Carolina Pottery Center

 I have been wrapping things up in the studio this past week for a firing next weekend. Last-minute glazing and some decoration will take place in the coming days. I also have some minor work on the kiln to complete (just some mortar issues). Here are a few snapshots from the studio this past week:

Finished basket form for this week's 52 Form Project form

Decorated plates and smaller plates