MESDA Exhibit Features Virginia Stoneware
Anthropology PhD candidate Oliver Mueller-Heubach has co-curated an exhibit at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) in Winston-Salem NC. Scheduled to run from Nov. 6, 2012 through March 31st, 2013, the exhibit, "Kaolin to Claymount: Demystifying James River Valley Stoneware", was co-curated by Robert Hunter, Oliver Mueller-Heubach, and Kurt Russ.
The exhibit uses archaeological kiln waste from past William and Mary excavations and recent site surveys to identify the potters and production sites of surviving salt-glazed stoneware vessels made in the lower James River valley. Stoneware from the region, including that made in Richmond and Petersburg, has a strong following as folk art. The exhibit seeks to restore the often overlooked historical context and social significance of these wares. The project is an outgrowth of ongoing collector interest in the wares and archaeological study, including dissertation research by Oliver Mueller-Heubach.
