AFA 18th Anniversary

18th Anniversary 184 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Winter Antiques Show Loan Exhibition Storied Clay African-American Ceramics at the Virginia Museum of fine arts— two recent acquisitions by Susan J. Rawles D espite stark impediments, enslaved African Americans in the antebellum South found means of claiming cultural liberation. Folktales, musical instruments, song and dance crossed the Atlantic to merge with country-born mores in the expression of individual and group identities. Enslaved people also drew on their talents with material goods to demonstrate individuality and self-worth. While opportunities for self- expression by blacksmiths, carpenters, cabinetmakers, and other artisans was often limited by the physical nature of their respective media, quilt and ceramics makers had a freer hand, making them a particularly provocative resource for understanding the past. In the fall of 2017, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts acquired Fig. 1 : Double-handled jug, 1840, David Drake (ca.1800–after 1870), Lewis J. Miles Factory, Horse Creek Valley, Edgefield District, S.C. (active ca. 1830–1879). Stoneware with alkaline glaze. Signed, dated, and inscribed by the artist: “L. Miles Dave”/“January 29 1840”/“Ladys & gentlemens Shoes =/ Sell all you can & nothing you’ll loose!” VMFA; Floyd D. and Anne C. Gottwald Fund and Gift of Dr. and Mrs. John E. Hoar (2017.150).