Alabama Folk Pottery

February 8—March 29, 2008

Some might concede that the story of Alabama pottery is the story of Alabama itself, reflecting the prevailing cultural influences at work in the state over the last 200 years. Certainly the unique pottery tradition evident in the exhibition, “Alabama Folk Pottery,” reveals a most distinctive identity if we are to consider the creative legacy of the region.

The forty-five objects on exhibit is a smaller version of the show organized by the Birmingham Museum of Art. In both cases, the talents and expertise of Joey Brackner, the guest curator and Director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, a division of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, have been essential. Mr. Brackner has invested more than twenty years in the research of Alabama folk potters culminating in a book titled Alabama Folk Pottery published by The University of Alabama Press. The exhibition and book present a comprehensive overview of Alabama’s traditional pottery. The result is a definitive advance in scholarship in this area.

This exhibition is presented largely according to geography and the families who were so important to the production and innovation of this industry. Tradition and history are at the core of this exhibition because it provides a rare opportunity to see so many exceptional and singular historic Alabama pots. However, the show will also be appreciated for the artistic and visual delight that these extraordinary pieces offer. Though most of the selections are from private collections, there are also pieces from the Birmingham Museum of Art, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA and the Gadsden Museum in Gadsden, AL.