Join the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts as they celebrate the decorative arts of Atlanta and Georgia’s Lower Southern Piedmont. The conference will offer an unparalleled opportunity to get behind-the-scenes looks of local sites and exhibits, with a reception and conference sessions held in Midtown and Buckhead Atlanta. Special themed rambles will give you an up-close and personal look at rarely-viewed private collections and homes, while lectures will provide the latest in decorative arts and material culture research. Georgia’s decorative arts have never looked better–and now it is time to celebrate and enjoy the architecture, landscape, and material culture of the Lower Southern Piedmont.
Rambles
Join us on an exclusive journey into the heart of the Georgia Piedmont. Home to the University of Georgia, Athens is more than just the Georgia Bulldogs. We will enjoy exclusive access to some of Athen’s most important architectural and cultural treasures in the company of legendary Georgia scholar Dale Couch and MESDA’s Chief Curator Daniel Ackermann. In addition to visiting some of Athen’s oldest and most distinguished private residences, we will also explore the new Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum at the State Botanical Garden at the University of Georgia, and enjoy culinary delights provided by a legendary Athens caterer, preservationist, and bon vivant. Our time will conclude with a Georgia supper hosted amid one of the region’s best collections of Georgia and southern decorative arts.
Atlanta is home to some of the most important public and private collections of decorative arts made below the Mason Dixon Line. Our day will begin with a rare tour of an exceptional private collection of southern ceramics, maps, and furniture. Afterward, we’ll indulge in lunch at the prestigious Piedmont Driving Club, savoring a taste of Southern hospitality. Our day will conclude at the High Museum of Art where Curator Monica Obniski will take participants on a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s famed decorative arts collection, and Metropolitan Museum of Art Curator Adrienne Spinozzi will lead a special tour of Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield.
Immerse yourself in Atlanta’s rich history and culture during this wide ranging exploration of southern objects and landscapes with experts from the Atlanta History Center. We’ll explore much of the History Center’s extensive collection of Georgia decorative arts with an intensive collections tour focused on textiles and furniture. After lunch in the gardens, we’ll visit the Shaping Traditions folklife exhibit with Guest Curator Dr. John Burrison to learn more about folk art’s southern forms and influences. Then join us for a tour of Goizueta Gardens, a 33 acre expanse in the heart of Atlanta, with Sarah Carter, the History Center’s VP of Gardens. We’ll learn about Georgia’s collection of native plants, and the various landscapes that are integral to the city’s history to close out the day.