Earth Bound, The Monumental work of David Drake

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center announces upcoming exhibition; Earth Bound, The Monumental work of David Drake - In conjunction with a solo installation by Zipporah Camille Thompson

EARTH BOUND @ THE MADISON MORGAN CULTURAL CENTER - MAY 5 - JULY 16, 2022

EARTH BOUND brings new light to the life and work of artist David Drake, the enslaved African-American whose works of pottery from the mid-1800's are now sought world-wide by museums and collectors. An accomplished potter who worked on an unusually large scale, Drake learned to read and write in a place and time when literacy for a slave was considered a crime. And yet with daring and resilience -- perhaps a form of resistance? -- Drake often signed his works, frequently adding brief poetic couplets which evoked the rhythms of his daily life. 

Over the years, four of these jars have found their way to Madison, Georgia -- one in the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center's permanent collection; three others are in private homes. For the first time, they will be brought together and celebrated not only for their enduring beauty, but also honored for their complex cultural and artistic legacies. 

A second gallery installation of EARTH BOUND features work by contemporary artist Zipporah Camille Thompson.  Thompson is a ceramist, weaver, and sculptor who lives and works in Atlanta.  Her work fuses old and new, referencing ancient cultures and millennial predilections. Her goal is to invest mundane objects with “sympathetic magic,” an undefined but sensed presence that is embodied in the work. To place Thompson’s work in exhibition with David Drake is to draw a connection between two makers who belong to very different worlds but who both sought to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary.

EARTH BOUND is curated by Teresa Bramlette Reeves, Ph.D. and Clare Wolfe

EARTH BOUND OUTREACH

After two unsettling years of isolation and loss, this exhibition also endeavors to foster conversation and re-connection within our community. The confluence of the devastating effects of the pandemic, civil unrest across the United States, the impending loss of  thousands of acres of Morgan County's open land to industrial development, and the recent deaths of many of our beloved local citizens have bruised our collective spirit. EARTH BOUND's outreach programming, a series of pop-up events, will serve as an opportunity to gather once again and re-discover the joy and healing to be found in art and community.

EARTH BOUND Opening Reception @ MMCC

Thursday, May 5, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

A Community Conversation: “Stirring the Pot: Embracing Discomfort” - Saturday, June 11th 3:30-5PM - MMCC Auditorium - A community conversation featuring EARTH BOUND artist Zipporah Camille Thompson, Scholar T.K. Smith, and exhibit co-curator Teresa Bramlette Reeves.

Metta Loving Kindness Meditation Circle - Saturday, June 18th 3:30-4:30PM

Memory Jug Workshop/Make & Take - Saturday, July 9th 2:00-3:30PM - Space is limited - Registration required. Register HERE

Memory Jug Workshop/Make & Take - Saturday, July 16th 2:00-3:30PM Space limited - Registration required. Register HERE

Free Admission to the Center on Saturdays now through July 16th! Thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Madison Club for making this possible and supporting our objective to provide accessible educational opportunities to our guests through EARTH BOUND.

For EARTH BOUND pop-up programming, visit: mmcc-arts.org/event-list

Watch the Dave Drake Museum Highlight Video HERE