On April 25, 1998, historians, collectors, literary scholars, and students met at McKissick Museum on the University of South Carolina’s campus to learn more about the life of the enslaved potter, David “Dave” Drake (ca. 1801- after 1870). The all-day symposium was the first academic forum to discuss not only the pottery of Drake but the political, cultural, and religious environment that shared this poet and master potter. The exhibit, also organized by McKissick Museum, examined Drake’s work as a turner in the pottery factories in Edgefield, South Carolina, for over thirty years. During his prolific career, he produced an array of enormous storage jars, jugs, churns, and pitchers. Used for food storage and food processing on South Carolina farms and plantations, these items held an additional value for their owners: on many of Dave’s ware are incised poetic verses and/or his signature and date. This catalog accompanied the exhibit and includes a full discussion of recent findings along with other essays that contribute to knowledge of Dave Drake and his world.
