Current Exhibit

Rising in Fire brings together the work of 14 accomplished Georgia artists who are carrying forward the demanding and dynamic tradition of wood-fired ceramics. The featured potters include: Allen Gee, Liz Bloodgood, Esther Mech, Geoff Pickett, Joel Huff, Jon Brinley, Kyle Jones, Linda Suskin, Rebecca Wood, Rick Berman, Roger Jamison, Ron Meyers, Stephen Hawks, and Zuzka Vaclavik.

The exhibit highlights the wide range of wood-firing techniques practiced across the state, from Japanese-inspired Anagama and Noborigama kilns to the regional Tunnel and Groundhog kilns that have long defined pottery traditions in the American South. Alongside the ceramic works themselves, educational panels will help visitors understand the unique processes, kiln designs, and elemental forces—earth, fire, and air—that shape each piece.

“Wood-firing is both an ancient and an evolving art,” said Emily DeFoor, Museum Director. “This exhibit celebrates the skill, experimentation, and resilience of contemporary Georgia potters who continue to rise to the challenge of this demanding process, producing works of incredible depth, character, and beauty.”

Face Jugs: Where Did They Come From? is curated by folklorist Dr. John Burrison, who has taught at Georgia State University for 60 years and serves as the Museum’s curator. The exhibition examines the cultural threads behind Southern face vessels, highlighting connections to African and German ceramic traditions and the important role of Edgefield, South Carolina, in shaping the form in the 19th century.

Face jugs became widely known in the 1960s and 1970s through Mossy Creek potter Lanier Meaders, but their story begins much earlier. From Edgefield, the tradition moved into Northeast Georgia, where generations of potters adapted and sustained it, making the face jug a defining feature of the region’s pottery heritage.

Drawing from the Museum’s permanent collection, including works rarely on display, the exhibition invites visitors to consider how ideas travel, change, and take root in new communities.

Thank you to our Exhibit Sponsor

Opening Reception

April 3rd 5:30-7:30