Milwaukee Art Museum Returns David Drake Ceramics To Descendants

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The Milwaukee Art Museum on September 9 transferred two stoneware vessels created by enslaved potter David Drake to his living relatives. The Chipstone Foundation had donated the pots to the museum earlier in the year.

This marks the third such return to the Potter Legacy Trust, an LLC established by Drake's family, since its inception. The first occurred in 2025 with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, followed by the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens this past July, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

After the transfer, the Milwaukee Art Museum purchased one of the vessels back from the trust. Drake's descendants will retain ownership of the second pot, which they are lending to the museum for long-term display. Both works are scheduled to go on public view at the institution on September 30.

Born into slavery in early-nineteenth-century Edgefield, South Carolina, Drake was renowned for his large glazed stoneware jars and jugs. He famously signed many of his creations, often adding original poetry or biblical verses, despite literacy prohibitions for enslaved individuals at the time.

The return of these works by an important American historical figure directly impacts American institutions and collections.

Source: Artforum

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