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The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center recently sold a large storage jar made by David Drake to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center recently sold a large storage jar made by David Drake to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., has acquired one of the largest surviving storage jars by David Drake, an enslaved African-American potter who lived and worked most of his life in the Edgefield district of South Carolina, from the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center.

The work was originally donated to MMCC and has been on view at the Cultural Center since the early 1990s. In late 2022, The MMCC Board of Trustees agreed to the deaccession/sale of the Drake jar.

The MMCC is not a fine arts museum but a performing arts center that from time to time exhibits the work of local artists. The Cultural Center’s collection consists of historical artifacts related directly to the town of Madison and the larger area of Morgan County.

Previous attempts to engage a broader audience to view the Drake jar have proven challenging, and the Center does not hold a broad enough collection to give important context to the Drake jar.

The National Gallery of Art acquisition of the Drake jar ensures that millions of visitors will now have the opportunity to view the work annually and allow the NGA to expand the story of American art.

The Drake jar is now on view in Gallery 39 on the ground floor of the NGA’s West Building. This fall, it will be installed on the West Building’s main floor, displayed among a collection of paintings from Drake’s lifetime.

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The article states "The MMCC is not a fine arts museum but a performing arts center that from time to time exhibits the work of local artists. The Cultural Center’s collection consists of historical artifacts related directly to the town of Madison and the larger area of Morgan County."

And yet, right on the MMCC website it states "The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary performing and visual arts facility." And, there have been many exhibits featuring internationally recognized artists.

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