“I made this…”: Black Artists & Artisans Conference

“I made this…” the title of this conference as well as the corresponding exhibit in the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, comes from a quote by 19th-century enslaved potter David Drake who inscribed these words on several of his pots despite laws prohibiting literacy for enslaved people at that time.

You are invited to join us for a dynamic conference exploring the lives and work of Black Artists and Artisans from the 18th to 21st centuries. The conference will feature keynote lectures from founding members of the Black Craftspeople Digital Archives: Dr. Tiffany Momon, Assistant Professor at Sewanee: The University of the South, and Dr. Torren Gatson, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and an opening dinner and presentation specially designed by James Beard Award-Winning Author Michael Twitty. Dr. Bernie Herman, the George B. Tindall Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies and Folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, rounds out the lineup of guest lecturers.

Panel discussions, performances, and additional presentations by Colonial Williamsburg historians, interpreters, and curators join our guest presenters throughout the conference.

Scholarships are available for Museum Professionals, Students & More–Scholarship Deadline is September 30. Register for the In-Person Conference by October 20; Virtual-Only available through November 1 for registration.