Pottery Stands Out in Gathering at UA’s Moundville Archaeological Park

MOUNDVILLE, Ala. — “Fusing Red Earth,” a gathering and exhibition of potters, scholars, museum professionals and others interested in Southeastern Indian pottery, will be from Wednesday, March 28, to Saturday, March, 31, at Moundville Archaeological Park, part of The University of Alabama Museums.

The four-day program includes symposia, lectures, workshops and museum and collection tours. Saturday, March 31, will feature a public exposition with displays and demonstrations of pottery at Moundville Archaeological Park. The demonstrations will include outdoor firings, hands-on activities and artifact identification.

The gathering will focus on revitalizing pottery-making among Southeastern Indian people and studying Southeast Indian iconography. To encourage a revival in pottery-making, artists and educators will offer lectures, demonstrations and workshops to Alabama Indian Education teachers and representatives of tribal nations.

Any other educators interested in the program are also encouraged to attend. As for iconography, participants during lectures and panel discussions will discuss the meanings of the symbols used in Southeastern Indian pottery-making. Since prehistoric times, pottery has been one of the major art forms to incorporate images that represent aspects of Southeastern Indian world beliefs.

Two additional exhibits will be part of the event. “Contemporary Potters” will feature the work of artists influenced by Southeastern Indian pottery in the Georgine Clarke Building of the Kentuck Museum in Northport.

An opening reception will be Thursday, March 1, as part of Kentuck’s monthly Art Night, and a closing reception will be Saturday, March 31, starting at 7 p.m. The Alabama Museum of Natural History on the UA campus will play host to “Ancient Artists,” an exhibit of prehistoric and historic works from UA Museums’ permanent collections. That exhibit will run from Friday, March 2, through Monday, May 7, in the first floor of Smith Hall on the UA campus.

“Fusing Red Earth” is funded partially through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Registration is required, and fees are charged for persons attending the entire gathering. Regular admission is charged to visitors attending the gathering’s Saturday event at Moundville Archaeological Park. For more information, contact the Office of Education at Moundville at 205/371-8732 or go to moundville.ua.edu.

UA’s Moundville Archaeological Park is 13 miles south of campus off Alabama 69. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission to the festival is $10 for adults; $8 students; free for children ages 5 and younger. Group discounts with reservations are available.

Described as the Big Apple of the 14th century, Moundville was America’s largest city north of Mexico 800 years ago. This National Historic Landmark, part of UA Museums, contains 320 acres with more than 20 preserved prehistoric Indian mounds, campgrounds, picnic areas, boardwalk nature trail, theater, Riverbend Lodge and a museum of some of the finest Mississippian-era artifacts in North America.