Precious Metal: Southern Silver
 at Columbus Museum, February 19 – June 26, 2011

Dec 14, 2010

CONTACT: Frank S. Etheridge IV
Editor and Public Relations Coordinator
The Columbus Museum
1251 Wynnton Road
Columbus, Georgia 31906
706.748.2562, ext. 540
fetheridge@columbusmuseum.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Precious Metal: Southern Silver
 at Columbus Museum
February 19 – June 26, 2011
Galleria Cases

Columbus, Georgia—Throughout American history, silver has played a role in daily life.

An upcoming exhibition at the Columbus Museum, Precious Metal: Southern Silver, combines the museum’s dual mission in American art and regional history in exploring this elegant, utilitarian art form.

For an American Art museum in the Southeast, silver is an important aspect of its collections,” says Columbus Museum Director Tom Butler. “The same is true for the Columbus Museum. This exhibition will allow the Museum to showcase its own holdings in Southern silver as well as share examples of silver from sister institutions and private collections throughout the southeastern United States.

Silver coins were used as currency.  Objects of personal adornment, drinking, dining and tea wares, as well as gifts of recognition, were crafted in this precious metal. Silver proudly displayed the wealth and social standing of its owners. In the 19th century, owning silver hollowware—bowls, cups and pots—was the privilege of the wealthy.

However, ownership of some small piece of silver was more common, and many middle-class households contained silver items such as teaspoons. As the general wealth of the nation grew in the 19th century, Americans acquired more and more silver objects, and pieces were made for every household need.

Silver production was primarily an urban activity, and the majority of the silver manufacturers were in the Northeast. Craftsmen in the South often purchased finished pieces from manufacturers elsewhere, which they then marked with their firm names and sold to their local clientele.  However, many also created their own stock.  Several urban centers in the South, including Charleston, New Orleans, Savannah, Mobile and even Columbus, were home to flourishing silver manufacturers for much of the 19th century.  The disruption of the Civil War and the influx of cheaper, machine-produced silver from the Northeast led to the decline of locally manufactured silver in the South. However, the collecting and use of silver objects has continued to this day.
Precious Metal: Southern Silver will feature flatware and hollowware objects from the Columbus Museum’s own collection, as well as many rare and intriguing items from private and public collections from around the Southeast.  The stories behind the silversmiths who made and marketed the silver pieces will be explored, and a special section will showcase objects used by children.

This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of Patron Silver Tequila.  

Related Programs:
Presentation Silver in the South
By Ashley Callahan
Thursday, February 10
Noon to 1 p.m. (part of the Museum’s 2011 Lunch and Lecture Series)
For centuries, silver has served as a means of bestowing honor and recognition. In a way, presentation silver speaks for itself. While the style and construction of silver can place it within a general period of time, thoughtfully chosen words engraved into the bright metal can link it to specific places, people and events. Whether a grand platter and tea service or a simple cup, presentation silver tells a story. Callahan’s talk will focus on presentation silver from Georgia and neighboring states.
Ashley Callahan is an independent scholar based in Athens. She served as the Curator of Decorative Arts at the Georgia Museum of Art from 2000 to 2008. She is the author of Modern Threads: Fashion and Art by Mariska Karasz (2007) and Enchanting Modern: Ilonka Karasz, 1896-1981 (2003) as well as numerous articles published in Ornament, the Newsletter of the Decorative Arts Society and The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Her research interests include Georgia decorative arts and modern American design. Callahan received her B.A. from The University of the South and her M.A. from the Masters Program in the History of American Decorative Arts offered jointly by the Parsons School of Design and the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

The lectures are free and open to the public. Please feel free to bring your own lunch. Water, tea and coffee will be served. Box lunches are available by advanced request; contact Melinda Durham at 706.748.2562, ext. 651 or mdurham@columbusmuseum.com.

For more information, please visit www.columbusmuseum.com.

You can also call the Columbus Museum at 706.748.2562. The Columbus Museum features exhibitions of American art and regional history and includes a hands-on discovery gallery for children. Admission is free. The Museum is open 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Thursday; and 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday and holidays. 1251 Wynnton Road, Columbus, GA 31906.

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