The Pottery and Sculpture of 19th-Century Black Artists David Drake and Edmonia Lewis

Explore the work of two 19th-century Black artists in pottery and sculpture—arts that have typically held a less privileged position in art historical narratives, compared to painting. The guides will focus on two objects, through close looking at their process, form, and broader resonances: a storage jar by David Drake, an enslaved Black man, also known as Dave the Potter; and a bust of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by sculptor Edmonia Lewis, a woman of African American, Haitian, and Ojibwe heritage who was known internationally in the first decades after the American Civil War.

This interactive tour will take place online via Zoom. To join, click the following link: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/99242919527 (free admission; no pre-registration required).

Virtual Student Guide Tours take place every Thursday at 8pm and every Saturday at 11am on Zoom. Each tour is unique and offers a chance to explore the collections of the Harvard Art Museums through the eyes of a Harvard student. Drop in and join the conversation!

For instructions on how to join a meeting on Zoom, click here. For general questions about Student Guide Tours, email am_register@harvard.edu.

This program is supported by the Ho Family Student Guide Fund.

The Ho Family Student Guide Program at the Harvard Art Museums trains students to develop original, research-based tours of the collections. These tours, designed and led by Harvard undergraduates from a range of academic disciplines, focus on objects chosen by each Student Guide and offer a unique, thematic view into the collections.