Frequently Asked Questions About MESDA
What are decorative arts?
Decorative arts are objects that are both artistic and functional, including furniture, paintings, textiles, ceramics, silver, and metalwares.
Where do the decorative arts in MESDA come from?
MESDA’s collection of more than 2,500 objects showcases the work of artists and artisans working in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee before the Civil War. In January 2009 MESDA opened a new installation of its permanent collection, Southernisms: People and Places, the MESDA Collection. MESDA's new tour uses decorative arts to explore the people and places that make the South unique.
What kind of research do MESDA researchers do?
MESDA staff members are constantly exploring the craftsmen of the early South and their surviving work. Since the 1970s the MESDA Research Center has documented nearly 80,000 craftsmen working in 127 trades in the early South by reading microfilmed records of primary source documents like newspapers and court records. Over the past four decades MESDA field researchers working around the South have documented and photographed more than 20,000 southern made objects. The MESDA Craftsman Database and the MESDA Object Database are available to the public in the MESDA Research Center Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Appointments are strongly encouraged and can be made by calling 336-721-7379 or emailing Research@oldsalem.org. Through a partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Digital Library and Archives these databases will soon be available to users around the world via the internet.
What types of programs does MESDA offer?
In addition to tours of the collection every hour on the hour, the museum hosts many educational programs including annual seminars on furniture and textiles, in-depth Saturday Seminars on aspects of the collection, a month-long graduate-level Summer Institute in conjunction with the University of Virginia, and a biennial MESDA Conference on American Material Culture. MESDA also digitally publishes the Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts and a series of books on the decorative arts of the early South.
How can I get more involved in MESDA?
The best way to be involved with MESDA is to visit the museum and attend museum programs. We also welcome your financial support. Contributions to Friends of MESDA support the museum's collection, research initiatives, publications, and educational programs. To learn more about supporting opportunities, please email Development@oldsalem.org or call (336) 721-7327.
