MESDA Conference: the South Carolina Midlands
September 15-17, 2022 Columbia, South Carolina–
MESDA Conference
The Decorative Arts of the South Carolina Midlands
NEW DATE
September 15-17, 2022
Columbia, South Carolina
Join us as we celebrate the decorative arts of South Carolina’s Midlands, where the Lowcountry and the Upstate collide. The conference will offer an unparalleled opportunity to get behind-the-scenes looks of local sites and exhibits, with a reception and conference sessions held in downtown Columbia, the Palmetto State’s capital city. Special themed rambles will give you an up-close and personal look at rarely-viewed private collections and homes, while lectures will provide the latest in decorative arts and material culture research. South Carolina’s decorative arts have never looked better–and now it is time to celebrate and enjoy the architecture, landscape, and material culture of the Midlands.
REGISTRATION
| Early Bird Full Registration with Ramble I The Savannah River Valley: History & Heritage in Augusta and Beyond |
$525.00 | $515.00 Frank L. Horton Society* |
| Registration includes participation in the overnight Ramble I and the Opening Reception, two continental breakfasts, one coffee break, two lunches, one dinner, all lectures proposed on the agenda, and admission to all pertinent sites proposed on the agenda. | |
| Early Bird Full Registration with Ramble II Kershaw & Sumter Counties: Magnificence in the Midlands |
$350.00 | $340.00 Frank L. Horton Society* |
| Registration includes participation in Ramble II and the Opening Reception, one continental breakfast, one coffee break, two lunches, all lectures proposed on the agenda, and admission to all pertinent sites proposed on the agenda. | |
| Early Bird Full Registration with Ramble III Lexington & Richland Counties: Culture in the Capital |
$350.00 | $340.00 Frank L. Horton Society* |
| Registration includes participation in Ramble III and the Opening Reception, one continental breakfast, one coffee break, two lunches, all lectures proposed on the agenda, and admission to all pertinent sites proposed on the agenda. | |
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| Early Bird Lectures Pass | $250.00 | $240.00 Frank L. Horton Society* |
| Registration includes participation the Opening Reception, one continental breakfast, one coffee break, one lunch, all lectures proposed on the agenda, and admission to all pertinent sites proposed on the agenda. | |
| Early Bird Twenty-First Century Frolic Pass | $150.00 |
| Registration includes participation in the Frolic Fundraiser for the MESDA Conservation Fund. | |
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*This program is anticipated to sell out. Please note that members of the Frank L. Horton Society receive priority registration privileges, as well as a discount on their tickets. To receive your Frank L. Horton Society discount, please be sure you register and/or sign in with your Old Salem Museums & Gardens username and password. If you would like to join the Frank L. Horton Society, or if you would like to learn more, please click here.
RAMBLES
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Join Historic Augusta’s Executive Director Erick Montgomery and Old Salem & MESDA’s Chief Curator Daniel Ackermann for an overnight journey to Augusta, Georgia! Founded at the falls of the Savanah River in 1736, Augusta grew into piedmont Georgia’s most important inland antebellum city. The city’s geographic and economic importance led to the establishment of the Augusta Arsenal in 1816 and the Medical College of Georgia in 1828, both of which we will visit. Our time in “The Garden City” will include visits to some of Augusta’s oldest and most distinguished private residences as well as an evening dining amid the city’s best collection of Georgia decorative arts. |
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Join Robert Leath (President & CEO, Classical American Homes Preservation Trust), Jeffrey Klee (Vice President and Senior Director of Architecture) and Peter Kenny (President Emeritus, Classical American Homes Preservation Trust) as they explore Kershaw and Sumter Counties. This trip takes you into the worlds of Charles Woodmason, the 18th-century rector of historic St. Mark’s parish who pined for the sophisticated life of Charleston, and Mary Boykin Chesnut, one of the leading female diarists of the antebellum South’s cotton planting elite. Historic sites along the way will include the Manning family’s magnificent Millford Plantation, considered by many to be the finest example of Greek Revival residential architecture in America, a house that still contains many of its original contents, including important classical furniture by the New York firms of Duncan Phyfe and Deming and Bulkeley. Stops in Camden will include not one, but two important Robert Mills designed buildings, the Kershaw County Courthouse and the Presbyterian Church. For a day steeped in splendid decorative arts and architectural history, don’t miss the ramble to Sumter and Kershaw Counties. |
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Explore the Palmetto State’s layered roots in a day packed with impressive antebellum landmarks and recently-installed exhibits showcasing South Carolina decorative arts. Led by Historic Columbia’s Director of Cultural Resources John Sherrer and Old Salem Curator Johanna Brown, this ramble will take participants to the Lexington County Museum to provide a sense of the varying cultural communities that settled in the midlands and their vernacular art and architecture. Visits to the South Carolina State Museum, University of South Carolina’s picturesque Horseshoe, the 1812 Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and the battle-worn Greek Revival State House will provide context for early public life in early Columbia. The ramble will conclude at a stunning 1823 Classical Revival residence known as the Robert Mills House, named for its famous designer. A leisurely stroll across the street will take participants to the steps of the Hampton-Preston Mansion and the Conference Opening Reception. |
PROGRAM
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
| Afternoon | Ramble I: The Savannah River Valley departs from the Sheraton Columbia Downtown | |
| Evening | Ramble I overnights in Augusta, GA |
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
| Morning | Ramble II: Kershaw & Sumter Counties and Ramble III: Lexington & Richland Counties depart from the Sheraton Columbia Downtown | |
| Evening | Opening Reception at the 1818 Hampton-Preston Mansion in downtown Columbia. |
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
| Morning | Lectures begin at the Columbia Museum of Art | |
| Featured speakers include:
Dr. John Bryan – Robert Mills: South Carolina’s Premier Classical Architect Charlotte Crabtree – Silver of Augusta, Columbia, and Camden Jenny Garwood – New Discoveries in South Carolina Quilts Kate Hughes – African American Influences in Edgefield Pottery Peter Kenny – The Material Worlds of the Hampton and Manning Families Grahame Long – The Material Culture of Dueling in Midlands South Grant Quertermous – South Carolina Stonecutters and their Work in the South Carolina Midlands Dr. Corbett Toussaint – Scots-Irish Cabinetmakers in the South Carolina Midlands Dr. C. Philip Toussaint – Physician and Portrayer: the forgotten legacy of Clarage Kingsmore |
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| Afternoon | Tours of the newly reinstalled permanent collections at the Columbia Museum of Art | |
| Evening | A Twenty-First Century Frolic in support of MESDA’s Conservation Fund, hosted by Drs. Corbett and C. Philip Toussaint
Separate registration required to attend. |
With generous support provided by:
TRAVEL DETAILS