Personal memory and cultural history combine in Christopher Benfey’s New York Times Notable Book and connections to the Mint’s ceramic collections abound. Characters and times range from Anni and Josef Albers and their residence at Black Mountain College to Josiah Wedgwood’s quest for Carolina Cherokee clay to the history of Seagrove potters. Enjoy a conversation […]

“Portrait of a Thief” by Grace D. Li is a thrilling heist novel that blends Ocean's Eleven with The Farewell. Inspired by the true story of Chinese art disappearing from Western museums, it explores themes of diaspora, cultural theft, and Chinese American identity.  

The Trackers is Charles Frazier’s first book set outside the American South. However, the story takes place in 1937, a year shared with many of the artworks in our Southern/Modern exhibition, with multiple connections that can be made between the book and the exhibition. The story follows a young painter from Virginia who receives a […]