A legacy of love for Mississippi clay

JACKSON, MS (PNAN) – On going “McCarty Pottery: Love. Life. Clay” at the Mississippi Museum of Art is an exhibition of works by Lee and Pup McCarty and how it all began.

In 1952, the McCartys were given permission to dig all the clay they wanted from a gulley on William Faulkner’s property which became a 64-year love affair with Mississippi clay. The outcome for the dual led to them creating a pottery design known nationally and internationally. The trademarked “river” is the small black wavy line that became synonymous with their signature glazes of nutmeg brown, cobalt blue and a jade.

Determined to do everything themselves, the McCartys were frugal and believed in hard work. They dug clay from a ravine, processed it to create artwork in their barn they converted into a studio and living spaces. They also nailed up painted cardboard to keep the wind and bugs out, built shelves from milled pine and put down bricks for flooring. Lee once said, “We never nailed up a board or drove a nail we didn’t own outright…We never put in equipment we didn’t first pay for.”

Lee and Pup McCarty worked side by side until Pup’s death in 2009. Lee continued the work until his passing in 2015. Their legacy lives on with their godsons, Jamie and Stephen Smith, who continues the McCarty’s tradition working in the barn behind the bamboo in Merigold, Mississippi.

Ancient works welcome guests

Also ongoing in the Selby and Richard McRae Lobby and Public Corridor of the Mississippi Museum of Art, Peruvian pre-Columbian ceramics as well as Mesoamerican Mayan and the Olmec cultures are works of art that originate from ancient cultures which flourished in Peru, Mexico and Central America prior to the arrival of Europeans. Many other works are on display to welcome visitors.

“McCarty Pottery: Love. Life. Clay”Mississippi Museum of Art