Stoneware Jug c. 1938

Editor: Here we have Annie B. Johnston’s "Stoneware Jug" from around 1938, a drawing and watercolor of what looks like a ceramic jug. The level of detail is fascinating! I’m struck by how accurately Johnston captured the texture. What do you make of it? Curator: What interests me here is how this relatively mundane object – a stoneware jug – gains value through its depiction as art, particularly during the 1930s. Consider the context: the Great Depression, the rise of Regionalism in American art. Editor: Regionalism? Curator: Exactly! Artists were looking to depict everyday life and ordinary objects of the American scene, as a means of portraying some ideal. So, why choose a humble jug? What purpose might it serve? Editor: Maybe to celebrate craftsmanship or a simpler, perhaps rural, way of life? It's interesting how choosing to represent it elevates its status, and by extension, perhaps the value of work itself. Curator: Precisely. This jug could symbolize self-sufficiency and resilience, important virtues during a time of economic hardship. And, where would such art typically be displayed? Editor: Galleries, museums…places that visually communicate and further legitimize the values displayed within the artwork, perhaps even dictating them. So the simple jug takes on the added weight of this larger cultural narrative. Curator: Precisely, and that transformation is where much of the real "art" resides – in the dialogue between object, artist, institution, and audience. What will the jug contain next, metaphorically speaking? Editor: I hadn’t considered it in those terms. Thinking about the social context really transforms how you look at the artwork. It gives it an interesting depth! Curator: Absolutely, and I've been enjoying your fresh perspective as well! It is really powerful when we reflect on the power of art and the space it occupies.