Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
One of the historical rooms displayed in the museum
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Southern art was dismissed through much of the first half of the 20th century. However, thanks to the efforts of Frank Horton and his mother, Theodosia—both of whom were antique dealers and collectors—Southern art did become a respected art form. Their dream of a museum showcasing Southern art came to fruition in 1965, when the museum opened. Frank and Theodosia loaned their collections to the museum and also established an endowment to help fund it. The museum houses several collections of Southern art, including "From Congregation Town to Cradle of Industry: A Century of North Carolina Moravian Landscapes, 1790-1890" which celebrates the art of the Moravian settlers responsible for so much of Old Salem's history.
Sources
From Congregation Town to Cradle of Industry, MESDA. Accessed September 30th 2020. https://mesda.org/exhibit_category/salem-landscapes/.
History, MESDA. Accessed September 30th 2020. https://mesda.org/about/history/.