Steve and Katie speak with their colleague and return guest Tom Kline and special guest Victoria Reed, the renowned Provenance Curator at the MFA Boston, about the status of provenance research and ownership review at US museums and also the first of its kind agreement between MFA Boston and the descendants of enslaved potter David Drake (aka Dave the Potter) resolving the ownership of two of Drake’s monumental stoneware vessels.
Resources
https://www.mfa.org/press-release/david-drake-ownership-resolution
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/us/mfa-boston-david-drake-pottery.html
https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/hear-me-now-the-black-potters-of-old-edgefield-south-carolina
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/27/arts/design/victoria-reed-museum-of-fine-arts-stolen-artwork.html
https://www.schlaw.com/#/about/thomas-r-kline
Katie and Steve discuss topics based on news and magazine articles and court filings and not based on original research unless specifically noted.
Episode Transcription Coming Soon
Music by Chris Thompson. Produced by Jackie Santos.