Quillan Lanier Meaders (October 4, 1917 – February 5, 1998) was an American

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...

best known for face jugs, for which he was regarded as a master of the form.

Early life

Face jug, 1979 Meaders' grandfather, John Milton Meaders, started a pottery business in the community of Mossy Creek, Georgia in 1893, employing his five sons. Son Cheever Meaders took over the business in 1920. Grandson Lanier Meaders continued the traditional ceramic craftsmanship of his forefathers by producing alkaline-glazed stoneware, solely working with a foot-powered treadle wheel and a wood-fired kiln. Like his father, he used materials that were indigenous to the region. His ash glaze was made of sifted ashes from his kiln, Albany slip and regular stoneware clay, and powdered calcium carbonate. Meaders typically created pieces in earth-brown, olive-green and rust-gray similar to those while a young apprentice to his father.

Career

Signature on jug Meaders' contributions to Southern folk art have been recognized by multiple entities including the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. His work is exhibited in the Smithsonian and various museums across the United States. In 1978 he and his mother, Arie Meaders, were honorees of the Library of Congress with Meaders Pottery Day. He was a recipient of a 1983 National Heritage Fellowship, the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, awarded by the

, and was the recipient of the Governor's Award for the Arts in 1987.

References

External links

Quillan Lanier Meaders
at

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meaders, Lanier 1917 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American ceramists American potters Artists from Georgia (U.S. state) National Heritage Fellowship winners