The Charleston Museum to present a new exhibit in conjunction with the 2016 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.
January 10, 2017
The Charleston Museum, in cooperation with the 2017 Southeastern Wildlife Expo, and with generous sponsorship from the Charleston Mercury, presents Feathers and Flocks: Waterfowling in South Carolina, a collective look at the historic art and artifacts associated with local waterfowling. This exhibit will draw from a number of different categories from the Museum’s vast collections as well as a few private ones, and offer an important glimpse into the South Carolina Lowcountry’s longstanding water bird traditions.
“They frequent the lower parts of Rivers in Carolina” was about all Mark Catesby could say about “the little brown duck” that got away from him whilst compiling notes for his eighteenth century masterwork detailing the region’s wildlife. Of course, the bird’s speed and elusiveness came as no surprise to the countless duck hunters and birdwatchers that followed.
Numerous species of ducks and other local waterfowl are central to the Lowcountry’s historic culture, their meat and feathers filling specific desires from dining tables to fashion statements, and even indigenous sacred ceremonies. These birds today still carry a certain mystique all their own, influencing artisans and artists alike with their serene demeanor and brilliant plumage. Even hunting them has become somewhat of an art form. Handcrafted decoys and calls have themselves become prized possessions, as have the elegant shotguns used in conjunction with them.
Feathers and Flocks: Waterfowling in South Carolina will be on display in the Museum’s Lobby Gallery from February 15 to May 8.
About The Charleston Museum
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Charleston Museum, founded in 1773, is America’s first museum. Holding the most extensive collection of South Carolina cultural and scientific materials in the nation, it also owns two National Historic Landmark houses, the Heyward-Washington House (1772) and the Joseph Manigault House (1803), as well as the Dill Sanctuary, a 580-acre wildlife preserve.
