Special to the
Opelika Observer
Joey Brackner, director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, will speak on Alabama folk pottery traditions at OLLI’s Sept. 18 Alabama Bicentennial Brown Bag Lunch & Lecture Series. His presentation will cover the historic potteries of East Central Alabama.
Brackner will talk about the pottery-making families who settled along the Chambers and Randolph county lines starting in the 1830s. These artisans practiced a unique style of pottery-making featuring an alkaline glaze.
Since 1985, Brackner has undertaken numerous special projects for the Alabama State Council on the Arts, including coproduction of “Unbroken Tradition,” a film documentary on Alabama folk potter Jerry Brown. Brackner is the author of Alabama Folk Pottery (2006), published by the University of Alabama Press. He has been the host of the Alabama Public Television series “Journey Proud” since 1985.
A Fairfield, Alabama native, Brackner received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.
He was a humanities scholar in residence at the Birmingham Museum of Art prior to being hired as state folklorist in 1985.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University (OLLI at Auburn) hosts its Alabama Bicentennial Brown Bag Lunch & Lecture Series on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, also known as Pebble Hill, which is located at 101 S. Debardeleben St. in Auburn.
This series is made possible by a grant from the Alabama Bicentennial Commission and open to the public at no charge.
OLLI at Auburn is a program of the office of the vice president for university outreach at Auburn University. OLLI administrative offices and select classes are located at the historic Sunny Slope property located at 1031 S. College St.
For more information regarding this event or to learn about becoming a volunteer faculty member, volunteer service assistant, or sponsor, contact Shawnee McKee, OLLI administrative support, at 334-844-3146, email olli@auburn.edu or by visiting www.olliatauburn.org.