Honoring Labor and Foodways

When: Friday, July 31st, 10:30-2:00; Coffee at 10:00am.
Where: Stenton, 4601 N. 18th Street, Phila, PA 19140
Cost: FREE. Space is limited. RSVP Required.
In honor of the Semiquincentennial and The Clay Studio’s Radical Americana, please join us at Stenton for a day that combines consideration and examination of archeology and art through Teagan Schweitzer's archeological research and Dennis Ritter's installation Another Place Within.

10:30 AM - What Was for Dinner at Stenton? Archaeology and Foodways by Teagan Schweitzer, Ph.D.

What can a collection of animal bones tell us about life at Stenton? Archaeological excavations uncovered evidence of the foods eaten by the Logan family and their guests, from poultry and game birds to livestock raised on the plantation. Schweitzer will explore how archaeology helps reconstruct the meals, entertaining practices, and daily life of one of colonial Pennsylvania's most influential households.

11:20 AM - Places Within: Reflections on Historical Research and the Influence of Personal Experience on Art Making by Dennis Ritter

Ritter will share the development and creation of the sculptures featured in Another Place Within. Presented through the artist’s personal experiences growing up in our region, this presentation will consider how objects in the Stenton collection, the dichotomies present in Stenton’s histories, and the inherent contradictions in the American Experiment influenced this body of work.

12:00 PM - Lunch (provided) and Another Place Within viewing***

1:00-2:00 PM - Stenton Foodways and Cellar Tour***

Please note: Another Place Within is installed throughout Stenton's landscape and requires walking on uneven, unpaved ground. The cellar tour includes a staircase and uneven flooring.

Bios:

Teagan Schweitzer, Ph.D., is a historical archaeologist whose research explores the relationship between food, culture, and daily life in early Philadelphia. She earned her doctorate in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and conducted the faunal analysis of materials recovered from Stenton as part of her dissertation research on Philadelphia foodways. Her work combines archaeological evidence with historical documents to reconstruct the foods, meals, and culinary traditions of the past.

Dennis Ritter is an artist and educator whose studio work explores the role of objects as foundational markers for personal identity and cultural histories. Working with clay as his primary material, his work manifests as large-scale still life sculptures, digital photographs, site-specific installations, and community art. Within this work he explores themes of labor, social justice, and identity. A native of SouthEastern Pennsylvania and a child of the bicentennial, Ritter currently resides in Rome, GA where he teaches Ceramics and Sculpture at Berry College.