Nancy Sweezy | |
|---|---|
 Sweezy in 2007 | |
| Born | Nancy Thompson October 14, 1921 Flushing, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 2010 (aged 88) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
| Known for | Potter, folklorist, author, owner of Jugtown Pottery (1968–1980) |
| Spouse | Paul Sweezy (div. 1960) |
| Awards | National Heritage Fellowship 2006 |
Nancy Sweezy (October 14, 1921 – February 6, 2010)[1] was an American artist, author, folklorist, advocate, scholar, and preservationist. Known initially for her work as a potter in the 1950s, Sweezy became a scholar of the history and creation of pottery and wrote several authoritative texts and books on U.S. and international folk pottery. She was a major figure in the establishment of markets for folk and traditional crafts. Other major accomplishments in her extensive career included the founding of the crafts organization Country Roads, the revival of North Carolina's historic Jugtown Pottery, and the creation of the Refugee Arts Group in Massachusetts for immigrant folk artists. Her advocacy work also included developing apprenticeship programs. She also was involved with Club 47, a famous performing scene in the American folk music revival.[1]
In 2006, she was awarded the Bess Lomax Hawes Award and a National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[2] She was the author of several books including Raised in Clay and Armenian Folk Arts, Culture and Identity. Her professional archive of 32,992 items collected over the course of her career as a folklorist, folk arts advocate, and non-profit organization administrator is held by the Archive of Folk Culture at the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.[3]
- ^ a b Martin, Douglas (February 25, 2010). "Nancy Sweezy, Savior of Jugtown Pottery, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Nancy Sweezy: Folklorist". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Nancy Sweezy collection". Library of Congress. 2017. LCCN 2017-655202. OCLC 1143795005. Retrieved January 7, 2021.