The Charleston Museum Acquires Charleston Rice Spoon by Kaminer Haislip
I am incredibly excited and honored to announce The Charleston Museum has acquired my sterling silver Charleston Rice Spoon for their permanent collection! Many thanks to Chad Stewart, Curator of History, for his support of my work and the effort he put into making this acquisition happen.
The Charleston Museum was founded in 1773 and is commonly regarded as “America’s First Museum”. Inspired in part by the creation of the British Museum, the Museum was established by the Charleston Library Society on the eve of the American Revolution and its early history was characterized by association with distinguished South Carolinians and scientific figures including Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Reverend John Bachman and John J. Audubon.
They have an exceptional collection that focuses on the South Carolina Lowcountry and includes artifacts of natural history, historical material culture and both documentary and photographic resources. Their mission is to educate Charleston area residents and visitors about the natural and cultural history of the South Carolina Lowcountry through collections, exhibitions, preservation, conservation, research and related programming.
The Loeblein Gallery of Charleston Silver, representing the South’s finest silversmiths, from the colonial era through the present, is my favorite permanent exhibition in the museum. Chad was gracious enough to provide a private tour for the South Carolina Silver Society this past spring and it was wonderful to hear his insights into the important objects they steward.
The Charleston Museum has the largest known assemblage of Charleston-made silver, so it truly is an honor to have one of my silver pieces in their collection. However, they have many other fabulous exhibits and galleries I highly recommend!
The Charleston Rice Spoon, derived from the English Stuffing, Basting, or Gravy Spoon, historically had a long handle and traditionally was 14-16″ in length. During the 18th and 19th centuries, rice was an immensely important crop to Charleston’s economy and became a diet staple, so the rice spoon was developed.
The Charleston Museum has an amazing collection of historic Charleston Rice Spoons and they influenced my silver spoon design. Even though I am inspired by historic objects, I like to put my own original, contemporary twist on them.
My silver Charleston Rice Spoon was featured on the cover of Silver Magazine for an article I wrote for them last fall. The article can be read on my website Press page.
Additionally, in 2017 my contemporary take on this historic spoon was honored with an American Heritage Award by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The details of that award can be read on my website Blog.
Finally, you can shop my silver Charleston Rice Spoon in my website store Home category.
