From Hubener to Medinger: Redware Potters of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Trappe, PA
March 13 – 15, 2026
This year’s symposium examines one of the most beloved aspects of American folk art—Pennsylvania German redware. Focusing on redware’s production, use, and collecting in southeastern Pennsylvania from the mid-1700s to mid-1900s, the second annual Americana Symposium provides fresh insights into renowned potters such as Georg Hubener and Samuel Troxel as well as lesser-known figures. It also delves into the work of twentieth-century potters including Jacob Medinger, considered the last of the traditional Pennsylvania German potters; Henry Chapman Mercer, founder of the Moravian Tile Works and Mercer Museum; and Mildred Weekes Keyser, a pioneering female potter. Held in conjunction with Historic Trappe’s exhibition on Pennsylvania German redware and Americana Insight’s third volume, this year’s Americana Symposium is not to be missed!
Co-sponsored by
Symposium Calendar
Friday, March 13 – Bus Tour
Visit several outstanding private and museum collections with an emphasis on Pennsylvania German redware. Lunch, dinner, and round-trip bus transportation to/from Historic Trappe is included. Limit 25 people. Bus departs St. Luke’s Church, 200 W. Main Street, at 9 am and returns at approx. 9 pm.
Note: you must register and pay for the Saturday symposium in order to sign up for this bus trip on March 13.
Note: Historic Trappe's museums will be open for tours on March 13 from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is included with symposium registration.
Saturday, March 14 – Lectures
Join us for a full day of informative talks by leading scholars, including a keynote address plus eight additional lectures, two coffee breaks, boxed lunch, and evening cocktail reception with hearty hors d'oeuvres, plus museum admission.
Scholarships are available for graduate students and young professionals.
Sunday, March 15 – Workshops
Redware Exhibit Tour with Greg Shooner and Christopher Malone
Explore the exhibit with master potter Greg Shooner and curator Christopher Malone to gain insights into the technical challenges and techniques of how various pieces are made. There will also be a pop-up display of teaching pieces from Greg Shooner's personal collection to further illuminate the potter's art.
Speaker's House Sneak Peek
Go behind-the-scenes and experience the Speaker's House in the final weeks of restoration in preparation for its the grand opening in mid-April. Historian Emily Sneff will share stories from Frederick Muhlenberg's life and political career while restoration manager Eric Hundertmark offers insights on this twenty-five year effort.
Muhlenberg House Tour with Lisa Minardi
Experience life in the Philadelphia countryside during the American Revolution at the Muhlenberg House, where the entire building has been updated to reflect the family's life in 1776-78 when the war came to Trappe.
Note: you must register and pay for the Saturday symposium in order to sign up for workshops on March 15.
Symposium Agenda
9 – 9:15 am
Welcome & Introduction
Welcome and Introduction to Americana Insights and Historic Trappe
9:15 – 10:15 am
Keynote Lecture
“The Dish Is Made of Earth”: Revisiting Pennsylvania German Redware
Johanna Brown, Chief Curator & Director of Collections, Research and Archaeology, Old Salem Museums & Gardens and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
10:15 to 10:30 am
Coffee break
10:30 am – 12 pm
Morning Session
The Potter Hath Power Over His Clay: The Earthenware Industry of 18th Century Philadelphia Sponsored by Ceramics in America
Deborah Miller, Archeologist & Curator of Archeological Collections, Independence National Historical Park
“God Bless You All in Food and Drink”: Sgraffito Teaware in Pennsylvania
Laini Farrare, Mary Church Terrell Fellow, University of Delaware
Georg Hubener and Jacob Medinger: Master Potters of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Lisa Minardi, Executive Director, Historic Trappe
12 – 1:30 pm
Lunch break plus time to explore the redware exhibition and Historic Trappe’s museums on your own
1:30 – 3 pm
Afternoon Session One
Black, White, and Green All Over: The Potter Once Known as Solomon Grim
Christopher Malone, Curator, Historic Trappe
Nathaniel Sellers: A Postmaster and Potter of Upper Hanover, Pennsylvania
Justin Thomas, Independent Scholar
Mildred Keyser: The Matriarch of Revivalist Pennsylvania German Arts
Karl Pass, Independent Scholar
3 – 3:15 pm
Coffee break
3:15 – 4:45 pm
Afternoon Session Two
The Clay Legacy: Henry Chapman Mercer and the Bucks County Pottery Tradition
Adam Zayas, Independent Scholar and Retired Potter, Moravian Tile Works
A Redware Potter's Perspective plus Q&A Session
Greg Shooner, Redware Potter
4:45 – 5 pm
Concluding remarks
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Reception at the Dewees Tavern
Scholarships
Two scholarships covering the registration fee are available for current graduate students and young museum professionals, sponsored by the Decorative Arts Trust. Eligible applicants should be enrolled in an art history, history, material culture, or related program and/or be a young professional employed by an art or history museum. To apply, please email a one-page cover letter explaining why you want to attend the symposium, c.v., and recommendation letter to info@historictrappe.org by February 20, 2026.
Hotel Accommodations
Thank you to our symposium sponsors:
