Artist Theaster Gates has gifted a 19th-century ceramic vessel by the enslaved potter David Drake, known as Dave the Potter, to Drake's descendants. The gesture is part of Gates's exhibition "Dave: All My Relations" at Gagosian in New York, which also features a second Drake pot recently restituted by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gates pulverized 45 of his own ceramic works to create a plinth for the vessel, framing the act as a "poetic justice" that elevates Drake's legacy above his own.
This event highlights the growing movement to address the restitution of cultural objects connected to slavery and to center the narratives of enslaved artists. Gates's personal gift, alongside the institutional restitution from the MFA Boston, represents a significant moment in recognizing David Drake's artistry and reconnecting his work with his living family, challenging historical erasure and honoring a lineage of Black material culture.