MT. CRAWFORD, VA.- Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates Auctions announced the appointment of Brenda Hornsby Heindl as the new head of its Ceramics Department as well as coordinator of museum and educational services. She will be taking over the position previously held by Jill Fenichell.

Brenda comes to JSE&A from the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) in Winston-Salem, NC where she most recently served as a Research and Curatorial Assistant. Prior to her tenure at MESDA she worked in the Ceramics and Glass Department at Colonial Williamsburg under the guidance of Janine E. Skerry and Suzanne Findlen Hood. Brenda is a graduate of the Winterthur Program in Early American Material Culture and an alumna of Berea College in Kentucky where she trained as a production potter. She plans to continue working with clay and to rebuild her wood-firing pottery kiln at her new home in the Shenandoah Valley. Her studio, Liberty Stoneware, remains an integral research outlet for historic ceramic production, function, and use.

Brenda brings with her an extensive knowledge of imported and domestic historic ceramics, with a specialization in German and English stoneware. She has written for publications such as Ceramics in America and the American Ceramic Circle Bulletin. She has also lectured on American historic ceramics and pottery production at various seminars and conferences. In her new role at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Brenda will be working with a wide range of 17th to 20th century American, English, Continental, and Asian ceramics. She will also develop ceramics-based educational workshops and programs for a variety of audiences ranging from the collector to auction professional, and take over the firm’s already-established educational programs and museum outreaches.

“I have always admired the catalogues that Jeffrey and his staff produce and their scholarly contributions to the field,” Heindl said. “I am very excited to join the Evans’ team and have the opportunity to work alongside recognized experts in fields such as Southern decorative arts, American glass, and textiles.”

Company president and senior specialist Jeffrey S. Evans commented, “Beverley and I have known Brenda since her days at Colonial Williamsburg. Her unique combination of professional and practical experience is sure to bring a new level of insight and engagement to our Ceramics Department.” Evans added, “We are delighted to have Brenda on board and look forward to the youthful passion, high energy, scholarly connections, and fresh visions she’ll bring to the department.”