Callaway Banks was an avid collector of folk art, purchasing his first piece, a face jug, in the 1980s. Until his death in 2010, Banks continued to travel the South, purchasing work and making friends with hundreds of artists. In 2007 he donated a large part of his collection, more than one thousand objects, including approximately 250 pieces of pottery, to Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, his hometown. This exhibition included vessels and sculptures by a variety of artists—from early members of the well-known Meaders family of Northeast Georgia to contemporary potters such as Stacy Lambert and Crystal King of North Carolina. Each put his or her own creative spin on the medium. Some pieces inspired laughter or surprise, while others were delightful portraits of people and animals.