While the development of craft
in America occurred throughout the twentieth century, it gathered
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FURNITURE
Andrew Muggleton |
force during its last fifty
years. And there was something especially extraordinary about
the years dating from the 1970s—thatperiod somehow both coalesced
the movement and stimulated it, producing societies,
conferences and symposiums, new craft programs in schools and colleges,
workshops, books and magazines, craft shows and fairs. The crafted object
achieved recognition for its own intrinsic value, emerging from the hands
of artisans who created works with their unique spirit and animus.
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Kari Lonning |
In all media, the Smithsonian
Craft Show artists still honor their historical antecedents. Even though
the contemporary craft movement places such
a high value on self-expression and individuality, it also respects
the universal language and communication of the
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ART
Toshie Chigyo & Marico Chigyo |
handmade object. It is not
a world that defines itself through a particular
medium but through the connection made between the hand, the heart and
the mind. The handmade object
is inextricably linked by the critical interrelationship of its form
(the way in which something is made) to its meaning (the purpose for which
it is made). It is an artform that transmits itself directly and immediately
with a timeless, inherent simplicity— the
handmade object is beautiful not despite its usefulness but because
of it.
Artists have come to prize
the Smithsonian Craft Show and value it not only for its standards,
quality and excellent
reputation but for its encouragement and nurturance of contemporary
craft in the United States. Within the
craft milieu, both artists and the attendees consider the Craft
Show to be physically located in the most elegant atmosphere, the National
Building Museum in Washington, D. C., of all the various craft show
sites taking place throughout the United States.
Sponsored by the Smithsonian
Women’s
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Matthew Feldman
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Committee, the Craft Show is produced annually to benefit educational, outreach and research
projects within the Smithsonian Institution. Since
its founding in 1966, the Committee has raised and distributed
nearly seven million dollars. The Smithsonian Craft Show prides itself on
a rigorous jurying process, selecting one hundred twenty artists from a highly competitive
field of over a thousand in twelve media formats. Work is judged
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| METAL
Valeri Timofeev |
by the artist’s originality
and innovation in the medium; the force of personal expression and creativity;
technical expertise and consistency of quality; and must be either one-of-a-kind
or limited edition pieces in order to qualify.
One of three jurors for the
2006 Show, William Carlson (a glass artist and professor and Chair of
the
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Diana Harrison |
Department of Art and Art History at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida),
stated that “the entire field of entries was impressive,
both in terms of number and overall skill level.” Carol Sauvion, originator and co-executive
producer of the upcoming PBS television series Craft in America, as
well as owner of Freehand, a gallery of contemporary crafts in Los Angeles,
reported that “virtually every entry was worth considering.
You call yourselves the finest craft show in America, and
I agree.” Sauvion and her film crew will be at the 2006 Show to
record it for inclusion in the Craft in America series.
The third juror Judith Weisman also felt the fine quality of the work
was “very consistent” and the
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MEDIA
Douglas Durkee |
selected works demonstrate
“the passion of the individual artist, technical mastery, and
a commitment to high standards.” Judith Weisman is a collector
of modern British ceramics and American fiber art.
During these wrenching,
deeply troubling times, artists
and their works can help illuminate our personal lives and
experiences.
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| DECORATIVE FIBER
Renee Harris
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Artists undertake a journey
in their creative life that concludes
with a work of art. There are artists who believe that making art is
a form of giving birth and that their relationship with what they have
made does not end when the work is finished. Some artists feel that
while the very nature
of art demands that it be decorative, its primary function is spiritual
nourishment. Others consider their art as an avenue to the miraculous;
and still more who think that within each successful piece lies
expression of such
purity and brilliance that when realized becomes an artistic clairvoyance.
When we are not in harmony, we cannot receive the gifts of the spirit.
In a society dominated by
consumer marketing and manufacturing,
we need to be reminded of the legacy passed on by artists of other times
and places, and how the modern
makers have taken up the challenge to ennoble the world. It really is
a privilege to support emerging and established artists. Acknowledgment
of their artistic gifts benefits both universal qualities we all share
and ones unique to
each. Their works of the hand are about voyages, connections, kinship,
and coming home to the heart within.
The Smithsonian Craft Show
takes place in the National Building Museum, at the Judiciary Square
Metro Station (Red Line), 401 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Public
days are from April 20 through April 23. Visit the Craft Show’s
website at www.smithsoniancraftshow.org .
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