Landmark exhibition at KU's Spencer art museum explores definition of craft

LAWRENCE -- "Defining Craft I: Collecting for the New Millennium," which was organized and circulated by the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, is the first in a series of exhibitions that explores the changing definitions and meanings of "craft" and "craftsmanship" today.

The exhibition is in the Kress Gallery of the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas from April 12 to July 6. The exhibition is made possible by the Collectors Circle of the Museum of Arts and Design, formerly the American Craft Museum.

The 107 pieces in "Defining Craft I" are in glass, clay, metal, fiber and wood. They are by both emerging talents and those whose work has shaped the history of craft over the past 25 years. The latter group includes Wendell Castle, a 1961 KU graduate and native of Emporia.

The exhibit highlights works from the Museum of Arts and Design's permanent collection and documents the meaning of craft in America, focusing on major master works from the middle of the 20th century to recent new acquisitions, some shown for the first time. The exhibition acknowledges the contributions of the many artists as well as collectors and patrons who have helped build and shape this premier collection of craft.

Modern ideas about the nature and value of craft emerged in the 19th century when industrialization, mass production, and marketing and consumerism met head-to-head with traditional systems for creating useful and attractive objects, mostly made by hand in craftspeople's workshops.

The exhibition is organized into four sections that each explore a characteristic of craft and together define a distinctive profile for craft. The first, Confirming, looks at traditional values inherent in craft, such as skillful craftsmanship and respect for the material. In addition to a music rack by Wendell Castle, this section includes quilts and a whimsical tea service made by legendary potter Beatrice Wood.

The second section, Challenging, examines the increasing recognition in post-World War II of the status of craft as an art form. It features works by artists who abandoned function in favor of the action of creating, and it includes abstract glass sculpture and jewelry and furniture that are art rather than functional.

The third section, Enriching, focuses on technical innovation and includes both intricate coil-built pottery by Native American artist Richard Zane Smith and exuberant and colorful glass by Dale Chihuly.

The final section of the exhibition, Expanding, questions the boundaries of craft and looks at developments in technology and society that are changing the parameters of craft today.

The fully illustrated color catalog for the exhibit is $29.95 in the Spencer museum shop. The catalog was made possible through the generous support of Phillips International Auctioneers & Valuers. A tour of the exhibition is available online.

Public events in conjunction with "Defining Craft I: Collecting for the New Millennium":

 • Hallmark Symposium. Paul Greenhalgh, president of Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Spencer museum auditorium. 6 p.m. April 21. (The Hallmark Symposium is a program of KU's Department of Design, underwritten by Hallmark Cards Inc.)

 • Tour du Jour. Susan Earle, Spencer museum curator. 12:15 p.m. April 24. Kress Gallery, Spencer Museum of Art.

 • Lecture. "The Condition of Craft" by Glen Brown, associate professor of art history, Kansas State University. 7 p.m. April 24 . Spencer museum auditorium.