T H E W I D E W O R L D O F C R A F T
Below: The rising craft
awareness of the past
several decades has led
to success for many gal-
leries, such as Ann Ruhr
Piter’s the Grand Hand
Gallery in St. Paul.
q u a lit y o f t h e ir c r a f t . T h e y m a d e t h e fir s t
s t e p s in t o t h o s e in s t it u t io n s a n d t o o k c r a f t
t o a h ig h e r le v e l in M in n e s o t a .” T h e M CC
p r o v i d e d a h u g e n u m b e r o f o p p o r t u n it ie s
f o r lo c a l c r a f t s p e o p le t h r o u g h a q u a r t e r ly
m a g a z in e a n d n e w s l e t t e r , w o r k s h o p s f o r
a r t is t s b y a r t is t s a n d a h ig h ly a n t ic ip a t e d
a n n u a l fa ir . I t b o o m e d in t h e 19 8 0 s a n d in to
th e 9 0 s , w it h m e m b e r s h ip s p e a k in g a t 5 5 0
c r a f t s p e o p le .
F o l l o w i n g t h e M C C ’s le a d , in 1 9 8 3 lo c a l
b o o k a r t is t s a n d e n t h u s ia s t s f o u n d e d t h e
M in n e s o t a C e n t e r f o r B o o k A r t s . I t s s p a c e ,
w h i c h o p e n e d in 1 9 8 5 , b o a s t e d e x c e l l e n t
s tu d io s w h e r e m a s te r s a n d n o v ic e s w o r k e d
s id e b y s id e a t le t t e r p r e s s p r e s s e s , b o o k -
b in d in g e q u ip m e n t a n d H o lla n d e r b e a t e r s .
F r o m th e b e g in n in g , th e c e n t e r s u p p o r t e d
t h e a c t i v i t i e s o f s u c h a r t is t s a s t h e n o t e d
w o o d e n g r a v e r G a y lo r d S c h a n ile c , C o f f e e
H o u s e P r e s s f o u n d e r A ll a n K o r n b lu m ,
b o o k a r t is t s J o d y W illia m s , C h ip S c h illin g
a n d t h r e e - t im e M i n n e s o t a B o o k A w a r d
w in n e r P a u le t t e M y e r s - R i c h . “ T h e c e n t e r
h a s b e e n r e a lly im p o r t a n t t o p r a c t it io n e r s
in a fie ld t h a t ’s fa ir ly n e w , ” s a y s M y e r s - R ic h .
“ I t ’ s r e a lly h e lp e d t o e d u c a t e p e o p le , in c lu d -
in g s t u d e n t s a n d a r t is t s a t a ll l e v e l s , a s w e l l
a s c r e a t in g a n a u d ie n c e .”
Above: The Grand Hand
displays a wide variety'
of media such as this
glass vase by Richard
Jones and a wire sculp-
ture by Ruthjensen.
With Minneapolis being
a center for wood art,
it is no surprise that the
gallery also displays an
abundance of works
in the medium, such as
these book boxes by
Steven Levine and lathe-
turned bowls by Ann
Jenkins.
I n 1 9 8 6 , a n a tio n a l g r o u p o f w o o d a r tis ts
f o u n d e d , in S h o r e v i e w , M in n e s o t a , t h e
A m e r i c a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f W o o d t u r n e r s .
D e d i c a t e d t o t h e a d v a n c e m e n t o f w o o d -
t u r n in g , t h e A A W h a s m o r e t h a n 3 0 0 lo c a l
c h a p te r s a n d 15 ,0 0 0 m e m b e r s in t h e U n it e d
S t a t e s . I t h o s t s a n a n n u a l w o o d t u r n in g s y m -
p o s iu m th a t is h e ld in a n e w lo c a t io n e v e r y
y e a r a n d d r a w s u p w a r d s o f 1,5 0 0 a tt e n d e e s .
B a s e d in t h e h is t o r ic L a n d m a r k C e n t e r in
d o w n t o w n S t . P a u l, w h e r e i t o p e r a t e s a g if t
s h o p a n d t h e G a l l e r y o f W o o d A r t , t h e
a a w a ls o g iv e s a r t is t g r a n t s . “ W e ’ r e p r o u d
o f th is p r o g r a m ,” s a y s T i b S h a w , th e g a lle r y
c o o r d in a t o r . “ L o c a l c h a p t e r s g e t g r a n ts f o r
e q u ip m e n t a n d t r a in in g , t o t e a c h in s c h o o ls ,
t o d e m o n s t r a t e t h e c r a f t o f w o o d t u r n in g
a n d f o r p r o je c t s w i t h j u v e n i le d e lin q u e n t s .”
W i t h th e s u c c e s s o f t h e s e m e d iu m - fo -
c u s e d o r g a n iz a t io n s , it m a d e p e r f e c t s e n s e
f o r s e v e r a l c e r a m is t m e m b e r s o f t h e M i n n e -
s o t a C r a f t C o u n c il t o f o u n d t h e N o r t h e r n
C l a y C e n t e r in 1 9 9 0 . “ T h e c e n t e r w a s m o d -
e le d a ft e r F ilm in th e C i t i e s ( a n o w - d e fu n c t
c e n t e r f o r a s p ir in g film m a k e r s ) a n d t h e
C e n t e r f o r B o o k A r t s , ” s a y s E m ily G a lu s h a ,
t h e c u r r e n t e x e c u t i v e d ir e c t o r . “ T h e id e a
w a s t o h a v e a p la c e w h e r e a r tis ts c o u ld w o r k
a n d h a v e s t u d io s , b e in v o lv e d in e x h ib it io n s ,
a n d g e t t r a in in g a n d e d u c a t io n . W e a ls o
w a n t e d a p la c e f o r p e o p l e t o s e e w o r k b y
p o t t e r s o u t s id e o f t h e i r s t u d io s e t t in g s a n d
t h e a r t f a ir s .” W i t h t w o g a lle r ie s s h o w in g
10 t o 13 e x h ib it io n s a y e a r a n d g r a n t a n d re s i-
d e n c y p r o g r a m s f o r b o t h e m e r g in g a n d e s -
t a b lis h e d a r t is t s , in c lu d in g t h e M c K n i g h t
F e llo w s h ip , t h e N o r t h e r n C l a y C e n t e r is a
m a jo r p la y e r in th e M in n e a p o lis c r a ft s c e n e .
T e x t i l e a r t is t s f o l l o w e d s u it in 1 9 9 4 b y
fo u n d in g t h e T e x t i l e C e n t e r o f M in n e s o t a ,
a n u m b r e lla a r ts o r g a n iz a t io n f o r fib e r a r t -
is t s a n d g r o u p s . I n 2 0 0 0 , t h e c e n t e r m o v e d
t o a o n e - s t o r y b r ic k b u ild in g in M in n e a p o lis
t h a t h a d o n c e b e e n a F o r d a u t o s h o w r o o m
w h ic h w a s r e t r o f it t e d to in c lu d e a g a lle r y ,
s h o p , c la s s r o o m s a n d s t u d io s p a c e .
O v e r t im e , th e M in n e s o t a C r a f t C o u n c il
m a y h a v e p r o v e d t o o s u c c e s s fu l a t its m is -
s io n . I n 2 0 0 7 , t h e o r g a n iz a t io n c lo s e d b e -
c a u s e o f fa llin g m e m b e r s h ip le v e ls . A c c o r d -
in g t o G le n n a n d o t h e r a r t is a n s , t h e r e w a s
s o m u c h g o i n g o n in lo c a l c r a f t s , a n d s o
m a n y o p t io n s in a s a t u r a t e d m a r k e t , t h a t
a d v o c a t i n g f o r c r a f t s s e e m e d t o m a n y t o
b e n o lo n g e r n e c e s s a r y . “ I t h in k w e h a v e it
p r e t t y g o o d h e r e , in t e r m s o f b o t h t h e a u d i-
e n c e a n d t h e c o m m u n it y o f a r t i s t s ,” s a y s
070 anierican craft aug/sep09
