F R O M T H E S T A C K S
“ T h e m o r e c a r v in g th e r e is , th e h a p p ie r I a m . ”
— J u d y K e n s le y M c K i e
J u d Y
Kenéley
McKie
S T O R Y B Y
C h r is t in e K a m in s k y
At the heart of the sixth
floor of 72 Spring Street
in New York City is
the American Craft
Council library, one
of the largest collections
in this country of craft,
art and design books
documenting the studio
craft movement from
the 1940s to the present.
The over 14,000 volumes
include the Council’s
68-year publishing
history—all past issues
of
Craft Horizons
and
American Craft. W e’d
like to share some of this
amazing past with you
each issue as we dig
through the stacks. And
if you happen to be in
New York, the library
is open to the public by
appointment.
I n t h e D e c e m b e r 1 9 8 3 / J a n u a r y 1 9 8 4 is s u e
o f A m e r i c a n C r a f t , c u r a t o r J o y C a t t a n a c h
S m ith t r a c e d J u d y K e n s l e y M c K i e ’s p r o -
g r e s s io n fr o m s e lf- t a u g h t w o o d w o r k e r t o
a c c la im e d f u r n it u r e d e s ig n e r a n d m a k e r .
A s s e s s i n g t h e r e s u lt s o f t h is e v o l u t i o n ,
S m i t h w r o t e “ M c K i e h a s t h e r a r e a b i l i t y
t o m e r g e p r a c t ic a lit y w it h fa n t a s y , u t ilit y
w i t h w a r m t h , h o n e s t y w i t h e le g a n c e , p la y
w i t h d is c ip li n e .”
M c K i e ’s a f f in it y f o r fir s t w o o d , t h e n
b r o n z e a n d s t o n e , is r e a li z e d in s c u lp t u r a l
f o r m s t h a t f u n c t i o n . O f t e n d e s c r ib e d a s
o t h e r w o r l d l y a n d m a g ic a l, h e r d i s t i n c t i v e
fu r n it u r e is k n o w n f o r its b a s - r e lie f c a r v in g s
o f e m o t io n a lly r ic h a n im a l im a g e r y . M c K i e
h e r s e l f h a s d e c la r e d t h a t “ t h e m o r e c a r v in g
t h e r e is , t h e h a p p ie r I a m .”
T h e r e c ip i e n t o f n u m e r o u s a c c o la d e s ,
M c K i e w a s e le c t e d a F e l l o w o f th e A m e r i -
c a n C r a f t C o u n c il in 1 9 9 8 . H e r p e e r s in
t h e F u r n it u r e S o c i e t y p r e s e n t e d its A w a r d
o f D i s t i n c t i o n t o h e r in 2 0 0 5 , t h e s a m e
y e a r t h a t t h e S m it h s o n ia n I n s t i t u t i o n ’ s
J a m e s R e n w i c k A l l i a n c e h o n o r e d h e r w i t h
it s M a s t e r o f t h e M e d iu m A w a r d ; in 2 0 0 8 ,
s h e r e c e iv e d th e L u m in a r ie s A w a r d fr o m
t h e F u lle r C r a f t M u s e u m . H e r w o r k is r e p -
r e s e n t e d in m u s e u m a n d p u b lic c o lle c t io n s
a r o u n d t h e c o u n t r y .
P r it a m & E a m e s , t h e s t u d i o f u r n it u r e
g a lle r y in E a s t H a m p t o n , N Y , w i ll in c lu d e
M c K i e ’ s w o r k in it s a n n iv e r s a r y s h o w , M a y
2 8 - J u n e 2 9 , a s w e ll a s in its a n n u a l s e a tin g
e x h i b i t i o n , A u g . 6 - S e p t . 7 . C o i n c i d i n g w i t h
t h e F u r n it u r e S o c i e t y ’s c o n f e r e n c e i n j u n e
a t t h e M a s s a c h u s e t t s I n s t it u t e o f T e c h n o l -
o g y in C a m b r id g e , h e r w o r k w i l l b e s e e n
in a s h o w o n m i t ’ s K r e s g e G r e e n , J u n e
1 5 - J u ly 3 1. A n d G a lle r y N a g a in B o s t o n is
p la n n in g a m a jo r e x h i b i t i o n o f M c K i e ’ s
fu r n it u r e N o v . 1 2 - D e c . 18 . “ H e r w o r k , lik e
J u d y in p e r s o n , is g e n u in e a n d r e a l,” n o t e
B e b e P r it a m J o h n s o n a n d W a r r e n E a m e s
J o h n s o n . “ W e h a v e w a t c h e d p e o p l e tim e
a n d t im e a g a in r e s p o n d t o th is w h o le n e s s .” *
T o v i e w t h e e n t ir e A m e r ic a n C r a f t a r t ic le ,
v is it u s a t a m e r ic a n c r a f t m a g .o r g .
072 american craft apr/mayio
