a p ri I
SIBYLLE PERETTI
aprii 16-19
SOFA NEW YORK
LINO TAGLIAPIETRA
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THE AMERICAN DESIGN CLUB
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The cover of the February/March
2010 American Craft.
Continuing the Conversation
P r a is e t o A m e r i c a n C r a f t
f o r s u p p o r t in g t h e p la c e a n d
d is c u s s io n o f c r it ic is m .
T h e J e d P e r l a r t ic le ( J u n e /
J u l y 2 0 0 8 ), t h e r e c e n t a r t ic le
b y E l e a n o r H e a r t n e y ( F e b -
r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 10 ) a n d o t h e r
p u b lic a t io n s in d ic a t e t h e r e
is s o m e t h in g a t s t a k e .
H e a r t n e y g i v e s u s a n
a c c u r a t e d e s c r ip t io n o f h o w
c e r t a i n a r t is t s h a v e u t i li z e d
e le m e n t s o f c r a f t in t h e ir
w o r k . H e r a r t ic le b r in g s to
lig h t a n o t h e r c o n t e s t e d t e r r i -
t o r y e s s e n t ia l t o a c c u r a t e
a n d v a lu a b le a n a ly s is , t h a t o f
ju d g m e n t a n d d e s c r ip t io n in
c r it ic is m . T h i s d is c u s s io n h a s
p r o v o k e d t w o r e c e n t p u b lic a -
t io n s :
Critical Mess,
e d i t e d b y
R a p h a e l R u b in s t e in , a n d
IVhat
Happened to A rt Criticism ?
b y
J a m e s E lk in s ; a n d t w o c h a p t e r
h e a d in g s : “ A r t C r i t i c i s m :
W h e r e ’ s t h e D e p t h ? ” a n d
“ M o d e r n A r t ’s F a ilu r e o f C r i t i -
c a l N e r v e ” in a n o ld e r p u b lic a -
t io n ,
The Critic Is Artist by
D o n a ld K u s p i t .
I w o u ld li k e t o s u g g e s t t h a t
H e a r t n e y h a s c h o s e n t o f o l l o w
t h e c r o w d in h e r r e f u s a l t o
b r in g h e r d e s c r ip t iv e a n a ly s is
t o t h e c o n c lu s io n o f c r it ic a l
ju d g m e n t , t h e r e b y le a v in g u s
w i t h s o m e f a c t s , b u t lit t le
c o m m e n t o n t h e ir r e le v a n c e
f o r a r t , c r a f t o r s o c ie t y . S h e is
a c c u r a t e in s a y in g t h a t “ t a s te
b e c o m e s a m a t t e r o f c o n t e x t ,
n o t c o n t e n t .” B u t w h e n c o n -
t e x t d o e s b e c o m e c o n t e n t th e n
t h a t c o n t e n t n e e d s a m o r e r ig -
o r o u s a n a ly s is .
S u c h a n a ly s is w o u ld a ls o
r e v e a l s o m e in c o r r e c t a s s u m p -
t io n s b y H e a r t n e y . T o s u g g e s t
t h a t K o o n s ’ s u s e o f “ m a s t e r
c e r a m is t s , g l a s s b lo w e r s , a n d
w o o d a n d s t o n e c a r v e r s ”
s o m e h o w r e b u t s P e r l ’s c r it iq u e
o f t h e la c k o f h a n d c r a ft s m a n -
s h ip in K o o n s ’ s w o r k a n d
in d e e d e s ta b lis h e s t h e p r e s e n c e
o f “ c r a f t ” in h is w o r k is a f a i l-
u r e t o e x a m i n e t h e i n t e n t
a n d fin is h e d fo r m o f th e “ c r a f t ”
t h a t K o o n s u t iliz e s .
H e a r t n e y ’s c h a r a c t e r iz a -
t io n o f t h e a r t / c r a f t t e r r it o r y
a s “ c o n t e s t e d ” is a c c u r a t e . B u t
t h e r e n d e r in g o f ju d g m e n t in
a s s e s s in g c o n t e m p o r a r y p r a c -
t ic e s o f t h e e le m e n t s o f a r t
a n d c r a f t n o w r e v e a ls t h a t th e
r e in f o r c e m e n t o f th e b o r d e r
o b s c u r e s a c c u r a t e a s s e s s m e n t
o f t h e in t e n t io n a n d q u a lit y
o f t h e ir u s e .
J I M R O M B E R G
A b iq u iu , N M
More to Enjoy in Sweden
I e n jo y e d t h e p ie c e o n S t o c k -
h o lm in t h e F e b r u a r y / M a r c h
is s u e . R e a d e r s w h o g o t o
S w e d e n s h o u ld a ls o v i s i t t h e
L u t h e r a n C a t h e d r a l in V a x j o ,
a c i t y lo c a t e d a t t h e e d g e o f
t h e G la s s D i s t r i c t . W h i l e t h e
s t a n d a r d g u id e b o o k s d is m is s
it a s b a r e l y w o r t h a v i s i t , s in c e
it r e o p e n e d in 1 9 9 5 , it h a s b e e n
a d d in g a s u b s t a n t ia l n u m b e r
o f w o n d e r f u l p ie c e s c r e a t e d
b y s o m e o f S w e d e n ’s m o s t
p r o m in e n t c o n t e m p o r a r y
c r a ft s m e n —in c lu d in g w o r k b y
G o r a n W a r f f ( g la s s b a p tis m a l
f o n t ) , E r i c H o g lu n d a n d L a r s
