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I f , as E m e r s o n s a id , “ a n in s tit u -
tio n is t h e le n g t h e n e d s h a d o w
o f o n e m a n ,” t h e n it m ig h t n o t
b e a s tr e tc h t o s a y t h a t t h e R a -
c in e A r t M u s e u m © is th e s h a d -
o w o f B r u c e W . P e p ic h © , its
e x e c u t i v e d ir e c to r a n d c u r a to r
o f c o lle c t io n s , n o w c e le b r a tin g
h is 3 5 th y e a r a t th is in s titu tio n .
O p e n e d in 2 0 0 3 , in a h a n d -
s o m e ly r e n o v a t e d b u ild in g in
d o w n t o w n R a c in e , w i ,
r a m
is o n e o f th e f o r e m o s t m u s e u m s
in t h e c o u n t r y d e d ic a t e d t o c o n -
t e m p o r a r y c r a ft. I t is an o u t -
g r o w t h o f t h e C h a r le s A . W u s -
tu m M u s e u m o f F in e A r t s , a
m o d e s t h o u s e m u s e u m fo u n d e d
in 19 41 s o m e d is t a n c e fr o m
d o w n t o w n , w i t h a c o lle c t io n o f
w o r k s o n p a p e r a n d t e x t i l e s
p r o d u c e d u n d e r
W P A
p r o g r a m s .
P e p ic h , w h o g r a d u a t e d fr o m
N o r t h e r n I llin o is U n i v e r s i t y ,
D e K a lb , w i t h a d e g r e e in art
h is t o r y in 1 9 7 4 , w a s h ir e d b y th e
W u s t u m as p r o je c t m a n a g e r
th e s a m e y e a r a n d b e c a m e d ir e c -
t o r in 19 8 1.
016 american craft aug/scpio
B u ild in g o n th e W u s t u m ’ s
tr a d itio n o f s o lo s h o w s o f a r tis ts
w o r k i n g in c r a ft m e d ia , P e p ic h ,
w h o ’ d lo n g b e e n in t e r e s t e d in
t h e s u b je c t , m o v e d th e m u s e u m
t o w a r d a c r a ft s p e c ia liz a t io n ,
m a k in g it o ffic ia l in 1 9 8 9 . P e p -
ic h n o t e s a b o u t R a c in e , “ C r a f t
w a s a lw a y s w a r m l y r e c e iv e d b y
t h e lo c a l a u d ie n c e a n d n o t c o m -
p r e h e n s i v e ly c o v e r e d b y o t h e r
m u s e u m s in t h e C h i c a g o - M i l -
w a u k e e c o r r id o r .” D u r in g th e
’9 0 s , P e p ic h a s s e m b le d a n o u t -
s ta n d in g c r a f t c o ll e c t io n , s ta r t -
in g in 1 9 9 1 w i t h a g i f t o f o v e r
2 0 0 w o r k s b y lo c a l c o lle c t o r a n d
c r a ft s u p p o r t e r K a r e n J o h n s o n
B o y d , u ltim a t e ly r e c e i v in g g if t s
fr o m d o n o r s in 3 0 s ta te s .
A n e w b u ild in g w a s u r g e n t ly
n e e d e d t o h o u s e a n d d is p la y th e
r a p id ly e x p a n d in g c o lle c t io n ,
a n d u n d e r P e p ic h ’s s o lid le a d e r -
s h ip , $ 10 .1 m illio n w a s r a is e d
to b u ild
R A M ,
fr o m th e fr a m e -
w o r k o f t w o 1 9 th -c e n t u r y b u ild -
in g s ; an a d d itio n a l $ 5 m illio n
w a s r a is e d in 2 0 0 5 - 7 to in c r e a s e
r a m
’ s
o p e r a t i n g e n d o w m e n t .
T o d a y t h e m u s e u m h o u s e s
m o r e th a n 5 ,0 0 0 w o r k s fr o m
in t e r n a t io n a lly r e c o g n iz e d a r t-
is ts in c e r a m ic s ( th e la r g e s t p o r -
t io n o f t h e c o lle c t io n ) , fib e r s ,
g la s s , m e ta ls a n d w o o d , as w e ll
a s w o r k s o n p a p e r . T h e r e
a re n e a r ly 4 0 0 c o n t e m p o r a r y
b a s k e t r y w o r k s a n d im p o r t a n t
h o ld in g s in a r t je w e l r y .
P e p ic h r e g u la r ly c u r a te s
e x h ib it io n s fr o m
r a m
’ s
c o ll e c -
t io n s — h e w a s “ p a r t ic u la r ly
t h r ille d ” b y t h e in a u g u r a l s h o w
o f m a s te r p ie c e s fr o m th e c o ll e c -
t io n , w h e n h e r e a liz e d th a t h e
h a d “ h a n d - w a lk e d e a c h o f th e s e
w o r k s th r o u g h t h e a c c e s s io n s
p r o c e s s ” —a n d h e is p r o u d o f
a s e r ie s b e g u n in 2 0 0 9 o f s o lo
s h o w s f o r a r tis ts w h o s e w o r k
th e m u s e u m o w n s in d e p th .
H e a ls o o v e r s e e s t h e W u s t u m ,
w h i c h n o w fu n c t io n s as
r a m
’s
v is u a l e d u c a tio n c a m p u s , o f f e r -
in g s tu d io c la s s e s a n d h a n d s -o n
p r o g r a m s f o r p e o p le o f all a g e s .
A s k e d w h a t h e h a s e n jo y e d
m o s t a b o u t h is c a r e e r , P e p ic h
s a y s , “ I t ’ s t h e p e o p le . I h a v e
m a d e li f e lo n g fr ie n d s h ip s w i t h
a r tis ts , c u r a to r s a n d c o lle c t o r s .
T h e r e is s o m e t h in g a b o u t s h a r -
in g th is p a s s io n f o r a r t th a t
u n ite s m a n y o f u s in an a lm o s t
s p ir itu a l w a y . ” I t h a s b e e n e s -
s e n tia l t o P e p ic h “ to p la c e c o n -
t e m p o r a r y c r a fts w it h in th e
c o n t e x t o f o t h e r fin e a r t m e d ia
in o u r e x h ib itio n s a n d c o lle c tio n .
W e n a m e d th e n e w m u s e u m
th e R a c in e A r t M u s e u m ,” h e
s a y s , “ t o m a k e e x p li c i t t h a t w e
s e e c r a fts as a n a c t iv e p a r t
o f th e fin e a r ts w o r l d .” —
b . s .
r a m a r t.o r g
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© Makers: A History
of American Studio Craft
B y J a n e t K o p l o s
a n d B r u c e M e t c a l f
U n i v e r s i t y o f N o r t h
C a r o li n a P r e s s
C h a p e l H ill , N C
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u n c p r e s s .u n c .e d u
A r t c r it ic J a n e t K o p l o s a n d s t u -
d io j e w e l e r B r u c e M e t c a l f h a v e
a c h ie v e d s o m e t h in g h e r e t o f o r e
u n k n o w n in s t u d io c r a f t : a
s in g le v o l u m e d e v o t e d t o th e
h is t o r y o f t h e fie ld , f r o m its
o r ig in s in 1 8 5 0 s E n g la n d t o th e
la te 1 9 9 0 s . I t is a k in d o f
J a n -
s o n ’s H i s t o r y o f A r t
f o r t h e s t u -
d io m o v e m e n t , illu s tr a t e d w i t h
k e y o b je c t s fr o m n e a r ly e v e r y
m e d iu m a n d p e r io d . F o r a fie ld
t h a t h a s b e e n w i t h o u t a d e fin i-
t iv e t e x t f o r o v e r a c e n t u r y a n d
a h a lf , i t r e p r e s e n t s a h ig h w a -
te r m a r k . T h e a u th o r s h u m b ly
n o t e t h a t t h e ir w o r k is n o t
c o m p r i s e d , f o r t h e m o s t p a r t ,
o f o r ig in a l r e s e a r c h —t h e a c -
c o m p lis h m e n t h e r e is t h e s y n -
th e s is o f in fo r m a t io n a n d id e a s .
Pepich photo Skip Simonsen / RAM photo Christopher Barrett, Hedrich Blessing, Chicago.
