A l l p h o t o s : A C C a r c h iv e s
W ho Was
Aileen Osborn Wbbb?
“A
g
o
o
d
l i f e
i s
f o
u
n
d
o
n
l y
w
h
e
r
e
t h
e
c
r
e
a
t i v
e
s
p
i r
i t a
b
o
u
n
d
s ,
w
h
e
r
e
p
e
o
p
l e
a
r
e
f r
e
e
t o
e
x
p
e
r
i m
e
n
t
a
n
d
c
r
e
a
t e
n
e
w
i d
e
a
s
w
i t h
i n
t h
e
m
s e
l v
e
s . *
-A ile e n Osborn W ebb
IN T E R V IE W W I T H
P
a
u
l J
.
S
m
i t h
b
y
J
o
y
c
e
L
o
v
e
l a
c
e
N
J L
^ o individual has had
a more profound impact on
today’s craft field than A ileen
Osborn W ebb (1892-1979).
In addition to founding the
Am erican Craft C ouncil, M rs.
W ebb, as she w as know n to all,
was responsible for the estab-
lishm ent o f the nation’s first
museum devoted to contem po-
rary crafts, an influential
school, groundbreaking mar-
keting program s, a w orldw ide
craft association, and the very
m agazine you’re reading now.
In ways big and sm all, she sup-
ported, prom oted, and brought
together untold numbers o f
craftspeople and enthusiasts.
A nd she did it all w ith great
joy and passion.
Paul J. Sm ith, D irector Em eri-
tus o f the A m erican Craft
M useum , worked closely w ith
M rs. W ebb for som e 20 years.
H ere, he recalls this determined
yet m odest wom an w hose
vision , enterprise, and human-
ist spirit helped propel and nur-
ture a global m ovem ent.
T ell us your earliest memory
o f M rs. W ebb.
In Septem ber 1957
1
m oved to
N ew York C ity to accept an
exciting position at the A C C ,
developing traveling exhibi-
tions and educational pro-
gram s. I vivid ly remember
m eeting her in the conference
room next to her small office.
I w as 26; she was in her mid-
bos. M y first im pression was o f
a tall, elegant w om an, dressed
in conservative clothing. Her
personality reflected her privi-
leged upbringing, but she was
dow n to earth and had a warm ,
outgoing attitude.
Born into w ealth, she was
brought up in a much-respected
H udson R iver fam ily and
attended the best private
schools in N ew York and Paris.
A t the age o f 20 she married
Vanderbilt W ebb, which
brought her into association
w ith another famous family.
She w as cultivated to contrib-
ute to society; I think that
w as characteristic o f that gen-
eration o f people born into
w ealth, including Eleanor
R oosevelt, w ho w as a friend
o f M rs. W ebb.
Webb celebrates her
75th birthday in 1967
with serried ranks
of cupcakes.
W h y did she focus on craft?
A s I understand it, it began as
an interest in helping people
during the D epression to sell
and make a living. She could
see people w ere out o f work;
they didn’t have any money.
So she began to develop a
m arketing program that later
becam e Putnam C ounty Prod-
ucts, to help sell local produce
and home crafts such as quilt-
ing and handmade clothes.
It w as a cause based more
on helping people than on the
product. But it did nurture her
interest in crafts, as she w as
very cultivated in the arts. She
becam e aware o f other pro-
gram s, such as the League o f
N ew Ham pshire Craftsm en
and Southern H ighland Craft
Guild - groups that w ere also
founded during the D epres-
sion, again to help market
handmade w ork. So M rs.
W ebb, being a very driven
organization person and very
visionary, began to make
connections w ith other groups,
assemble gatherings, and make
things happen.
Y ou’ve said M rs. W ebb w ould
come into the office every day.
T his w as totally a volunteer
effort on her part. Yet she
w ould be there every day in
her office and w as involved
w ith everything. There w ere
many occasions w hen it w as
am azing, the kind o f energy
and com m itm ent she had for
that long period o f tim e.
H ow w ould you describe her
aesthetic and taste?
I think o f her aesthetic focus
as an appreciation o f beauty.
People o f her m ilieu w ere
often more com fortable w ith
things o f the past than o f the
present. Yet she w as very
much in tune w ith w hat w as
happening, w ith new direc-
tions. She w as always open
to n ew and innovative expres-
sions, but her standard was
that an object must be w ell-
made and beautiful.
M rs. W ebb didn’t just
appreciate art. In her N ew
a u g / s c p n
a m e r i c a n c r a f t 0 4 7
