George Fitzpatrick,
P im v h e e l B a s k e t i
photo: Courtesy of the artist
ab o u t
18
m on th s ago . ( W e in sells
M e y e r ’s w o r k th ro u gh his co m -
p a n y , C le v e la n d A r t, sp ecializin g
in re cy cle d industrial d esign .)
A s R u s tb e lt R e b ir th , M e y e r
n o w w o r k s n e a r h is h o m e in a
c o n v e r te d b a rn . ( A h u g e m u ral
o f u n d e r w a te r life b e a rs w itn e s s
to th e b a rn ’s u n lik e ly p re v io u s
life as a scu b a s h o p .)
R e c e n tly
h e m a rk e d a c o u p le o f re c o rd
m o n th s. T h o u g h h e has tw o
e m p lo y e e s , h e rem ain s d e e p ly
in v o lv e d in fa b ric a tio n . A n d he
still u ses all p o st-co n su m e r m a te -
rials, th o u g h h e ’s m o v e d fro m
cu rb sid e “ p ic k -u p ” to b u y in g
m aterials w h o le sa le .
H is re cy clin g eth o s exten d s
to his “ seg m en tin g ” tech n iq u e,
jo in in g sm aller p ieces o f, sa y ,
sh e e t m etal to fo rm a b ig g e r
p iece rath er than cu ttin g a sin gle
sh ee t to fit and to ssin g th e scrap .
D e s p ite h is e a r ly s u c c e ss,
M e y e r a c k n o w le d g e s th a t his
c h ic , w it t y w o r k w ill p ro b a b ly
n e v e r sell b ig w ith , sa y , m id-range
fu rn itu re retailers. D o e s h e e v e r
w o r r y th at it co u ld b e le ft b eh in d
in th e n e x t d esign v o g u e ?
“ F r o m an a rtis tic p o in t o f
v ie w , m y w o r k is c o n s ta n tly
c h a n g in g ,” M e y e r s a y s , and
th a t q u e s tin g s p irit m a y ju s t be
h is b e s t in su ra n c e a g a in st th e
ch a n g in g tid e s o f fa sh io n . “ M a y -
b e w h a t I’m d o in g n o w ch im es
w ith w h a t’s se llin g n o w ; m a y b e
it’s ju s t th a t it’s w e ll m ad e and
c r e a tiv e .” A n d th a t n e v e r g o e s
o u t o f sty le .
- J U D Y A R G I N T E A N U
ru s tb e ltre b irth .c o m
c le v e la n d a rt.c o m
J u d y A rg in tea n u is
A m e ric a n
C r a ft ’v
copy ed itor
.
Snail Media Center, 2010
recycled sheet metal,
steel tubular frame
3.7x5 x1.5 ft.
M e y e r w e lco m e s th e seren d ip ity:
H e d o esn ’t d o a n y cu sto m p ain t
w o r k , fo r e x a m p le ; h e ju st
en su re s h e has e n o u g h c o lo re d
sh e e t m e ta l o n h an d . “ T h e m a te -
rials d e c id e th e c o lo r - I ’v e ju st
g iv e n it a little g u id a n c e ,” he
sa y s. “ I h a v e n o sen se o f c o lo r;
th a n k G o d th e m aterial d o e s .”
H e also w e lc o m e s th e patin a
o ld m etal has. “ I’m w o r k in g w ith
m aterial th at m igh t h a ve been
u sed fo r m ayb e
4 0 , 5 0
y e a rs, and
it bears th e distress o f w h a t it’s
g o n e th rou gh . T h a t’s n o th in g y o u
can m ake h ap p en - it’s so m eth in g
y o u h ave to let h a p p en .”
I A / I o w a C it y
A K A R G a lle r y
3 0
x
5
: S a lt/S o d a
N o v .
1 1
- D e c .
2
a k a rd e s ig n .c o m
T h is p o p u la r an n u al e v e n t fe a -
tu re s
3 0
a rtists w h o m a k e fiv e
p o ts e a ch ; th is y e a r ’s th e m e is
salt- and so d a -fire d ce ra m ics.
I L / C h ic a g o
N a v y P ie r F e s tiv a l H all
S O F A C hicago;
T h e In tu it Shozu o f
F o lk a n d O u tsid er A r t
N o v .
4
- 6
s o fa e x p o .c o m
a rt.o rg
A f t e r a jo in t d eb u t in
2 0 1 0
, S O F A
C h ic a g o and In tu it team up again
fo r a w id e -ra n g in g m ark etp lace.
M A / B r o c k to n
F u lle r C r a ft M u se u m
A l l T h in g s C on sid ered F I
to D e c .
11
fu lle r c r a ft.o r g
In c o n c e r t w ith th e
N a tio n a l B a s k e tr y
O r g a n iz a tio n ’ s
c o n fe r e n c e ,
th is s h o w
c o n ta in s
7 0
p ie c e s fro m
in v ite d an d ju r -
ie d a rtists , su ch
as G e o rg e F itz p a tric k (a b o v e ).
M E / R o c k p o r t
M e s s ie r G a lle r y / C e n te r
fo r F u r n itu r e C ra fts m a n sh ip
R eg en eration : F in e
IVooclzvorkers U n d er
3 0
to N o v .
2 2
w o o d s c h o o l.o r g
C o -p r o d u c e d w ith
F in e W ood -
w o rkin g ,
th is n a tio n a l ju rie d
e x h ib itio n d isp la y s w o o d w o r k -
in g b y to p y o u n g a rtists.
N C / A s h e v ille
A s h e v ille C iv ic C e n te r
C r a ft F a ir o f the
S ou th ern H ig h la n d s
O c t.
2 0 - 2 3
so u th e rn h ig h la n d g u ild .c o m
T h is h is to ric s h o w c a s e h ig h -
lig h ts d iv e r s ity , w ith a rtists
w o r k in g in b o th tra d itio n a l
an d c o n te m p o r a r y m o d e s.
o c t / n o v n
a m e r i c a n c r a f t
0 1 9
