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P l a c e s
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THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY
C r a ft ( M o C C ) in P o rtla n d ,
O r e g o n , k n o w s h o w to c e le -
b ra te an a n n iv e rs a ry . T o m ark
its
7 5
th y e a r , th e P o r tla n d in sti-
tu tio n h as g r o w n its n e a rly
1
,
0 0 0
-o b je c t c o lle c tio n b y
a c q u irin g m o re th an
7 5
n e w
g ifts fro m b ig -h e a rte d d o n o rs
a cro ss th e c o u n tr y . A n e x h ib i-
tio n o f th e o b je c ts ,
“ 7 5
G ifts fo r
7 5
Y e a r s ,” o p e n e d in la te J u ly
an d ru n s th ro u g h F e b r u a r y
2 5
.
W e c h e c k e d in w ith M o C C ’s
c u ra to r (an d A C C b o a rd m e m -
b e r) N a m ita G u p ta W ig g e r s to
fin d o u t m o re .
T e l l u s a b o u t o r g a n iz in g
th is e x h ib itio n .
O v e r th e p a st y e a r , a n u m b er
o f c o lle c to rs fro m P o rtla n d and
acro ss th e c o u n try g e n e ro u sly
o ffe r e d g ifts to th e m u seu m ’s
c o lle c tio n . T h is in cre a se d in te r-
e st in p la cin g w o r k at M o C C
e n co u ra g e d us to c re a te a p ro je c t
a ro u n d b u ild in g th e c o lle c tio n .
W ith th o se g ifts as a sta rtin g
p o in t, w e w e r e w e ll on o u r w a y ,
and d e c id e d to a p p ro a ch c o lle c -
to rs, g a lle rists, an d artists fo r
assista n ce in b u ild in g th e c o lle c -
tio n in h o n o r o f th is m ile sto n e
in th e in s titu tio n ’s h isto ry .
H o w do th e g ift s fit in to th e
e x is tin g c o lle c tio n ?
T h e g ifts b e g in to fill se v e ra l
s ig n ific a n t g a p s in fib e r, g la ss,
je w e lr y , an d w o o d . T h e c o lle c -
tio n is p a rtic u la rly stro n g in
c e ra m ic s , as w e w e r e o rig in a lly
fo u n d e d in
1 9 3 7
as O re g o n
C e r a m ic S tu d io , and h o ste d
s ig n ific a n t re g io n a l an n u al e x h i-
b itio n s fro m
1 9 5 0
to ’
6 4
.
H o w e v e r , d e s p ite se v e ra l
se rie s o f e x h ib itio n s fo c u s e d on
th e stu d io g la ss m o v e m e n t, th e
c o lle c tio n d id n o t d e v e lo p in a
c le a r w a y fro m th e
1 9 8 0
s fo r -
w a r d . T h is n e w g ro u p o f g ifts
fills im p o rta n t g a p s in th e se
m o re r e c e n t d e c a d e s , and p r o -
v id e s a fo u n d a tio n o n w h ic h
w e ca n b u ild fu tu re g r o w th .
D o th e g if t s h a v e s p e c ia l
M o C C c o n n e c tio n s ?
T h e g ifts span th e en tire
7 5
-year
h is to r y o f th e m u seu m . T h e
o ld e s t g ifts in th e e x h ib itio n
are p ie c e s o f
1 9 3 0
s ta b le w a re
d e s ig n e d b y R u s s e l W r ig h t ,
s ig n ific a n t in th e h is to r y o f
M o C C , as his ill-fated A m e rica n
W a y p ro je c t in clu d ed se v e ra l o f
th e a rtists - all w o m e n - w h o
w e r e p a rt o f th e g ro u p th a t
fo u n d e d O r e g o n C e ra m ic
Works by Russel
Wright (above), Henry
T akemoto (left), and
Fay the Levine (below
left), arc among the
recent acquisitions
Portland’s Museum
of Contemporary Craft
is celebrating - along
with its diamond
anniversary - in its
“75 Gifts for 75 Years”
exhibition, through
February 25,2012.
S tu d io . T h e a d d itio n o f F a y th e
L e v in e ’s a rc h iv e s fro m
H a n d -
m ade N a tio n
and K a te B in gam an
B u r t’s d ra w in g s fro m th e
a c c o m p a n y in g p u b lic a tio n p r o -
v id e an u p -to -d a te re s o u rc e o n
h o w c r a ft sh ifts an d ch a n g e s
w ith each g e n e ra tio n .
O th e r e x c itin g c o n n e c tio n s
to th e m u se u m ’s h is to r y are
th re e c e ra m ic p ie c e s b y H e n r y
T a k e m o to , w h o s e w o r k w a s
e x h ib ite d in th e
1 9 6 0
s h e r e , and
a sm all v e s s e l b y J o h n M a s o n ,
w h o r e c e iv e d a so lo e x h ib itio n
at th e u rg in g o f P e te r V o u lk o s .
W h a t a r e so m e o f th e m o re
u n u s u a l o r u n c o n v e n tio n a l g ifts
in th e g r o u p ?
It’s v e r y e x c itin g to h a v e a s ig -
n a tu re tro m p e l ’o eil le a th e r
ja c k e t b y [ce ra m ist] M a r ily n
L e v in e an d th re e s c u lp tu re s b y
J o a n L iv in g s to n e - p ie c e s th a t
w o u ld b e c o n s id e re d m a jo r
a c q u is itio n s at a n y in s titu tio n .
P la c e d h e re at M o C C , th e y can
b e e x a m in e d and u n d e rsto o d
as w o r k th a t d e c o n s tru c ts th e
d iv id e s b e tw e e n a rt, c r a ft, and
d e sig n , w h ile p r o v id in g im p o r-
ta n t o p p o rtu n itie s to c o n s id e r
h o w c r a ft fu n c tio n s in c o n te m -
p o r a r y p ra c tic e .
T a l k a b o u t th e c h o ic e to p u sh
th e d e fin itio n o f c r a ft an d
e x p a n d to g ift s o f a n im a tio n ,
d r a w in g s , e tc .
M a k in g d o e s n o t h a p p e n in a
vacu u m . M a n y artists u se d ra w -
in g , c o m p u te rs, p a in t, cra ft-
based m ed ia, and w ritin g in th eir
w o r k . T o p e rp e tu a te th e id ea
th a t c ra ft is o n ly a b o u t w o r k in g
in sp e c ific m e d ia , as o p p o se d to a
w a y o f w o r k in g th a t is e n g a g e d
m o re b ro a d ly , is s e v e r e ly lim it-
in g to th e fie ld , an d d o e s n o t
re a lly re p re se n t th e w a y p e o p le
h a v e w o r k e d an d c o n tin u e to
w o r k . T h e s e re c e n t g ifts to th e
c o lle c tio n h e lp us co m m u n ica te
th at to o u r v isito rs.
W h a t d o y o u h o p e p e o p le
w i ll t a k e a w a y fr o m th is
e x h ib itio n ?
I h o p e th a t p e o p le w ill c o n s id e r
h o w th e y s te w a r d o b je c ts and
h is to ry in th e ir o w n h o m e s, h o w
m u seu m s o ffe r o p p o rtu n itie s
to te ll s to rie s th ro u g h o b je c ts ,
an d h o w m u seu m s c o n n e c t us
to o u r cu ltu re s.
- E L I Z A B E T H
R Y A N
m u se u m o fco n te m p o ra iy cra ft.o rg
E liz a b e th R y a n is
A m e r ic a n
C r a ft
’$ in tera ctiv e editor.
0 2 8 a m e r i c a n c r a f t
o c t / n o v n
Photos (3): Dan Kvitka
