E X H I B I T I O N
Extending the theme are a sinu-
ous music rack by Wendell Cas-
tle and a shapely chest-table by
Wharton Esherick, whose fur-
niture, we learn in the catalog,
Castle regarded as a form of
sculpture. The tableau demon-
strates how works in different
media, functional or decorative,
could tap into the same artistic
vein with equal success.
In these and other “rooms,”
as well as in material-specific
displays of functional work,
the appeal is to visitors as con-
sumers, capable of imagining a life
enhanced by well-designed, well-
made, and beautiful furnishings.
The mood changes in the
second half of the exhibition,
mostly work from the 1960s,
as harmonious clusters give
way to works on platforms pro-
claiming their individuality.
It was during this time that
the paradigm of the designer-
craftsman or craftsman partner-
ing with industry shifted to the
artist in academia, partly owing
to the expansion of university
craft programs after the war,
a result of the G.I. Bill, and the
entrance of crafted objects into
museum exhibitions, culminat-
ing in 1969 in the legendary
“Objects: USA.”
Here the viewer is invited
to identify with the artist-crafts-
person creating unique objects -
works that demonstrate the
potential of craft materials to
express both formal and narra-
tive content, including social
commentary on that turbulent
decade, such as Willis “Bing”
Davis’
Ghetto Voice.
Among the
many works by ceramists who
were also educators are sculp-
tural forms by Daniel Rhodes
and William Parry, teachers at
Alfred University, and by Peter
Voulkos andjohn Mason, domi-
nant figures in the clay revolu-
tion in California.
Indeed, California, with its
abundant college craft programs
and affinity for innovation, was
a magnet; around a third of the
works in the show are by Cali-
fornians. Ed Rossbach, contem-
porary fiber pioneer and UC-
Berkeley professor, is repre-
sented by a weaving honoring
astronaut John Glenn. The funk
sensibility is apparent in Robert
Arneson’s visually punning
Self-Portrait of the Artist Losing
His Marbles
and Richard Shaw’s
diminutive
Couch and Chair with
Landscape and Cows.
Among
the furniture pieces that seem
emblematic of an informal
Above:
Robert Arneson
Self-Portrait o f the Artist
Losing His Marbles,
1965
earthenware, luster
glaze, marbles, pigments
2.6 x 1.5 x .8 ft.
Right:
Ed Rossbach
Homage to John Glenn,
1962; cotton; 4 x 2.5 ft.
'
Jaw
x
•
A l.
Right:
Richard Shaw
Couch and Chair with
Landscape and Cows,
1966-7
; earthen-
ware, acrylic paint,
wood, leather
9.75 x 18.5 x 10 in. (couch)
9 x 10 x 5.75 in. (chair)
036 american craft feb/mari2
