As we continue to learn about the history of craft I encourage you to pick up and read an issue of American Craft Magazine. The reviews and illustrations are in many ways the end product of this book. Again, I love how the opening brief history lessons helps to set the stage for each movement. It is hard at times to see past our current everyday lives to consider what factors have contributed to the present situation of each medium. Much let know what is ahead.
A reminder to answer the three main questions for each chapter. In addition I have an extra question for you this week: describe your favorite chair.
Reading this chapter is taking me ten times longer than it should.. I keep looking up images of the artwork made by the artists referenced in this book. One picture is not enough!!! Overbeck's limited pallet and low relief on very traditional shapes, and Adelaide Alsop Robineau, that scarab vase is amazing. I do not normally like that much ornamentation on a vessel, but that is gorgeous, and the color is so understated. Wow. just Wow. I also liked Bachelder's work. Beautiful forms. I am waiting to see an "American Roadshow" program, (is that the one on PBS?) It will now make much more sense!!!
ReplyDeleteI am impressed at how women are taking the lead in some of these fields. The pottery, the entrepreneurial shops, the teaching and leading.
It is interesting to read how the styles ebbed and flowed, as well as the effects of the war. Stickley's unfortunate timing for his Craftsman Building, and his inability to change with the consumer's taste.
What amazed me was the discussion about the colonial revival. It is strange to think of it as an Anglo-saxon past, excluding various ethnicities, used to teach "American Values." I never looked at it that way. I have never felt culturally interesting. So many other ethnicities have such colorful, rich, deep traditions, while I feel pretty bland. Must be the colonial stuff, eh?
OMG, I forgot the jewelry!!! How could I??? Loved Josephine Harwell Shaw's work. If I win the lottery, I will own a piece of hers. Gorgeous!!!
DeleteChris - I loved those same designs and thought the jewelry amazing! After my time in Junction and knowing how hard it is to work with jewelry (through observation)- it is amazing all the scroll work in Frank Gardner Hales pendant necklace (p98).
DeleteChris ...my extra question was...what is your favorite chair?
DeleteFuture, I had to think a little more on that. I do not have one favorite chair, as my design sense is quite eclectic so comfort has been my main goal. I do sit a lot, when reading this textbook!, in a Crate and Barrel chair with ottoman. Kind of green, very comfy. Mostly straight lines. I probably spend more time actually sitting in my car more than anywhere else, and I like that seat, it fits!!!
Deletelol..I know what you mean... I am called the road warrior this year because I drive all over Texas to teach and spend much time in my car also...my car seat is soft old leather and comfy too.
DeleteChris I know what you mean I had to have my phone on me to look up everything then I realized that I was out of time and could not finish the chapter.
DeleteI loved the sisters/family run ceramics, talk about talent and using every ones best areas.
I tried to warn everyone that is the best/worse thing about this book..it could easily be 10 books because of all the references to artists/artwork. For me, once again, the main issue is why was most of this not mentioned in art history or studio classes?
DeleteFuture, my thoughts exactly! This class should be required curriculum. THIS IS ART HISTORY WE ALL NEED TO KNOW. I am getting so much more out of this online seminar method than I ever would in a classroom setting. I am so enjoying learning at my own pace & being able to research, think, ponder, and discover what really grabs me as deeply as I want. A strong example for the positive power of the internet!
DeleteI purchased the book and the kindle version. Am loving the online book because then I can look everything up almost simultaneously! This book is amazing and an example of how trends in education can influence what material and information the students receive / discuss / learn. Ever so more than before is DIY part of our current culture. Where doing things and crafting things at home is as valid as painting on an easel in a studio. The crafting culture unfortunately was shunned for a long time and now that I have this book in my hand, I feel its power to provide me valuable insight to be an advocate for all types of art making. Hear, hear!
DeleteChris, i agree that it takes forever to read this book. I can't read it without my phone or tablet with me, because whenever the author describes a piece with no picture associated with it, my imagination runs wild until I can google it. Very hard to concentrate. I would be pretty great to have an encyclopedic knowledge of crafts like the appraisers on the Road Show do. It would definitely make it easier to read this book. By the way, I went to the junk shops in downtown Wichita Falls today and had my eyes peeled for an ugly copper lamp.
DeleteI have found this chapter very interesting and have enjoyed reading through it on the basis of design collaboration in community, ideas for dreaming about what I could achieve through craft and just how war and immigration may have impacted America’s craft movement. What impresses me was based on design. The simplicity of Rheads vase’s (pg. 90, 91). Overbeck’s pottery encouraged my own naturalist design voice. I also looked up CFA Voysey, whose work was inspiration to Rheads. Love his use of nature in design. I loved the Snow White lock – design that tells a story! I also loved Janet Payne Boyles theory on nonfunctional design for her spoons. I think this was a great example of creating in their voice and definition of craft.
ReplyDeleteWhat I take away is all those that tried to start and manage a business within the arts and crafts movement. As a businessperson you have to be willing to change and adapt to your client; this is not easy and they definitely took risks to make the business work. I met a lady who owns American Craft and Jewelry store in Carmel, CA. Her goal was to create a space to view American crafted, decorative and functional art pieces. She markets not only to tourists but brides who are looking for authentic pieces to put along side their china. Her inspiration was modeled by a store in Cincinnati, OH that she kept calling it the department museum store. Her store was a great and she has had to bring in antique pieces as well, adding to her customer base.
What surprises me is the immigration movement maybe lead to a stronger craft movement in America. (Making assumptions) How immigration impacted and influenced a region with technique and craft design adding to a stronger product. I feel like we take trades passed through immigration for granted in America. My grandfather, from Akron Ohio, told great stories of the “melting pot” neighborhood that he lived in. He had friends from Italy, Czech. and Poland, he was Hungarian, and as he stated, “There was never a dull moment or lack of good food!”
Also, that occupational therapy grew from the benefits of making crafts to enrich and create better lives! AWESOME!!!
Marguerite Zorach found more brilliant colors in wool than paint! I would have thought that the other way around.
As for my favorite chair: It is small and fits my frame perfectly (functional). The legs are stubs in the mission style. It is upholstered with fabric that is a green, medium hue, gold stripe and small red triangle intersecting the gold stripe creating a diamond pattern. From a far it just looks green, once you are close or sitting in it, you then realize the pattern.
Nice answers. Where do you keep your chair?
DeleteIts in my family room, right next to the windows - favorite reading chair!
DeleteThe chair souns very personal and intimate.
Deletesounds..sorry....tired
DeleteGail you took all of the words right out of my mouth!
DeleteThe spoon was amazing and the fact that it had a hole in it so you could not use it as a spoon. I wonder how artists responded to her then? Because it reads like there was a set form and you better not step out of it or you were rejected.
Gail, I feel it is an American tradition for an ethnic group to immigrate to this country, merge their culture with the rest, forget about the origins of that culture, then turn around and complain about the immigrants coming in after. It makes me think of the term "white," and how that is an ever-expanding definition. There was a time when many ethic groups that we think of as "white" weren't considered "white." We just had the anniversary of the Japanese internment camps here in America, but now Japanese-Americans seemed to have all but escaped the cultural stigmas placed upon minority groups. On the positive note, maybe that's how we can finally end racism. We just keep transferring our anger to the next group until we are completely out of ethnicities.
DeleteGail great point about American Craft taking on new skill sets and styles as a result of immigrating populations at the turn of the century. Ohio has a strong glass tradition too doesn't it? I seem to recall Toledo has a historical link to glass.
DeleteJustin I think what you are describing is the growing pains of all immigrant populations, and not a specifically American trait. I do however agree to an extent about people assimilating and loosing sight in some ways of their own cultural heritage. The fact that the term white is so broad in today's context is a prime example.
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DeleteDaniel & Justin - I cringe every time I see the checkbox for 'White.' I'm left with mixed feelings as I think how watered down this term is used in describing a group of people. Honestly, it’s degrading...
DeleteOn the topic of immigration that was discussed above, I believe that unfortunately it is a part of human nature to want to dislike the 'new,' no matter what it is. Kind of like what Justin had said, when the next new thing comes in, it signals a time to switch the focus over to this new subject, whether it be an art form or a people, while the latter moves out of the spotlight. However, I don’t think the world will ever really run out of ethnicities or people to dislike, but I do believe that one of the ways racism can at least BEGIN to end is to embrace a completely different way of thinking in that ‘change’ is at the forefront of what drives thought, compassion and humanity. Roosevelt had put it very eloquently in his Armory speech: "that there can be no life with out change, no development with out change and to be afraid of what is different or unfamiliar is to be afraid of life."
Thanks for the link to the speech below, Justin. Was a good read ;)
I am right there with you, Chris. This chapter is filled with so many awesome things to get side-tracked on. But about our favorite chair - Arthur Stone caught my interest early on in chapter 2 and now reading chapter 3 (not quite finished yet), he really has my interest. I wasn't familar with Federal forms (at all) and how he revitalized and incorporated them into his silversmithing. I started to read more about Federal forms and came across the Federal chair. “The Neoclassical style, introduced in England by Robert Adam, George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton, flourished in America from around 1780 to 1820, during what has come to be known as the ‘Federal’ period.”
ReplyDeleteThe Federal chair I have linked below really has nice design! I am drawn to the architectural references of the chair. The back is really stunning. The intiricate carvings are amazing and I can only imagine the patience and time that went into it. I am referring to this particular chair:
http://www.christies.com/features/Collecting-Guide-American-furniture-6969-1.aspx
This page also really gave me a quick rundown of American furniture. It was helpful so I thought I would share. Will post again when finished reading chapter 3!
April...I am sorry, I did not state the question well... what is the favorite chair you own. My thought being what is it that we actually live with each day.
DeleteApril, I never really thought about silversmithing before, and really enjoy the pieces. I am looking forward to seeing how this changes over time, and with the times.
DeleteWell then my new answer would have to be a chair that I keep in my studio. It is a basic and simple chair made from wood and metal. It serves it's purpose for me when I need to sit at my desk to draw. It is not too comfortable, which is perfect because it forces me to sit up straight. My favorite thing about it is the fact it's covered in paint and changes with time. It is a chair I will never let go.
DeleteApril I understand about your studio chair. Mine is the same way not super comfortable but it does make me sit right and its creating time when I am in it.
DeleteI'm like you I love the lines of chairs of the period we are reading about, but are they comfortable without pillows?
Thanks April...I have a straight back chair also for when I sew otherwise my back is only good for an hour at most.
DeleteApril that is a really cool way of thinking about how your process changes the tool over time! I also picked a utilitarian chair for the same purpose of not being overly comfortable, get to work Daniel not time for relaxing!
DeleteI found Frank Koralewsky’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves Door Lock from 1911 to be amazing. It is so intricately carved. I can’t imagine anyone today spending almost seven years constructing a lock. My only hope is that with 3D printers becoming more common, we might see a greater affordability to unique and intricate designs, but of course this means losing the handmade aspect. But at the same time, it should make beautiful things more affordable.
ReplyDeleteI think there is something still relevant to this quote from Jewelry Creation and Design, “The student of course will not copy any of the illustrations given, as the greatest benefit comes only when the idea is thought out from beginning to end” (p. 91). This just strikes me as I just returned from my students competing in the regional Visual Arts Scholastic Event, which rewards tedious replications of photographs leading, in my opinion, to a downward spiral of art pedagogy focused solely on mindless replication.
Theodore Roosevelt always impresses me. On page 86, the book mentions that he reviewed the Armory Show. It was easy to track it down. Upon reading it, I found it to be thoughtful and measured, especially considering how the rest of the general public’s response to the show was described: “The exhibition was met with both horror and amusement by the public and press.” I have left a link to the article below. Roosevelt continues to strike me as an amazing intellect, strategist, conservationist, outdoorsman, and a list of other descriptors too numerous to mention. I wonder what it would be like if politics today were filled with men that were thoughtful and measured.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5565/
I don't really have a favorite chair. I've been trying to think of one, but there isn't really a chair in my home that I prefer to sit in. My parents have two burgundy leather chairs by their fireplace that I like, but that's more because they remind me of Christmas and time with my family. The chairs themselves aren't all that special. I don't think that I can think of a chair that I wouldn't easily discard or replace.
DeleteJustin, at another time we can go into VASE and how I too see it becoming so controlled that it is losing its original intention which was to celebrate the kids and their talent. I was a juror and felt so restricted.
DeleteJust finished VASE last Saturday and I couldn't agree with your sentiments more Justin. The lock you mention is staggeringly impress with regards to the investment in time and attention to detail and craftsmanship. I was imideiatly reminded of the relief work in Lorenzo Ghiberti's doors to the Florence Baptistery, The Gates of Paradise.
DeleteThe lock also stood out to me. I wish I could physically touch and explore the intricacies of this piece! I also found it interesting that locks and tools were used "...as elaborate displays of skill. These objects served as advertisements for the maker's technique and probably as a game of one-upmanship with neighboring smiths." Haha. Sometimes I feel like my art has to have this deep, personal, philosophical importance in order to be a memorable, life changing piece.... but sometimes art can just be made for pure display of the technique. What qualifies as "good" art making practices is so wide and varied...
DeleteJustin, it is ok about the chair. The point of the question was to think about chairs and to share how you use them in your daily life (thus my request that it be an actual chair you use today). You ability to give away any chair is as valid as someone who hauls a favorite chair across country.
ReplyDeleteRemember the Armory Show at time forbid child or expecting women from viewing. The power of art and fear of art
Justin, That was a great article - thanks for sharing. I loved the quote, "that there can be no life with out change, no development with out change and to be afraid of what is different or unfamiliar is to be afraid of life." I also loved your quote from above about original work - I have seen this in the quilting industry and I think personally I have realized that in the art quilting teaching industry - part of the clientele is there for entertainment purposes and the other want to understand design: client a wants to learn the technique and create their own work with that technique; client b just want to copy exactly whats done because they don't want to think - they just follow the example to impress their friends - those I think are afraid of design. Something I can't control but I just try to express that original work be created once they learn the technique. I think in juried shows about replication of photographs in the textile art quilting industry - common attendee is so in awe that the replicated art work looks like a photo with fabric that many of the magazine publishers and jurors have created their own type of art process out of that "awe". I like you don't get it but thats what I've seen with that phenomena...
ReplyDeleteGail, long ago in San Francisco I saw some outstanding "art quilts" that were 3D, crazy, insane, wonderful and still could be used on a bed. It is easy to set limit on what good art or good craft is, the problem is be open enough to allow for that which does not fit into any category. And this refers back to Justin's comment on VASE, if the jurors or viewers do not know a process...I am thinking of clay and alternative firings techniques...then they go with what they know, which is the highly colored and shiny pieces.
DeleteI was impressed,surprised and will take away with me the idea of the Arequipa Pottery which was a sanatorium for women suffereing from first stage tuberulosis who were allowed and taught to make a type of pottery produced in Marin County, California, from 1911 until 1918. this Arequipa Pottery is unlike many Arts and Crafts pottery businesses we have been studying because it began as a part of the therapy process for young women who were recovering from tuberculosis in the San Francisco Bay Area. The pottery was also produced from local clay.I was impressed and surprised that the Arequippa Sanatorium was started to help poor women make an honest income to pay for their health care. I found that on page 91 Dr. Brown had wanted this for these reasons"..Many poor women in San Francisco suffered from tuberculosis, and he conceived of a pottery' as a way for women to earn enough money to pay for their care and to avoid the humiliation of charity"such an amazing and selfless act at first and within a year these simple pots were selling well under the guidance of Mr Rhead,the ceramicist /instructor from University City that we read about...but then to read on that the instructor ,Mr Rhead, who built this up in the beginning and used the local red clay found in the area but then it appears he tried to commercialize and change the intent by hiring professional assistants to help and he was told to resign when he tried to expand and did not see eye to eye with Dr. Brown.. I think in all there were three directors,Englishmen who came to the San Francisco area and on page one 92 "..found patients able to do the work,rapid turnover was a problem.Patients worked on pottery only four to five months...so the best decorators were always leaving"..of course then it closed in 1918...The idea was such a wonderful one it is a shame.He taught the slip trailing patterning of the ivy decorations on the pottery which actually became the signature of this pottery.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this particular part of the chapter I was inspired by this heart to teach and use art to help gain money for thenselves. A pure move to want to simply help those who are need in a way help themselves. It's difficult to find that now a days, but it's brought me a deeper appreciation and motive to use that in the future.
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DeleteThere is so much more that surprises me and intrigues me in this chapter,I find this chapter to resonate with me the most so far but I have to go back to class..but ..page 94"One of his most idealistic projects was Craftsman Farms"I like this idea also.. then Margery Wheelock who was one of the first women making furniture was also interesting and then the jewelery section.....Page 97"..The Chuncky expressive jewelry pioneered by Madeline Yale Wynne was not acceptable."interesting the change to more simple design and evolution..Also page 98 talking about Hale's designs becoming more abstract..interesting and surprising...ok need to go sorry...
ReplyDeleteMadeline Yale Wynne wasn't interested in making money from her art. Her watch fob on pg 64 is beautiful but not usable. On pg 65 the writers state, "She (M.Y.W.) was clear about her position: craft is primarily an aesthetic enterprise, not a demonstration of skill". I can appreciate that on so many levels but the other side of the coin is how to support yourself in an aesthetic enterprise. Luckily Madeline was affluent enough to not have to worry about supporting herself with her art and did not feel a need to conform to SACB requirements of that time. Cool lady.
DeleteWhat surprised me in this chapter was the information in the 2nd paragraph, pg 84, about labor movement victories- "New laws created a fifty-four hour workweek for women and children." That is brushing over the subject Very lightly. The workweek was previously 56 hours - so a whole 2 hours were cut. Then the factory owners cut the workers pay because of two hours less work. When the work week was cut back in 1912 approximately 300,000 women worked in factories for around $6 a week.
ReplyDeleteBleuSky, Oh, that killed me! The hours were cut back?????? That was not elaborated at all...
DeletePretty terrible....
ReplyDeleteJustin great article, I had know idea that Teddy was involved with art much less writing articles about them. Plus was so articulate, respectful and wise about the change taking place in art at the time.
DeleteMy favorite chair is one I acquired from the 1907 Gates’ cabin they bought in the 1960s in Creede Colorado. No one wanted the Morris style recliner because the wood was painted orange with black outline around the lion head hand rests. The cushions were covered in green naugahyde. I swept it away as quickly as they would let me and had a restoration expert redo it to it’s original state with a purple fabric, embroidered with flowering plants and birds. Although he said it was a replica, he was thrilled with the chair and educated me on the Morris chair and it’s history. You can imagine my delight to read more about the Morris chair, but surprised on page 40 when I read, “Hubbard’s advertisement trumpeted: ‘morris chair This is a close replica of the original chair made by the hands of William Morris. Cushioned complete, $50.’ No matter that the Roycroft chair bears no resemblance to the original Morris & Co. version, or that Morris never made any furniture himself”.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to read about Marguerite Zorach and the fact that she was a fauve and cubist painter turned embroiderer because she could find more brilliant colors in wool than in paint. I assumed by the early 1900’s, there were many choices of vibrant colors in paint. I would have loved to have seen her Midtown apartment covered in painted and batiked hangings and her self-made clothes. Her husband, William Zorach wrote in his memoir, “she made almost everything we wore except shoes and my suits”. Disappointing to read on page 104 about how her tapestries faded with time and rarely shown because of the light sensitivity.
I continue to be impressed with the metal and jewelry, especially Frank Koralewsky’s door lock.
“Every part is decorated, including surfaces that can’t be seen unless the lock is taken apart.” Amazing he even chose to decorate the inside and out when I think about the labor intensive task of chiseling solid iron. With very little metal experience, I enjoy reading about Janet Payne Bowels technique of melting gobs of metal together into fantastic shapes. In my metal class, I would melt copper until it would create a “gob”. Like Payne Bowels, I too, “liked to improvise as inspiration struck her”.
My take away from this chapter would have to be advice from Oscar Lewis Bachelder on page 94. “..Live each day as fully as possible. Shut worry away, plan ahead, dream ahead, each year be one year younger, dress as simply as possible, as nearly naked as you can. Let no habit become your master.” Great advice!
I love the story of the chair, its amazing how much of all of our lives has been affected by the past crafts written about in this book!
DeleteI am a super fan of Marguerite Zorach as well.
Your last quote should be written on all of our studio walls!
Kim, I agree on Your last statement we should have them write on our studio walls! Live life to the fullest!
DeleteKim, This is a wonderful description of the chair and the story behind it.I had not thought of my chair in awhile so it brought back all kinds of memories when I discussed it...and I saw myself sitting on my contemplation chair with my homemade afgan and reading.....
DeletePaige,As I said above I love your personal story of your chair.....I do not have too much experience with jewelry making or appreciation of it so I have learned a lot from the readings...but I also was surprised to learn about Marguerite Zorach..I would think wool would have and less color options than painting would offer...I like the quote you offered...it sounds like good advise if only we all could follow it
DeleteOh, Paige! I love that quote too! I was looking for a picture of him and went to this site -http://www.wcu.edu/library/DigitalCollections/CraftRevival/crafts/pottery-traditions/omar-khayyam-and-throckmorton-potteries-candler.html (Lordy, that's long)
DeleteI got a kick out of the following two sentences and thought you might too.
"Oscar Lewis Bachelder (1852-1935) had worked as an itinerant potter for nearly 40 years before settling near Candler in 1911. He was almost 60 years old when he established the Omar Khayyam Pottery, naming it for a Persian poet-philosopher to give his pottery a distinct artistic flare."
Of course being older, I am encouraged to I read about older artists making a difference. I also enjoyed seeing a picture of him. He looked like he was wearing a clean white hospital gown.
DeleteThere is little reference work on Zorach, which is sad because as each of you have stated it is amazing how she approached thread.
DeleteI was saddened too to read about how Zorach's tapestries have faded. Always assumed the richness of textile colors becomes lightened with the passage of time...
DeleteMade me wonder if a textile artist can use the fading to their advantage, and work time into a piece this way. Thought about this idea when I came across this section in chapter 4: "Eaton wrote that one great advantage of natural dyes was the way they faded, since they usually retained 'a definite relation to their original color, often becoming softer and more beautiful without losing their character, while a faded synthetic dye usually bears little resemblance to its original tone" (137). Hmmm... will have to look into this.
Paige, that came as a surprise to me too when I read that Morris had never actually made a Morris chair. I had heard the term before, and though I didn't know anything about it other than that it was a style of chair, I had always assumed it was called that because somebody named Morris had made them.
DeleteWhat impressed me in this chapter were the women artists who made some serious money from their art.The Overbeck Pottery in Cambridge City, Indiana was successfully run by four Overbeck sisters. Adelaide Alsop Robineau supported herself for a time as a china painter. Josephine Hartwell Shaw had a following of wealthy Bostonians who bought her jewelry & Elisabeth Copeland supported herself as a metalsmith for 40 years and Marguerite Thompson Zorach did tapestry commissions that would "support her and her husband for years"! pg 104 Those were some fierce women!
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm taking away with me is a deep sadness for the immigrant women who toiled in the factories and mills alongside their children in contrast to the affluent Anglo-Saxon women artists in this chapter who received wonderful educations and support from society by chance of birth and skin color. I wonder what these successful women artists thought and felt about the very poor women who were put to work in textile factories and mills. Did they even know? Here's a story my dad told me - My grandmother had a cousin that worked at the paper mill In Elizabeth, La. The mill used wool sheet material for paper to be rolled out on, as they wore out or tore they would be thrown away. My grandmother would use them as fillers for the quilts she made.
BleuSky Thank you for sharing you story about your grandmother again it amazes me how much of this book we can all identify with. Wow! if you only had one of those quilts today!
DeleteThe fact that Marguerite supported her husband during the time of woman basically having no rights is great!
Kim, I have two of my grandmother's (Nanette LeBleu) quilts! I am thrilled to have them!
DeleteImpressed with a woman in the early 1900's embroidering tapestries and supporting her family with the proceeds. This fascination with Marguerite started when I read about her in the beginning of the Chapter 3 when her paintings made it into the Armory Show. I starting researching her and found her tapestries which lead me to having done nothing all week but research her life and the details of those tapestries. Then I was impressed that the Chapter 3 ended with her. On page 104 it talks about her life in 1935 and her work was called "needlepainting", but I was disappointed to read "When a collector offered a piece to the Museum of Modern Art, officials declined, saying it didn't fit into any category that they knew of." "Museums didn't consider them equivalent to her oils." She turned back to oils and sculpture, in my opinion because no one really valued tapestries. I think that they took away her muse.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by how well Janet Payne Bowles silver work was excepted at the time of so many rules and if you thought out of the box of those rules you were rejected.
I am going to take away with the fact how the occupational therapy had affected my life. My dad during WWII was badly wounded (these wounds are what lead to his death in 2007) and he had to rehab for awhile before they sent him back to front lines. During this time a nurse taught how to embroidery and he made a quilt for my mother (which she never received, I do not know if it was because of war time mail or it was stolen)but he often talked about that quilt, I wish that I would have had him sit down and had him draw or show me how he made that quilt. I just thought it was a nice thing the nurse helped him do, I did not know it was "Reconstruction Aides in Occupational Therapy" to help with "counteract idleness and build morale by giving instruction in crafts to wounded and otherwise incapacitated soldiers." pg. 105
I did not realize how my dads pasts and home surrounding or parents who were poor growing up influenced my art until I read this book.
If you would have asked about my favorite chair before I fractured my ankle (if you call it a fracture because I bursted into pieces two major bones and the fibula fractured in 6 different places) I would probably have told you my teacher chair at school because I had just bought it and scotch guarded it. It's a cushy teacher chair that rolls around the room so I could sit with students doing their artwork and work with them and I would usually spend most of time swatting students out of it.
But since I have laid up for over 4 months the chair I am sitting in to write this is now known as "mommas" chair. Recliner with big soft arms (for books to lay open on or embroidery thread to lay out) big soft back and it reclines enough to put a wedge under the foot part to lift my bad ankle higher. My whole world is packed in around this chair now since I have totally lived into for the past few months.
the small paragraph on occupational therapy at this time made me want to know more. I didn't not know this type of occupation started back then and the results on its affects on soldiers is remarkable. I cant imagine a hospital of wounded men stitching, but it incredible to think of how they were able to have boosted morale and even improved ligaments due to the work of their hands.
DeleteKim, So you are still laid up? Poor girl!
DeleteYour comment of swatting kids out of your teacher chair cracked me up. It is such a big deal to sit in the teacher chair.
When I read about Marguerite and her batik clothes, I knew she was your kind of artist. I still would like to see the art lesson you use to teach batik.
DeleteYour quote about Occupational Therapy, “counteracts idleness and builds moral”, had to have such an impact on soldiers. It also gave them a way of control, to make decisions, and be problem solvers about something in their lives. The same reason art is so important in education. In the summary of the chapter, “Craft as an agent for the social improvement was recruited by the army to aid wounded soldiers; it turned into occupational therapy in the civilian world”.
Oh my gosh Kim, thats a great story about the quilt your father embroidered! I'm sure it will show up on your doorstep and some point in your life. About your teacher chair - is that kind of like a quilter not wanting her family to use her scissors on paper!
DeleteI think Marguerite's batiks and light sensitive dye is a problem in a lot of the older textiles - The Quilting Museum in Lincoln Nebraska has been working on methods to restore some of the older quilts made from dye that is light sensitive. They also have a very elaborate restoring method used for these quilts but it is so needed or we will lose these textiles.
Hmm. I have yet to find a favorite chair to be honest. I have always moved around can never really attached myself to a chair yet. But in time I'm sure I will have one.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with Frank Gardener Hale and his work. His work is beautiful! The necklace shown in the book is just gorgeous! I am not really a jewelry person but his work is just wonderfully crafted. Lovely symmetry and in a way beautiful line work. I have dabbled in to jewelry making but it's not my thing but I do enjoy understanding and having a better appreciation of the work that is done.
The Arequipa Pottery took me by surprise. It's not something that is seen very often but to know that something helpful, giving and relaxing is done like that. I liked of teaching the women how to make them and sell them. Something that they can use to make money for their need.
What I'll take away is The deeper appreciation of furniture. I really liked the illustrating shown on pg.96 by Hazel Verrue and Frederick H. Meyer. Simple yet wonderful design, which got me to thinking more on furniture design.
I agree, the book is giving me a better appreciation for furniture. I enjoyed seeing the pen and ink drawing of A Model Studio, and reading the description. “Wheelock’s furniture does not have the stark simplicity of Mission style; it is both more imaginative and more intricate.” Definitely looks like a wonderful studio.
DeleteThe chair will find you.
DeleteMy favorite chair- a hammock to watch the night sky. Simple, comfortable, naturally conforms to my body and the visuals around it make it much more relaxing. Do not need the adornment and added detail, but the scenery and landscape to make it a positive place to be. Does that answer the question? haha!
ReplyDeleteImpressed Me: Hale's metal working. I struggled in this class in undergrad. All my pieces are chunky, thick and impossible to wear. Seeing the use of fine detail from a metal tough substance that almost looks as if it could be manipulated like rubber is jaw dropping. We are taking about texture in my class right now by forming different 'visual textures' with 2d materials. Its interesting to see how texture was described in his jewelry. Will use that as an example for visual and actual texture in class.
Zorach surprised me. I did not expect a cubist painter turned tapestry. At a quick glance I thought her image of the waves was a mosaic work. I wish I could see this in person at the MET when they take it out of hiding. Interesting to see how the style of paint can be turned into fabric art.
Take away- a deeper appreciation for metal working. I have known some high schools to teach this course and I have never been interested in it. Its been the last art form I have wanted to pick up but now I am inspired and want to learn more!
Sarah, I get the hammock. I bought one in Junction last summer and enjoyed doing my readings (and a little napping) in it! I too was intrigued with the metal work, the jewelry and the functional items as well.
DeleteSurprised:
ReplyDeleteI’m so surprised with how influential some of New Jersey’s places and patrons were in the Arts & Crafts movement and the history discussed during this time. Some of these places include Paterson (place of the Paterson Strike of 1913), Newark (home to the Newark Museum), Englewood (Upton Sinclair’s experimental community where Janet Payne Bowles and her husband briefly lived), Morris Plains (home to Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Farms), and Flemington (location of Fulper Pottery). Planning my summer trip back home to NJ has given me a whirlwind of excitement as I look forward to finding the locations where these places once stood or taking a tour of their historic establishments (86, 92-94, 100-101).
What a great plan to search for these historical establishments.
DeleteJennifer and Paige - I agree! I think I want to go on the trip to look for some of these as well!
DeleteAlways with the Jersey connection Jenn, love it ;)
Delete@Daniel, can't help myself :)
DeleteImpressed:
ReplyDeleteAdelaide Alsop Robineau and her ceramics have been such important factors in the Arts and Crafts movement. While she has been showing up in the past three chapters and claims that her Scarab Vase is “her most important work of her career” (89), I feel most impressed with her crystalline glazes. Given, I have never made my own glazes and don’t know what efforts go into making them, I can’t stop staring at all of her crystalline glazes. They’re mesmerizing to me and provoke deep wonder in how they were made. I’m imagining the bursts of color happening during the firing process and occur almost naturally but I truly have no clue. To no avail, I sometimes even find myself pulling the laptop screen closer to my face in attempt to see the layers, translucency, and reflections of the glazes. However, I found that the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and the Art Institute of Chicago has a couple of her pieces on display.
Too many trips and not enough time in a year!
Take Away:
ReplyDeleteI’m already attracted to abstract patterning and creating abstract images from nature. I began seeing this abstraction showcased on the art of Newcomb pottery, Ernest Batchelder’s abstracted “Nature Symbols,” and in art nouveau throughout the past couple chapters. I’m realizing that abstraction from nature was a big part of the Arts and Crafts movement, and am continuing to see this trend throughout the last chapter we read through in Frederick Hurten Rhead’s and the Overbeck artists’ application of abstraction onto pottery (87-88, 90-91). I look forward to referring to these artists and styles when I begin another abstraction series. Who knows, I might even carve them into my pottery this summer!
I think I will carve them into a Clay Painting I plan on making.....
DeleteGood point and connection- across the board I am seeing the use of this imagery through all the mediums discussed in the book these past few chapters. They are unique, stylized, and inspire me to carve into my new pieces as well!
DeleteJenn your incision and sgraffito work the past two summers has been beautiful, you should really keep it up. I still use your small coffee / enormous espresso cup with the incision / glaze lining all the time. A nice medium temp celadon glaze over a carved white clay body and you could make really striking pieces with your school kiln.
DeleteThanks Daniel! Love getting feedback from other artists. It not only helps in my creative endeavors, but its inspiring and serves as a pick-me-up when creative juices are low. Are you going to Lubbock for Von's class this summer?
DeleteMy favorite chair is my papasan chair. It is the one piece of furniture that has stayed with me throughout my 9-year teaching career and 5 moves. It’s functional and practical. I can rest, or I can be productive and get work done sitting on it. I can sit cross-legged with a laptop or sideways reading a book. It can be adjustable to be more upright or recline almost into a hammock position. I sometimes relax into an “inverted-lite,” fully supported position with my feet higher than my head. Other times, I curl into the cushion like a cat and I feel like I’m being cradled in a soft bowl.
ReplyDeleteI love those chairs....
DeleteWhen I read Future's request to describe your favorite chair my mind went straight to Vera B. Williams and her book- A Chair for My Mother, which received the Caldecott Medal in 1983. It is a fantastic little book that I used when teaching art at the elementary level. It has been bugging me all week as to why this book & author kept coming to mind and where I had recently read her name. Finally, just a bit ago, I plugged her into Google and, Lo and Behold! Vera B. Williams went to Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where she received her BFA in Graphic Art in 1949. Turns out she was quite the fierce woman! Last week Future had suggested I look up Black Mountain College in my perusing of Arts & Crafts communities. I had read Vera's name on a list of notable alumni.
ReplyDeleteSo, What else am I taking away from this chapter? A deeper appreciation of Vera B. Williams, a desire to learn more about her, and an even deeper desire to research Arts & Crafts Communities. The Helen Devitt Jones Clay Studio is as close to an Arts & Crafts Community that I have ever had the joy of interacting with. It is a community of clay artists that are so kind and sharing that it makes me dream of staying here in Lubbock forever so I can be a part of that community.
My Favorite Chair!
DeleteMy favorite chair is my bed. I can have it all to myself or curl up with my kids and read as we've done since they were born. Even my friends and neighbors pile up on my bed to visit and talk.
Nice reference to Black Mt College...always amazed when the connections are made clear
DeleteWhat surprised me most was the shock factor relating to The Armory Show. I love that the exhibition was “met with both horror and amusement by the public and the press (even Theodore Roosevelt wrote an article about it)...” (page 86). This would have been a show I would have loved to be in. The introduction of Modernism would have been a monumental event to participate in. Declining acceptance of the Academy and being such a rebel about it would have been exciting. Reminds me of the Salon des Refusés in a way. The fact that the show “created a market for contemporary art almost over night” it astounding. Marguerite Zorach was one of the only female textile artists present and I have looked up some of her work, which is really nice. I think I relate to her because she was a painter who later turned to needlework.
ReplyDeleteImpressed - I was impressed by The Overbeck Pottery- “altogether a woman's enterprise in both its origin and operation”. They only sold pots from one house and a single Indianapolis department store but still gained national recognition. Reading about that family's story was really amazing, and I love their experimentation and originality. The term “proto-modernist” is used to describe their work, which can be seen with the use of abstraction. Mary was the last sister to pass away, and kept making hand-built figurines until her death in 1955.
Take Away – Definitely a quote by O.L. Bachelder : “LET NO HABIT BECOME YOUR MASTER!”
(page 94)
His story is quite fascinating, his wages were reduced due to his age, so he decided to buy some land and start his own thing! This man built his own house, raised a garden, made his own bread, all while handling a pottery business. I love his outlook on life, and I wish I could apply some of his principles to my daily life. He always lived by the rule “no duplicates” when it came to his pottery. To elaborate on the quote above, “Shut worry away, plan ahead, dream ahead, each year be one year younger, dress as simply as possible, as nearly naked as you can. Let no habit become your master!” - Bachelder, 1923.
As an artist, his philosophy makes sense for this era; quite possibly the present day as well. Industrialism was taking over, and many artists were seeking a more simple life to focus on the necessities and art making. I think that is what I want to do sometimes, because this crazy busy world we live in is so distracting, sometimes it is hard to focus on what is really important – like our education, our art, and our relationships (both personal and professional). Taking away life's distractions could benefit all of us.
I love your input on Bachelder. Today it would be even harder to break from the realm of society's distractions and be able to enjoy our hobbies to make them our way of life and business. Working with clay and glass I have never made two alike pieces as a set- but this helps me to be OK with that and accept the differences of each cup.
DeleteTotally agree about Bachelder and getting away. If only there was a place we could get away from everything and just make Art without any distractions each summer.....
DeleteI was most surprised this week by the reaction of the public to the Armory show. It's hard to imagine an art show having such a widespread impact like that today, especially over something like a painting like Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase. Banksy painted an elephant in 2006 and I don't remember George Bush writing a review, though if he did that's something I think I would like to read. I went to the MFA Houston a month or two ago and paid an extra fee to get into a retrospective show of Mark Rothko paintings, and the place was packed. I had to stand in line. I can't imagine what people would have said about his paintings in 1913. Roosevelt's review of a Rothko show is also high on my list of "wish that existed" reads.
ReplyDeleteI was most impressed this week by the incredibly intricate craftsmanship of two pieces mentioned. First, "The Apotheosis of the Toiler" vase by Robineau. I'm admittedly pretty ignorant of ceramics processes, but I don't have to know anything about it to know that it took an amazing amount of skill to produce. I can't imagine working on a piece for 1000 hours (working 12 hours a day it would take 83 days) only to put it into a furnace knowing that there is a very real chance that it could just split in half at any moment. I don't think my sanity would survive an incident like that. I mentioned at the beginning of the semester that I'm in the process of learning to use hand tools to work wood, and last night I worked on a single section of joinery for about 3 hours (anyone with experience would have had it done much, much sooner than that, but I'm still pretty slow). Right at the end I was paring down a section with a chisel, almost completely done with the thing, and instead of taking a fine shaving, I dug too deep with the chisel and the wood split, taking an entire corner off of the tenon. The amount of frustration I felt at that moment was enough to make me want to cry myself to sleep. If it had been 1000 hours instead of 3, I think I would have spontaneously combusted. The second piece was the Snow White lock by Koralewsky. If I hadn't just read that it was chiseled out of solid iron I would have sworn it had been cast in a mold. I would really like to see the workings of the lock inside.
My take away from this week is more of a sense that I would like to learn something new. It's really inspiring to read about masterworks of all the different crafts disciplines every week. Where does one go about buying an anvil?
Tyler, think of Maplethrope and the controversy around his work. There is always some art for someone to complain about...really. It is just a matter of what makes the news and then what is recorded in the history books. Standing in line for an art show is wonderful.
DeleteTyler - I feel your frustration learning your technique for your craft and in the handwork making a mistake! I have this in my art quilting work with machine quilting. I can master the technique of organizing the sewing pattern and design but when it comes to machine quilting - one little thing like a jerky hand movement and you are ripping out stitches and starting over! Can be exasperating.
DeleteI wonder Tyler how much that had to do with the larger role art played in peoples lives. There weren't that many forms of entertainment a hundred years ago, and Europe probably seemed so distant. It might have been the only opportunity for some to ever see art from Europe. Today, I get constant updates via social media of what is going on around the world. Plus, as far as entertainment is concerned, we've added TV, radio, cinema, video games, and frisbee golf. Fine art seems so quiet and out of the way in contemporary culture.
DeleteFuture, yes indeed, I guess I was just exercising selective memory there. There's certainly always something to be upset about. Andres Serrano and his Piss Christ also comes to mind, and the reaction that in part led to the defunding of individual grants by the Endowment of the Arts. And yes, standing in line for an art show is pretty cool! I mean, not the actual standing in line part, but seeing a show that so many people are excited about is a really great experience...the opening for the Basquiat show at the MFAH (sheesh, I guess about 8 years ago) was crazy.
DeleteGail, yeah that certainly is frustrating. Happened again today! And yesterday, I chipped a chisel and then spent about 3 hours grinding down the steel on water stones to get the chip out. On the bright side, my chisel is now so sharp that not only can I shave with it, but I can drop a hair onto the blade edge and it will cut under its own weight. The feeling of satisfaction that I get when working with my hands and having a good product or outcome to show for it is a pretty special thing, and a little frustration along the way just makes it that much better when it turns out how I want it. Though I've never made a quilt, I imagine it has to be much the same feeling.
Justin, that's a good point. It's easy to forget (for me anyway) that people didn't always expect to be constantly entertained. I can't handle a waiting room for 20 minutes without my phone now, but only a few years ago I could happily leaf through year old yachting magazines for an hour without getting too bored. Viewing art must have been a wholly different experience than it is today. I wonder also, if nearly 100 years ago, art was more important to more people than it is now.
I forgot to describe my favorite chair. The favorite chair that I own is the recliner that I'm sitting in right now. It's really nothing special to look at, just a brown leather recliner from a big box store, but there was a lot of thought put into the design to make it very comfortable. It's very nicely made as well, with nice thick leather. I actually enjoy putting leather conditioner on it and wiping it down every month. It's also in the perfect spot in my living room to watch my son playing, and it's just big enough for my wife and me to sit in it together and watch Star Trek.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that none of our chairs would or could be described as "special"to the observer so I wonder what it is that makes :our"chair so special to each of us?I think it is the personal relationship we have with it and the history w e have with it that make sit so special...what about you?
DeleteGood point Susan. I am much more interested in your choice than the choice of a critic. You are all artist /educator with years of learning and practicing, you are the authority on what works for you.
DeleteI found this chapter very interesting, though I wish it would have talked a bit more about how the first world war affected the art scene in America. Though where it did talk about it was interesting, such as in "The End of the Craftsman Style." As the war ended in 1918, however, maybe we'll see if the affects are further explored in the next chapter. I was particularly interested in the works in the University City section, by Adelaide Alsop Robineau, the works by Josephine Hartwell Shaw, Dirk Van Erp, and Marguerite Zorach.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised(?) at the comments on the decline of the craftsman style, largely due to the fact that today we have our own revival of "craftsman style" craft. I was also surprised and impressed at the women who were so successful in their craft at this period in time; The Overbeck sisters, Adelaide Robineau, the women at Arequipa Pottery, Margery Wheelock, Jospehine Shaw,Elizabeth Copeland, Janet Bowles, Marguerite Zorach. It's amazing! I think it's easy to look back at Art History and think that, because we don't talk about women artists, there were no woman artists, and that's simply untrue.
I think what I'm taking away most from this chapter is names of the artists, I really enjoyed reading about the artists in this chapter and want to do more research into their works. Just one image isn't enough!
As to the additional question this week... It depends on whether or not I'm talking about comfort or sentimentality. I have a wonderfully comfy oversized loveseat/armchair in my living room that is usually being occupied by my roommate (darn her). It was given to me by a friend when she was moving, so I don't know where it came from, who made it, but it's large, cushioned and you kind of sink into it. My favorite chair for sentimental reasons is quite the opposite; It's a hardwood chair that sits in my mother's bedroom, if I remember correctly it was made in the 30s by her fathers' father. It has straight, 2x2s for legs and a square seat, with equally blocky arm rests. The back contains the only decoration in the wood, with 3 hearts cut out from a plank across the top. A quilt cushion, made by my great grandmother, ties to each of the legs. This chair has always been in my mother's bedroom for as long as I can remember, in every house we've lived. It's simple, not near as comfortable as the other chair I described, but it reminds me of home, and I would choose it every day.
I found the jewelry section most interesting and the expectations for metal work changed and i feel like it brought out the best in the jewelry designers like Josephine Shaw. Very impressed about taking the chain and cutting it into small sections in order to break the machine like make of jewelry.
ReplyDeleteThe surprising part was definitely the wood craft during the time. I didn't think that Craftsman style was dieing that soon and it was definitely sad to here about Craftsman Farms. I love that style of home and never really thought about the inside until now.
What I am taking away from this chapter? I think the wood work definitely has been impressing me the most from this book so far. Ive never been very handy with wood, mostly because I haven't had the opportunity but i grew up around my father always building homes and even helping him cut and learn about the tools and how wood works. I am feeling like I need to go back and ask him to help me with it and start to learn more!
My favorite chair? It was a 20 dollar light blue velvet little (Collette?) roundish chair. I think i loved the chair because it was really cute and pretty, and soft, it was also only 20 bucks! we had bought from craigslist, when similar chairs are easily $200 and i was extremely grateful getting furniture for our (me and my husband) first place when we were dirt poor! It was the perfect reading chair, usually sitting sideways and letting my feet dangle over the arm rest.
We ended up giving up our furniture for free, including the blue chair when we moved out of a nightmare apartment and we were too tired to move again. There was a family of 4 sharing a one bedroom apartment and didn't have anything and we let them take nearly the entire living room. They seemed very happy about it.
Knowing a family in need was going to make your furniture into fond memories sounds delightful to me. I have difficulty getting rid of something, but when I know someone needs it, I am happy to give it away.
DeleteI too was impressed with the jewelry!! WOW! What I also thought was interesting was the regional difference in the 1920s with jewelry design and ideas. The East Coast had a "highly professional new style" (page 97) which favored filigree work and painted enamels.The Midwest and West Coast jewelry had a more eclectic style, which I personally would have favored. I think it is neat to see that we still associate the West Coast with eclectic, laid-back style that has mixed influences. I think that is what draws me to that style.
DeleteGood work everyone. Remember to respond to at least 2 other classmate by next Saturday...and yes I do go back to read your thoughts about their thoughts.
ReplyDeleteJust to be sure... You mean by today when you mention 'next Saturday,' right?
DeleteYes I think so Jen...I was confused at first also.
DeleteWhat surprised me was the lack of exposure the American audience had to contemporary European Art at the turn of the century prior to the Armory show. It is so easy to forget how quickly information flows across continents now, but the destination of ides, styles, and movements was obviously much slower in the late 1800 and early 1900s. That Nude Descending a Staircase was met with some joking criticism makes me chuckle, as I myself have never been crazy about
ReplyDeleteDuchamp's work.
I was most impressed with the work coming out of University City pottery. The amount of work put into Adelaide Alsop Robienau's The Apotheosis of the Toiler is stunningly beautiful. The fact that it was chipped on the bottom, and reworked until Robienau was happy with the flaws concealment give me a personal sense of pleasure in that it makes me realize that its OKAY that I have to fix a flub from time to time.
Hands down my take away from the chapter has to do with the passage about O.l. Bacherlder setting off and doing his own thing.
"Shut away worry, plan ahead, dream ahead, each year be one year younger, dress as simply as possible, as nearly naked as you can. LET NO HABIT BECOME YOUR MASTER."
Oh almost forgot, favorite chair is hands down without question the lowly Brent potters stool, with 4 fixed legs and no wheels. Bonus points if it has TTU JTX written on the seat in old faded sharpie.
DeleteDaniel I like what you said about the lack of exposure to European art. It is easy to forget considering how fast we find things out nowadays. On that same point maybe because they didn't immediately find things out, when they did, it had a larger impact.
DeleteLove your choice in favorite chair! :)
That quote is the main thing that stuck with me : "LET NO HABIT BE YOUR MASTER!". Really though, to the point where I need to either make a poster of it or get it tattooed on me. As artists I think we do need to follow some of his ideas!
DeleteI enjoyed learning about the Craftsman style and its origins. My family has always had quite a bit of craftsman style furniture. I grew up around chairs in that style and until this book never realized their origins.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I liked reading about the pottery in this chapter, as I do other chapters, I really enjoyed the very end when they talked about rehabilitating soldiers by teaching them crafts. I'm a big history fan making that portion especially interesting. I have always thought crafts as being therapeutic and by teaching soldiers to sew and what not they are teaching them a skill that can be applied when they are in the field as well. I am curious to keep reading and see if this pops up again as more wars occur. Eventually I want my own pottery studio and I would like to offer classes for soldiers, especially those suffering from PTSD. I feel like clay is a great medium for them. It allows them to work with their hands which is something they already enjoy.
My favorite chair.. Well I have a couple that I will never get rid of. I have my dad's old antique bar stool that he had in his workshop my whole life. He gave it to me when I was in college and I use it as my painting stool. It's held together by epoxy because he built golf clubs as a side hobby. My second chair is my Broyhill rocker. A heavy well made rocker chair that has been reupholstered and is the comfiest chair in my house. Lastly my old wooden desk chair my mom gave me. It's an antique and has given me a place to sit at my countless desk hours throughout college and grad school. My iMac is at that same desk therefore it get's lots of use. Love my 3 amazing chairs!
I also enjoyed the last few paragraphs of this chapter. Although the history of styles and specific crafts is interesting, I get so much more excited when these arts are used for personal growth and healing. I think that's because my own art making is so personal. Each of my paintings are like little self portraits just by the way I handled the paint that day.
DeleteThe rehabilitation of soldiers through craft also got me interested! I think it is so cool that this was being done that long ago. I think our government needs to put more into this now. If you ever open a shop to cater to PTSD and other things, please let me work there. I am highly interested in that, especially after having a loved one suffer from it. I have a friend whose husband just took his life because he was suffering from it. I think crafts/art in general is under-rated when it comes to things like this and I hope to see a spike in outreaches that can help those who need it.
DeleteReally though, keep me in mind! I also agree, most soldiers already enjoy working with their hands. My brother and his soldier buddies work in a woodshop and weld on their free time.
DeleteMy favorite chair is a short, green accent chair/armchair/rocking chair (not sure which category it falls in). I bought it off craigslist a few years ago when I was preparing my son's nursery. It rocks slightly and swivels. This is now my--and my husbands!--favorite chair and we fight over who gets to lounge in it (thought I tell him it will be exclusively MINE once the new baby is born ;) )
ReplyDeleteI have a sentimental relationship with this chair. I've spent countless hours rocking my newborn, being spit up on, and being spoon-fed by my husband while nursing my son in it. It was the only chair that I could sit in immediately postpartum--something about it being low to the ground and easy to get out of, I think. It is also wide enough for me to curl up into it and cross my legs under a blanket. And then it is a vintage green color, making it a fun addition to any room we move it to. This last weekend we actually moved it into our master bedroom, since that is where our new baby's nursery will be. Since doing so, it has made our room feel like a nursery. So much of the soothing and bonding with our new baby will happen in that chair, again.
Congrats Courtney! I love the stories around your chair. It does not have to be stunning, but the memories are what is important.
DeleteI love that story, Courtney♡
DeleteI love that story, Courtney♡
DeleteWhat surprised me... the tapestry by Marguerite Zorach (pg 104). I have never been that attracted to the textiles mediums... probably because my grandmother was--and still is--a hoarder of sorts and her home is covered in cloth it seems. Chairs, coffee tables, walls, bookshelves, even the piano.. has some kind of dusty tapestry blanketing it. And then 100 pieces of china on top of that. A quilt always reminded me of the ten she kept folded in EVERY room... the details of such textiles never treated as important. As I've grown older, I realize my prejudices and that textiles have and continue to be a wonderful medium of storytelling. And Zorach's "The Sea" just captivated me. Maybe it is because she was also a painter, like me, and there are some qualities that resonate with that.
ReplyDeleteI was also impressed by Frank Koralewsky's Door Lock. The detail was not only impressive, but I thought it interesting that it was most likely created as a display of technical skill--which, obviously, was pretty successful.
What I am taking away... a lot of new artists to include in my art vocabulary! This chapter was overwhelming at times, but I feel like I received a ton of snippets into the lives of historical artists that I'd never known before.
I am also taking away a new look at occupational therapy. I have several friends who are occupational therapists and had no idea that their line of work originated with the craft movement as an aid to wounded soldiers. It makes perfect sense, but I had no idea!