BOOKS / EXHIBITION CATALOGUES / VIDEO
American Glass: Masters of the Art
The Gates
In Her Hands: Craftswomen Changing the World
I Colori di Murano nell '800 (The Colours of Murano in the XIX Century)
Murano: Poem by Mark Doty, Glass from the J. Paul Getty Museum
The Corning Museum of Glass: A Decade of Glass Collecting, 1990-1999
Down by the Old Mill Stream: Quilts in Rhode Island
Red & White: American Redwork Quilts and Patterns
75 x Lace
World Textiles: A Visual Guide to Traditional Techniques
The Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile Collection: British Textile Design from 1940 to the Present
Color and Design for Embroidery
In the Presence of Spirits: African Art from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon
Morocco: Jews and Art in a Muslim Land
Spratling Silver Centennial Edition
American Contemporary Furniture
American Glass: Masters of the Art
Video, 1996, 33 minutes. Written, directed and produced by Bruce Fisher. Available from Lloyd Herman, 8500 32nd Avenue, NW, Seattle, WA 98117. $25.
The Gates
Video, 1995, 15 minutes. Edited and directed by Richard Tibbetts, Jr., produced by Elaine Zinn, Hui Productions for Hawaii Public Television. Available from Pat Hickman, Art Department, University of Hawaii, 2535 The Mall, Honolulu, HI 96822. $35.
Reviewed by Robert Silberman
Created to accompany a 1996 exhibition, the video American Glass: Masters of the Art opens at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Pilchuck Glass School. There Richard Meitner from the Netherlands and the Swedes Ulrica Hydman-Vallien and Bertil Vallien pay generous tribute to the school, located north of Seattle, and its co-founder and maestro, Dale Chihuly (who makes a brief appearance), for introducing European techniques to the American glass world. Yet this introduction is somewhat misleading, since European influence is emphasized with only one of the five featured artists, Richard Marquis. And he says, "I trained in Italian techniques, but I don't stick to 'em." No matter. The video offers a good mix of personalities and approaches to glass, presenting William Morris, Therman Statom, Judith Schaechter and Ginny Ruffner, in addition to Marquis.
The first segment on an individual artist closes with the observation that Morris "has traveled the outback of his imagination and returned with primal insights." That is overcooked for my taste, but by then the video has revealed just how complex the techniques used by Morris arešthe pieces are blown, plunged into water to introduce surface fissures, and then sealed and decorated with applied glass powderšand how impressive the results. Statom appears next, making an assemblage sculpture in the form of a glass house constructed out of sheet glass. It incorporates shards culled from a discard bin, a playing card with a portrait of a Confederate general, and an image of Buddha. Statom says that he turned from painting to glass "to paint in the air" and concludes, "I love glass, period."
Schaechter fares less well in the sound bite department when she says, "All art is sort of a metaphor for a figure-ground problem, which is some sort of metaphor for how a human being exists in life metaphor. So that to me is the function of art." Say what? Again, no matter. She is a memorable artist, as director Bruce Fisher shows, by tracing her movement from sketchbook drawings to one of her "gruesomely beautiful" stained glass productions. He even manages a nice play on how she watches television as she works.
The segment on Ginny Ruffner, severely injured in a car accident some years ago, leaves no doubt that she remains one of the most intelligent and witty artists around, with a visual imagination that is as lively as ever. She appears with an assistant at work on "female Martian angels with biceps" and other flameworked figures with applied paint as her way of addressing issues of alien-ness, difference and physical ability. Marquis is the perfect closing act, an engaging talker with work that ranges from a minuscule version of the Lord's Prayer fabricated with Italian techniques—a curio worthy of a roadside museum—to the virtuoso teapots that are his signature creations.
Lloyd Herman, the exhibition curator and executive producer of the video, ends the quick tour by proclaiming, "Glass has certainly come of age in American art," and, of the artists, "We can declare that they are truly masters of their art." Methinks he doth insist too much. (No wonder Stephen King hates adverbs.) One final time: no matter. When this video is showing, not telling, it provides a fine introduction to these five important artists and their working methods.
The Gates is another "oldie but goodie" craft video. The filmmaking is nothing fancy, but that's no problem because the subject is so interesting. The fiber artist Pat Hickman, who lives in Hawaii, won a competition in 1991 to make a set of gates for the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, a huge leap from her usual small-scale work. Using polystyrene foam cloth in six-inch strips, which she scrunched like thick rope, she created big netlike forms with knots that David Hamilton and a foundry crew at the University of Tasmania then cast in metal. The gates were installed in 1994. The rhetoric of risk-taking in the voice-over sounds clichÈd, but for once it appears justified. Hickman tried something new and ambitious and she pulled it off. The results look great. And once you've seen the video, you have the perfect excuse for a trip to Maui to see the real thing.
Robert Silberman teaches art history and film studies at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
In Her Hands: Craftswomen Changing the World
by Paola Gianturco and Toby Tuttle, 2000, Monacelli Press, New York, NY, 212-831-0248; 256 pages, foreword by Alice Walker, illustrated. $60.
Reviewed by Pamela Scheinman
Catalyzed by the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing, in 1995, Paola Gianturco of California took a sabbatical from her marketing and consulting business to research micro-enterprises, then enlisted the logistical skills and companionship of a former colleague, Toby Tuttle from Colorado. Between 1996 and 1998 the two women made six trips (on frequent-flier miles) to interview and photograph 90 artisans in 28 villages in 12 countries on four continents, armed with a list of 118 open-ended questions (How did you learn your craft? What is the first piece you sold and for how much? What is a typical day like? What are your aspirations for your children and yourself?), a love of handmade objects and the conviction that craft organizations can help combat world poverty.
This book devotes a chapter each to 19 traditional crafts and tells the personal, often heroic stories of the women who create them, most earning less than a dollar a day for their labor-Ndebele bead workers in South Africa, Rabari mirror embroiderers from northern India, the Kuna mola makers of Panama, etc. Gianturco interweaves the women's own words with a narrative of visits to homes, workshops, markets and ceremonial sites. She also summarizes local customs and beliefs. Her prose captures colors, sounds and smells in a style reminiscent of Isabel Allende's, while excerpts from Tuttle's travel diary reveal candid American reactions to their encounters. Bright, close-up color photographs of craftswomen at work, their families (lots of smiling children) and an array of products further reinforce the sense of immediacy. Identifying crafts with compelling human voices and faces is intended to convey a strong message of optimism because the authors consider the alternative loss of culture untenable.
Such passionate advocacy, what Gianturco calls "a subjective approach born of wondering," results in an illuminating and persuasive document that hints at the complex issues involved, but counts every small step a success. For example, a U.N.-funded nongovernmental organization, Centro Interregional de Artesanos del Peru (CIAP), markets the appliquÈd fabric pictures (modeled on Chilean arpilleras) sewn in four workshops by Quechua women who, displaced from rural Ayacucho by civil war between the "Shining Path" guerrillas and the Peruvian military, now live in new pueblos on the outskirts of Lima. Such groups organize to buy supplies, develop technical skills and contract orders, then become vehicles for other services like education and health care. Twenty years after its founding, members of the most skilled group, the Avecitas ("Little Birds"), continue to stitch remembered scenes of village life, having mastered the use of detailed composition, perspective, relief and subtle coloration. Yet these advances fail to command higher prices. Tellingly, Gianturco comments on the brash energy of a much earlier piece she sees decorating someone's wall. In fact, orders are sporadic and near saturation of the arpillera market prompts a contest to come up with new product ideas.
Crafts become a metaphor for the survival of traditional societies whose histories they embody. Various stages in their evolution are considered: continuity (Czech Easter eggs), adaptation (Guatemalan back-strap weaving of sophisticated table linens), deterioration (Shipibo pottery), revival (Anatolian rugs through reintroduction of vegetable-dyed, handspun yarn and pricing by the density of knots), and innovation (sadza painting in Zimbabwe using cheap cornmeal porridge for batik). Similarly, marketing strategies vary from direct sales to tourists to exclusive contracts with museum or government shops and exports (especially to Europe). Particularly poignant are the cries, rising to a frenzied crescendo, of women doll-makers from Soganli, Turkey, whose products are so similar that they compete for sales in decibels, repeatedly calling, "Paola, buy my baby." No one can read this collection of stories and remain unaffected, even if the conclusion sounds too simple, i.e., small steps build confidence, reduce domestic abuse, improve child care, foster learning and encourage women to assume leadership in their communities. Wisely, the authors provide "useful resources for action" at the end. A bibliography for each section, a targeted list of organizations (like Aid to Artisans and the Washington-based Craft Center) and a brief catalog of objects place the matter in the reader's hands.
Pamela Scheinman teaches textile design at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
I Colori di Murano nell '800 (The Colours of Murano in the XIX Century)
edited by Aldo Bova, Rossella Junck and Puccio Migliaccio, 1999, Arsenale Editrice, Venice, Italy, distributed by Antique Collectors' Club, Wappingers Falls, NY, 914-297-0003; 215 pages, texts in English and Italian by 4 contributors. $29.95 paperback.
From the middle of the 19th century on, glassblowing on the island of Murano revived and flourished after a decline following the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797. This book presents 161 superbly photographed examples, the majority from the 1870s and 80s. These tradition-minded works are characterized by abundant decorative detail, sophisticated elaboration and at times exaggerated technical virtuosity. The essays touch on the events and people involved in the revival, including the role of British capital in founding the Salviati company. Also included are lists of raw materials cited in 19th-century recipe manuscripts, a discussion of glass beads by Giovanni Sarpellon, and photographs and drawings from period catalogs.
Murano: Poem by Mark Doty, Glass from the J. Paul Getty Museum
by Mark Doty, 2000, J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Trust Publications, Los Angeles, CA, 800-223-3431; 56 pages, illustrated. $14.95.
"Murano" is the American poet Mark Doty's meditation on Venice, his homage to the "island of the glassmakers' exile." The poem is printed in an elegant small-format volume illustrated with 17 works of Murano glass from the J. Paul Getty Museum.
The Corning Museum of Glass: A Decade of Glass Collecting, 1990-1999
by David Whitehouse, 2000, Corning Museum of Glass, NY, distributed by Harry N. Abrams, New York, NY, 800-345-1359; 128 pages, illustrated. $39.95.
More than 200 of the most significant works acquired by the Corning Museum of Glass during the 1990s, to augment its holdings of 35,000 objects, are featured here. Coming from all over the world, these range from ancient Egyptian glass to contemporary works created for the museum through the annual Rakow Commission. The variety encompasses tableware, mosaics, jewelry, stained glass, lighting devices and furniture. The introductory text by David Whitehouse, Corning's director, discusses the museum's history and acquisitions policy.
Down by the Old Mill Stream: Quilts in Rhode Island
edited by Linda Welters and Margaret T. OrdoÒez, 2000, Kent State University Press, OH, 800-247-6553; 309 pages, texts by 18 contributors, illustrated. $75.
The giant contribution of tiny Rhode Island to American textile history and quiltmaking traditions is the subject of this book, the culmination of the Rhode Island Quilt Documentation Project, a 10-year effort to record the state's quilt heritage. Several essays cover technological developments and textile production—spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing—as they relate to quilt fabrics. Others focus on cultural and social history, touching on quilts as an expression of ethnicity and a means of creating social connectedness. The last segment presents 30 quilts, each with a vignette highlighting an intriguing aspect of the work: the maker of one quilt, for example, was (after her death at an early age) suspected of being a vampire.
Red & White: American Redwork Quilts and Patterns
by Deborah Harding, 2000, Rizzoli International Publications, New York, NY, 212-387-3400; two-volume set in slipcase, 207 pages, illustrated. $39.95.
A charming byway of American quilt history, redwork—white quilts embroidered in pictorial motifs with "turkey red" thread—came into vogue in the late 19th century as women across the country took to embellishing all manner of household linens with needlework, and lasted well into the 20th. In the first volume, Deborah Harding discusses pattern sources—patriotic motifs, children's book illustrations and magazine advertisements were among the most popular—and transfer methods, and analyzes the 20 vintage examples illustrated. The second volume offers 100 patterns culled from antique redwork, with instructions for making one's own heirloom.
75 x Lace
by Patricia Wardle, 2000, Waanders Publishers, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, distributed by University of Washington Press, Seattle, 206-543-4050; 104 pages, illustrated. $40 paperback.
This catalog features 75 examples of European bobbin and needle lace, ranging from the 17th to the 20th century, in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The occasion was the 75th anniversary of the First Dutch Society for Lace-Lovers, Het Kantsalet, which over the years has greatly enriched the museum's lace collection. An authority on lace, Patricia Wardle comments on each piece, providing a three-century survey of the craft.
World Textiles: A Visual Guide to Traditional Techniques
by John Gillow and Bryan Sentance, 1999, Bulfinch Press / Little, Brown and Company, Boston, MA, 800-759-0190; 240 pages, illustrated. $50.
A well-designed introduction to handmade textiles around the world, this book is meant to be comprehensive, of interest to the general reader and specialist alike. The categories—materials, loom-woven and non-loom textiles, painted, printed and dyed textiles, sewing and embroidery, and embellishment—are presented in more than 100 double-page spreads. Viewing the fabrics of many places side by side, one has a basis for understanding the techniques and the diversity of style possible. A summary of characteristics, fabrication and geographical distribution accompanies the examples.
The Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile Collection: British Textile Design from 1940 to the Present
by Ngozi Ikoku, 1999, V&A Publications, London, UK, distributed by Antique Collectors' Club, Wappingers Falls, NY, 800-252-5231; 128 pages, introduction by Valerie D. Mendes, illustrated. $35 paperback.
Featuring 150 examples of woven, printed, painted and dyed fabrics, this volume brings up to date a series of monographs documenting the V & A's holdings in British textiles. Beginning with the World War II period, the essay traces significant influences and stylistic changes, such as geometry and abstraction and Pop art. A familiar face is Lucienne Day's screen-printed linen Calyx of 1950, which became emblematic of its decade and was copied in the United States. The rubric "craft textiles" flexibly encompasses a Peter Collingwood Macrogauze, 1968, a 1980 ikat silk by Mary Restieaux, and devorÈ works from the late 90s by Gilian Little. Notes on the firms, designers and makers are included.
Color and Design for Embroidery
by Richard Box, 2000, Brassey's Inc., Herndon, VA, 800-775-2518; 128 pages, illustrated. $24.
You will not learn from this book how to execute a satin stitch or a French knot. Targeting "the daring embroiderer and adventurous textile artist," Richard Box, who has taught throughout the UK for the Embroiderers' Guild and other organizations, concentrates on the formal elements of design—especially color—compositional principles and the creative process. He is helped considerably by the illustrations—accomplished works of hand and machine embroidery by 17 British artists.
In the Presence of Spirits: African Art from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon
Edited by Frank Herreman, 2000, Museum for African Art, New York, NY, 212-966-1313, and Snoeck-Ducaju & Zoon, Ghent, Belgium; 189 pages, 10 contributors, illustrated. $38 paperback.
An array of 141 works from a noted Portuguese museum—masks, figures and other sculpted objects in a range of media, from several regions of Africa, very few of which have been seen in North America—were selected by Frank Herreman, director of exhibitions at the Museum for African Art, for a traveling exhibit on view there through December 31. The catalog groups the works geographically, while the essays, by art historians and anthropologists, place them in their cultural context.
Morocco: Jews and Art in a Muslim Land
edited by Vivian B. Mann, 2000, Jewish Museum, New York, NY, 212-423-3211, and Merrell Publishers, London; 192 pages, 5 contributors, illustrated. $50 hardcover, $29.95 paperback.
This evocative book, documenting an exhibit at the museum (through February 11), explores the complex relationship between Morocco and its Jewish community, whose history in that land stretches back more than 2,000 years. The story is told through paintings, vintage photographs and, above all, decorative arts: jewelry and ritual objects such as Hanukkah lamps, Torah finials and amulets, and sumptuously embroidered textiles and costumes.
Spratling Silver Centennial Edition
by Sandraline Cederwall and Hal Riney, 2000, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA, 415-537-4257; 176 pages, essay by Barnaby Conrad, illustrated. $50.
William Spratling (1900-1967), an American, who settled in Taxco, in the 1920s, has been credited with revitalizing the silver industry in Mexico, reintroducing Mexican artisans to Aztec designs and ultimately employing and training hundreds of silversmiths to execute his jewelry and hollowware. Commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the artist's birth, this expanded version of a 1990 catalog presents over 70 Spratling works in black-and-white photographs in a one-to-a-page format. Barnaby Conrad's account of Spratling's adventurous life is complemented by photos of the famous individuals who flocked to his studio.
American Contemporary Furniture
by Marisa Bartolucci and Cathy Ho, edited by Raul Cabra and Dung Ngo, 2000, Universe Publishing, Rizzoli International Publications, New York, NY 212-387-3400; 208 pages, foreword by R. Craig Miller, illustrated. $35 paperback.
Here is a survey presenting playful, functional furniture by more than 70 designers who operate small studios across the country, most of them born after the mid-1960s. R. Craig Miller, curator of architecture, design and graphics at the Denver Art Museum, calls them a "third generation"—the Eameses, Saarinen and Knoll were the first, postmodernists like Venturi and Graves, the second-which sees "design as art." Neither studio furniture makers nor engaged in mass production, they design with affordability in mind as well as considerations of production, packaging and shipping.
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