Smithsonian Craft Show Features Country’s Master Artists
An inside view of the final jury session for one by Mary E. Petzak |
ore than 1,200 artists applied for a chance to exhibit in April 2003 as
part of the Smithsonian Craft Show, one of the nation’s premier juried
exhibition and sale of contemporary American crafts. Making the cut are 120
master artists and emerging talents from across the country, 40 of who are
making their first appearance in the show.
The depth and range of their artistry was apparent during the final jury session on Nov. 1, 2002, as the Smithsonian Women’s Committee reviewed exhibit entries in an attempt to select cover art for the program that will greet the visitors to the Show in April.
Dozens of images of artists’ work passed across the jurors’ screens, as the viewers searched for the perfect welcome to the stellar event. The jury slides, representing styles and media spanning the world of crafts, comprised a bewildering surplus of choices.
 Detail of “Rubies and Pearls,” work by wood artist Peter Exton, of Oneonta, N.Y. Exton was one of the 120 artists accepted into this year’s show. |
All the viewers liked a “luminous” glass teapot, praised by juror Jan Peters of the del Mano Gallery in Los Angeles, Calif., as “saying tradition” while also being “cool and clever.”
A group of wood carvings of animals, in the Asian style of netsuke, got lots of appreciative exclamations as well.
“ I love them,” said committee member Peg Butner while another member agreed, saying they were “so interesting and detailed.”
A large, 62x54-inch, mythical bird made of molded fiberglass and wood also got raves from the viewers. But, would it be appreciated for what it is in the confines of a program cover?
The committee members came together on this day hoping one select image of a craftwork would emerge to set the tone for the 2003 Show. One by one, craft categories were considered and set aside. Wearables, they decided, just do not come across well in photos. The committee members also agreed that jewelry and glass have been used a lot in other years.
A wood basket, intriguing because, as one member says, “it doesn’t look like wood” was turned down as cover art for the same reason.
Some artists’ works, called “stunning” by the members, fail as imagery on paper. Comments like “too dark,” “too brown” and “doesn’t translate as jewelry” consigned some of the country’s highest-end craft works to the not-for-the-program-cover pile.
A ceramic work of diminutive people emerging from pots
was called “colorful
and happy” by one committee member. The whimsical creation is “exquisitely
done and provocative,” according to juror Mark Leach, director of the
Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, N.C.
In the end, after several hours of visual delight and voluble debate, the
committee members decided to adjourn for lunch and make the final program
art decision on another day.
Starting on April 24 and continuing to April 27, buyers can view and take home one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces like these in basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art and wood.
 Work by ceramic artist Larry Richmond of Willow Creek, Calif., a newcomer to the Smithsonian Craft Show. |
A different panel of three nationally known craft and studio arts experts juries the show each year to produce an unparalleled exhibit and sale. In addition to Peters and Leach, Rebecca Medel, who heads the Textile Department at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Pa., was a juror for the 2003 Smithsonian Craft Show.
Artists who were not accepted for the show can still be part of it by donating works for the Online Auction that begins on the weekend before the Show opens and runs to the closing day.
All the auction items are displayed online and in a special exhibit at the Show. “Lots of craft artists want to be in the Smithsonian Show,” says Annelise Brand, co-chair of the 2002 event. “This is second best — a way to have your work at the show, if not in it.”
Brand says the auction also includes items that are not craft works. “Some people want to help the Smithsonian, but are not interested in crafts,” she explains. “We auction things like events at the Smithsonian, a visit to Julia Child’s kitchen, a chance to name a beetle in the Museum of Natural History, and signed items by athletes like Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm and some Olympians.”
The Women’s Committee is hoping to get donations of all kinds for this year’s auction as well. Brand says the artists in the 2002 show each donated a piece for the auction and she hopes this year’s exhibitors will do the same.
Paul Fisher, CEO of Advanced Jurying Systems that designed the digital jurying process used for the Show, also helped set up the Online Auction. “By registering ahead of time, people not at the craft show can still participate in the auction,” Fisher says. “The bidder can put in a maximum bid on an item online and still bid again if it goes over.”
Bidders can register up until the first day of the auction at www.smithsonianauctions.org. Brand says bids generally start at 50 percent of the value of the item as determined by the donor. “We sold every piece in 2002, some actually above the retail price,” she says.
The Smithsonian Craft Show (formerly the Washington Craft Show), made its debut in 1983. Works of past exhibitors can be found in major private collections and museums such as the Museum of Contemporary Arts and Design, formerly the American Craft Museum, in New York and the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery.
According to the Women’s Committee, show exhibitors in 2002 earned over $2 million, plus commissions, when more than 19,000 visitors attended the 20th annual Smithsonian Craft Show. Butner says the Smithsonian Craft Show does not take a percentage of exhibitor sales. All proceeds from show attendance and the Online Auction go to The Smithsonian.
For information about the bidding process or donating items for the Online Auction, contact Annelise Brand at (202) 338-3098 or abrand98@aol.com.