Greetings from Portland! I'm at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, where I've somehow managed to trick the wonderful staff into believing that I'm a legitimate curator! Ha! I'm honored to present Era Messages, my debut museum exhibition. I curated the show from the more than 1000 objects in the museum's permanent collection, which spans the 75 years the museum has been around.
The objects in the show are all very representative of the time periods in which they were created--from funky, fuzzy 1960's textile art to slick, tightly-crafted 90's work. I'll be in "residence" at the museum, chatting with visitors about the show all day today, then I'll give a lecture called "A Waste of Timelessness: Craft in the Present Tense" at the museum on Saturday at 2:00.
Is craft at its best when it is categorized as timeless, or should craft be understood as a reflection of the era in which it is made? In this CraftPerspectives Lecture, Garth Johnson will examine how trends in popular culture, fashion and style intersect with craft. Johnson notes, “As legendary cultural critic Heidi Klum says, ‘One minute you are in, and the next, you are out.’” Johnson’s lecture provides context for Era Messages, the exhibition he’s curated from works in the Museum’s collection.
So far, Portland has been a whirlwind of awesome, broken arm nonwithstanding. I look forward to seeing you at the museum! Thanks to PNCA for the photo!
