Contextualizing Craft and Design
The two-day symposium "Contextualizing Craft and Design" takes place at Utah State University's museum Jan. 30 and 31.
Utah State University’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (NEHMA), a part of the Caine College of the Arts, presents the symposium “Contextualizing Craft and Design” that explores historical and contemporary dialogues in American studio craft and design, providing a platform for varied perspectives within the fields.
The symposium begins Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. in the NEHMA with a lecture from keynote speaker Jenni Sorkin. A reception immediately follows the lecture.
Sorkin is an assistant professor of contemporary art history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She holds a doctorate in the history of art from Yale University, a master of arts in curatorial studies from The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and a bachelor of fine arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Sorkin has received fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, Luce Foundation and Getty Research Institute. Her writings has appeared in the Art Journal, Art Monthly, NU: The Nordic Art Review, Frieze, The Journal of Modern Craft and more. Her book, Live Form: Women, Ceramics and Community about gender and post-war ceramics practice, is forthcoming from The University of Chicago Press in 2016. She is a scholar on Black Mountain College and wrote an essay for the “Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft” exhibition catalog.
The symposium continues Jan. 31 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., beginning with refreshments and conversation at the NEHMA, followed by presentations and panel discussions throughout the day.
The symposium complements the exhibits Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft and Black Mountain College: Shaping Craft + Design currently on display at USU.
Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft features more than 60 works in wood, ceramic and fiber. It provides an international perspective on craft innovations from the past 50 years. It includes an emphasis on recent work by artists exploring craft through a blend of material, process and concept.
Black Mountain College: Shaping Craft + Design brings together a selection of works by Black Mountain College faculty and students to explore the role and influence of the college on the fields of studio craft and design from the middle of the 20th century through today. Black Mountain College (1933-1957) was an experimental liberal arts college located in the rural mountains of North Carolina.
The museum is located in the Chase Fine Arts Center complex at Utah State University and is free and open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Information and complete schedules can be found at the museum’s website.
Symposium Schedule: Friday, Jan. 30 — 7 p.m., keynote with Jenni Sorkin, “Everyday Black Mountain;” 8 p.m., reception. Saturday, Jan. 31 ? 8 a.m., coffee and conversation; 9 a.m., Del Harrow, sculptor, University of Colorado Fort Collins; 10 a.m., Black Mountain College panel discussion with Katie Lee Koven, NEHMA director and curator of “Black Mountain College: Shaping Craft + Design,” Adriane Dalton, assistant curator of “Black Mountain College: Shaping Craft + Design,” Nicholas Danielson, graduate museum intern and USU ceramics MFA student; 11:15 a.m., Glenn Adamson, director of Museum of Art + Design, New York, N.Y. (via Skype); noon, break; 1:30 p.m., design panel discussion with Mike Daines, assistant professor of graphic design, USU, Liese Zahabi, assistant professor of graphic design, Weber State University, Sarah Urquhart, assistant professor of interior design, USU; 2:30 p.m., Heather Lineberry, associate director and senior curator at Arizona State University, curator of “Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft;” 3:30 p.m., closing remarks, Jenni Sorkin; 4 p.m., exhibition gallery tours; 5 p.m., reception.
As a component of the Caine College of Arts, NEHMA is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting modern and contemporary visual art to promote dialogue about ideas fundamental to contemporary society and provides meaningful engagement with art from the 20th and 21st centuries to support the educational mission of Utah State University. NEHMA also provides programs such as lectures, panels, tours and symposia to serve USU as well as the local and regional community.
Related links:
USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art
Writer: Whitney Schulte, 435-797-9203, whitney.schulte@usu.edu
Contact: Denise Albiston, 435-797-1500, denise.albiston@usu.edu
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