Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Wine Rack, 1968
Opening one week from today at New York City's Museum of Arts and Design: The Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design show, spanning roughly three decades' worth of objects. I'm particularly excited about this one because although there are a few of the expected standards—an Eames Lounge Chair, a George Nelson bench for Herman Miller—there's also a ton of cool objects by more obscure designers. As the title of the show implies, there's a particular focus on craft as opposed to machine-made:
In the period immediately after World War II, characterized by mass production, the handmade object offered a humanizing counterpoint to the machine aesthetic. The exhibition looks at the connections between craft and the design world, through the work of textile designer Dorothy Liebes, furniture maker George Nakashima, silversmith Jack Prip, sculptor and designer Isamu Noguchi, among others....
Wharton Esherick, Chest-table, 1969
(more...)