Glenn Adamson Libri

The catalogue to accompany the first museum exhibition to examine the digitally crafted works of Wendell Castle, acclaimed figure of the American art furniture movement.

Outside Louisville, Kentucky, lies Great Meadows, the home of Episcopal priest and contemporary art collector Al Shands. Completed in 1988, the home that he and his late wife Mary built was designed by architect David Morton and tailored to be as outstanding an artifact as each of the works it houses. The collection, accumulated over a period of thirty-five years, encompasses major handicrafts and ceramic objects and has grown to focus on large-scale sculpture and site-specific commissioned work by Petah Coyne, Sol LeWitt, Maya Lin, Stephen Vitiello, and Betty Woodman. The volume explores the complex subtlety of Morton’s building, the beauty of the surrounding landscape, as well as the numerous unconventional surprises and tangents within the collection, which testify to the Shands’s expertise and unerring intuition.

Today's artists have an unprecedented level of choice with regard to materials and methods available to them, yet the processes involved in making artworks are rarely addressed in books or exhibitions on art. This title sets out a history of trends in artistic production and the possible catalysts for the proliferation of production strategies.

Provides an examination of the American studio craft movement in general, with detailed analyses of all of the major mediums (clay, wood, fibre, metal, jewellery, and glass) favoured by the greatest craftsmen of the period. This title explores the origins of the studio craft movement, the international influences that helped it grow, and more.

"From the canonical texts of the Arts and Crafts Movement to the radical thinking of today's "DIY" movement, from theoretical writings on the position of craft in distinction to Art and Design to how-to texts from renowned practitioners, from feminist histories of textiles to descriptions of the innovation born of necessity in Soviet factories and African auto-repair shops, The Craft Reader presents the first comprehensive anthology of writings on modern craft. Covering the period from the Industrial Revolution to today, the Reader draws on craft practice and theory from America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The world of craft is considered in its full breadth -- from pottery and weaving, to couture and chocolate-making, to contemporary art, architecture and curation. The writings are themed into sections and all extracts are individually introduced, placing each in its historical, cultural and artistic context. Bringing together an astonishing range of both classic and contemporary texts, The Craft Reader will be invaluable to any student or practitioner of Craft and also to readers in Art and Design."--Provided by publisher

The first publication documenting the work of Brooks Stevens, one of America's most influential twentieth-century designers.

Things matter. So why are we losing touch with them? From the former director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York comes a timely and passionate case for the role of the well-designed object in the digital age. In this delightful exploration of craft in its many forms, curator and scholar Glenn Adamson explores how raw materials, tools, design and technique come together to produce objects of beauty and utility. A thoughtful meditation on the value of care and attention in an age of disappearing things, Fewer, Better Things invites us to reconnect with the physical world and its objects.

This book is an introduction to the way that artists working in all media think about craft. Workmanship is key to today's visual arts, when high 'production values' are becoming increasingly commonplace. Yet craft's centrality to contemporary art has received little serious attention from critics and historians. Dispensing with clichéd arguments that craft is art, Adamson persuasively makes a case for defining craft in a more nuanced fashion. The interesting thing about craft, he argues, is that it is perceived to be 'inferior' to art. The book consists of an overview of various aspects of this second-class identity - supplementarity, sensuality, skill, the pastoral, and the amateur. It also provides historical case studies analysing craft's role in a variety of disciplines, including architecture, design, contemporary art, and the crafts themselves -- Contracubierta.

"A groundbreaking and endlessly surprising history of how artisans created America, from the nation's origins to the present day"-- Provided by publisher

Liza Lou's installations, crafted entirely from beads, explore significant themes such as women's roles, community dynamics, and the appreciation of labor. This comprehensive book delves into her acclaimed work, highlighting the intricate details and cultural implications of her art, showcasing how it challenges perceptions and celebrates craftsmanship.