Janet Kardon 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 - PRINTER VERSION
>> craft movement in the 20th century and processing what has happened in the crafts with thought-out exhibitions that are documented by scholarly catalogues that will pick up on the really important events in the craft world. So one focus will be looking back historically and picking up on threads that have never been picked up before. One has to look into history, because I think we are going to be able to understand the work that is being made in the present against a historical context. And then I think there has to be a certain amount of selectivity that happens. I've never liked big, postage-stamp kinds of exhibitions where there is one piece from hundreds of artists. I don't know if these exhibitions teach us as much or do as much for the field as seeing a single person's work in depth. I think there is work to be done at both ends: We have to look at the masters of craft and at the emerging craft artists.
RB: Some people feel, as you seem to, that one of the weaknesses of craft in terms of its exhibitions is that, unlike the fine arts, there are relatively few exhibitions of one individual's work. Consequently, one never sees their work in a larger context or gets the full idea behind their work.
JK: Right, so you don't have the chance to see how that kind of artist develops, you don't see early, middle, and late work; you see an object or three objects. It's not enough sometimes.
RB: What about exhibitions where material is the theme?
JK: I think those kinds of exhibitions have to be more rigorous, too.
RB: Do you think we have outgrown those kinds of exhibitions?
JK: Probably.
RB: Theoretically, then, a show could be premised on a concept that could encompass all kinds of crafts without becoming medium-oriented.
JK: Well, when I think of the history of the kinds of exhibitions I have done, I don't think I'm going to change just because I'm the director of the American Craft Museum instead of the director of the Institute of Contemporary Art. I have always been interested in finding the emerging talent or the issues that will have enduring significance. I don't see that interest or inclination changing simply because I'm sitting at a different desk. I'm also interested in thematic shows that have to do with issues that are of concern to artists. I don't think that my shows have been these great, huge, all-encompassing categories. I've never done a painting show, for example, and I can't imagine I'd ever do a clay show.
RB: Is the museum's relationship to American Craft magazine and American Craft Enterprises going to be any different?
JK: I expect it will be quite different and it is quite different already. The American Crafts Museum and the American Crafts Council are in the process of becoming two separate entities. The museum will have its own board of governors, its own budget, be a separate legal entity.
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© 1980 - 2025 Rob Barnard . All Rights Reserved. Site design: eismontdesign
>> craft movement in the 20th century and processing what has happened in the crafts with thought-out exhibitions that are documented by scholarly catalogues that will pick up on the really important events in the craft world. So one focus will be looking back historically and picking up on threads that have never been picked up before. One has to look into history, because I think we are going to be able to understand the work that is being made in the present against a historical context. And then I think there has to be a certain amount of selectivity that happens. I've never liked big, postage-stamp kinds of exhibitions where there is one piece from hundreds of artists. I don't know if these exhibitions teach us as much or do as much for the field as seeing a single person's work in depth. I think there is work to be done at both ends: We have to look at the masters of craft and at the emerging craft artists.
RB: Some people feel, as you seem to, that one of the weaknesses of craft in terms of its exhibitions is that, unlike the fine arts, there are relatively few exhibitions of one individual's work. Consequently, one never sees their work in a larger context or gets the full idea behind their work.
JK: Right, so you don't have the chance to see how that kind of artist develops, you don't see early, middle, and late work; you see an object or three objects. It's not enough sometimes.
RB: What about exhibitions where material is the theme?
JK: I think those kinds of exhibitions have to be more rigorous, too.
RB: Do you think we have outgrown those kinds of exhibitions?
JK: Probably.
RB: Theoretically, then, a show could be premised on a concept that could encompass all kinds of crafts without becoming medium-oriented.
JK: Well, when I think of the history of the kinds of exhibitions I have done, I don't think I'm going to change just because I'm the director of the American Craft Museum instead of the director of the Institute of Contemporary Art. I have always been interested in finding the emerging talent or the issues that will have enduring significance. I don't see that interest or inclination changing simply because I'm sitting at a different desk. I'm also interested in thematic shows that have to do with issues that are of concern to artists. I don't think that my shows have been these great, huge, all-encompassing categories. I've never done a painting show, for example, and I can't imagine I'd ever do a clay show.
RB: Is the museum's relationship to American Craft magazine and American Craft Enterprises going to be any different?
JK: I expect it will be quite different and it is quite different already. The American Crafts Museum and the American Crafts Council are in the process of becoming two separate entities. The museum will have its own board of governors, its own budget, be a separate legal entity.
>>
© 1980 - 2025 Rob Barnard . All Rights Reserved. Site design: eismontdesign