Don Baum, Chinatown, 1980, mixed media: wood, crushed metal cans, rulers, cut, glued and assembled, 14 1⁄2 x 14 3⁄4 x 9 1⁄4 in. (36.8 x 37.5 x 23.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Koffler, 1984.157.1
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Chinatown
- Artist
- Date
- 1980
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 14 1⁄2 x 14 3⁄4 x 9 1⁄4 in. (36.8 x 37.5 x 23.5 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Koffler
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- mixed media: wood, crushed metal cans, rulers, cut, glued and assembled
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Architecture — domestic — house
- Object Number
- 1984.157.1
Artwork Description
Don Baum picked up discarded objects such as rulers and crushed cans while walking through Chicago’s Chinatown with artist Miyoko Ito. He then used these items to create Chinatown, a piece that is part of his Domus series. In medieval France, the domus was the basic social unit of the village, consisting of both the house and the peasant family residing under its roof. Baum captures a sense of place in Chinatown by including found objects that are traces of the community he portrays.