Exhibitions
Renwick Craft Invitational 2011
Special exhibition galleries, 1st floor, Renwick Gallery
March 25, 2011 – July 31, 2011
The Renwick Craft Invitational 2011 presents the work of ceramic artist Cliff Lee, furnituremaker Matthias Pliessnig, glass artist Judith Schaechter and silversmith Ubaldo Vitali. These four extraordinary artists create works of superior craftsmanship that address the classic craft notion of function without sacrificing a contemporary aesthetic
Cliff Lee (b. 1951), a neurosurgeon by training who works in Stevens, Pennsylvania, creates elegant porcelain vessels with the exactitude of a doctor, often using his knowledge of chemistry to recreate medieval Chinese glazes long thought lost to history. Matthias Pliessnig (b. 1978), a furniture maker in Philadelphia, uses boat-building techniques in new ways to create graceful forms with curved wood strips that may have up to 5,000 points of contact without the aid of hardware. Judith Schaechter (b. 1961), a glass artist based in Philadelphia, brings a wealth of knowledge about traditional stained-glass practice to her moody windows. Ubaldo Vitali (b. 1944), a fourth-generation silversmith and master conservator of historic silver in Maplewood, New Jersey., uses classical techniques he learned in Rome to create luminous works for popes, kings, and presidents.
The Renwick Craft Invitational is the fifth in a biennial exhibition series—established in 2000—that honors the creativity and talent of craft artists working today. The four artists to be included in the exhibition were chosen by Nicholas Bell, curator at the museum's Renwick Gallery; Ulysses Dietz, senior curator of decorative arts at the Newark Museum in New Jersey; and Andrew Wagner, editor-in-chief of ReadyMade magazine.
Book
A catalogue, with essays by Nicholas Bell, Ulysses Dietz, and Andrew Wagner, will accompany the exhibition.
Credit
The Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation generously supports the Renwick Craft Invitational 2011.
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