Exhibitions
40 under 40: Craft Futures
1st floor, Renwick Gallery
July 20, 2012 – February 3, 2013
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40 under 40: Craft Futures features forty artists born since 1972, the year the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s contemporary craft and decorative arts program was established at its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery. The exhibition investigates evolving notions of craft within traditional media such as ceramics and metalwork, as well as in fields as varied as sculpture, industrial design, installation art, fashion design, sustainable manufacturing, and mathematics. The range of disciplines represented illustrates new avenues for the handmade in contemporary culture.
All of the artworks selected for display in the exhibition were created since Sept. 11, 2001. This new work reflects the changed world that exists today, which poses new challenges and considerations for artists. These 40 artists are united by philosophies for living differently in modern society with an emphasis on sustainability, a return to valuing the hand-made and what it means to live in a state of persistent conflict and unease.
Nicholas R. Bell, The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator of American Craft and Decorative Art at the Renwick Gallery, organized the exhibition. The museum hopes to acquire works by every artist featured in the exhibition to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Renwick Gallery.
Select works from 40 under 40:Craft Futures provided inspiration to the designers of Washington Design Center’s 2012 DreamHome. Visit dcdesigncenter.com for more information.
Book
The forthcoming catalog is written by Bell, with contributions from Julia Bryan-Wilson, associate professor of art history at the University of California, Berkeley; Douglas Coupland, artist, novelist and cultural critic; Bernard L. Herman, the George B. Tindall Distinguished Professor of
American Studies and Folklore at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and Michael J. Prokopow, associate professor, faculty of liberal studies at Ontario College of Art and Design. The book will be distributed by Yale University Press and will be available in hardcover in the Renwick Gallery store and on the museum’s website.
Public Programs
July 20, 2012 from noon – 2:30 p.m., Curator Talk and Artist Open House
Thursdays (August through January) from 12:30 – 2 p.m., Sit ‘n’ Stitch
August 4, 2012 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Craft Futures Family Day
First Sundays (August through January) from 2 – 4 p.m., Sit ‘n’ Stitch
August 29, 2012 at noon, 40 under 40 Gallery Talk
Credit
40 under 40: Craft Futures is organized by the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Fleur Bresler, the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation Endowment, the James Renwick Alliance, and the Windgate Charitable Foundation generously support the exhibition in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery. The publication is made possible by the James Renwick Alliance Dale Chihuly Publication Fund.
National Tour
This exhibition is available for tour to additional venues after closing at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery. If you are interested in hosting the exhibition at your museum, please visit our traveling exhibitions page for contact information.
Contribute
Contribute to the museum's acquisition of artworks from 40 under 40: Craft Futures. Your donation of $10 or more before July 15 adds your name to the credits in the galleries!
Stay Connected
You can join the conversation about the exhibition on Twitter by following @americanart and using #Renwick40.
Selected Artists
Vivian Beer, b. 1977
Melanie Bilenker, b. 1978
Jeffrey Clancy, b. 1976
Dave Cole, b. 1975
Cristina Córdova , b. 1976
Gabriel Craig, b. 1983
Jennifer Crupi, b. 1973
Erik Demaine, b. 1981
Joshua DeMonte, b. 1984
Brian Dettmer, b. 1974
Nick Dong, b. 1973
Joseph Foster Ellis, b. 1984
Jeff Garner, b. 1978
Theaster Gates, b. 1975
Sabrina Gschwandtner, b. 1977
Jenny Hart, b. 1972
Sergey Jivetin, b. 1977
Lauren Kalman, b. 1980
Lara Knutson, b. 1974
Stephanie Liner, b. 1978
Marc Maiorana, b. 1978
Sebastian Martorana, b. 1981
Christy Matson, b. 1979
Cat Mazza, b. 1977
Daniel Michalik, b. 1972
Matt Moulthrop, b. 1977
Christy Oates, b. 1980
Olek, b. 1978
Andy Paiko, b. 1977
Mia Pearlman, b. 1974
L. J. Roberts, b. 1980
Laurel Roth, b. 1973
Shawn Smith, b. 1972
Jen Stark, b. 1983
Matthew Szösz, b. 1974
Uhuru (Jason Horvath, b. 1978 and William Hilgendorf, b. 1979)
Jamin Uticone, b. 1975
Anna Von Mertens, b. 1973
Stacey Lee Webber, b. 1982
Bohyun Yoon, b. 1976
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