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Renwick Gallery Highlights

In Bureau of Bureaucracy (right), Kim Schmahmann uses the northern European cabinet of curiosities as a metaphor for bureaucracy. At first, the piece appears to be a superb but straightforward example of monumental cabinetwork. However, opening its numerous doors reveals its astonishing complexity. Drawers are hidden, solid or bottomless, or hold a series of drawers within drawers. At the bottom, flat drawers contain the artist's records of bureaucracy. Here a birth certificate and other legal documents form life's "collectibles" or "curiosities."

Dante Marioni's hand-blown glass piece Red Group (3 vessels) (left) demonstrates his mastery of the Venetian glass technique. Marioni creates fluid, elongated forms in vibrant red that—when paired—convey a sense of elegance and sophistication.

Peter Voulkos strays from traditional pottery with Rocking Pot (right). Horizontal ceramic slabs protrude from holes in the pot creating a contemporary sculpture rather than a functional form.

Mariska Karasz, a self-taught artist, introduces embroidery as a serious art form in Skeins (left). She weaves a pattern from strands of wool in varying colors and degrees of thickness. Large applications towards the outside of the piece give way to a more intricate design in the center.

Quilt #17 (right) by Pamela Studstill displays a striking use of vibrant color. The artist, who began as a painter, paints her cotton before patching it to create a bold effect. Her small brushstrokes contrast with larger strips of sewn material, while her light palette at the top of the quilt slowly grows darker as it progresses downward.

Pictured above:

Top image: Kim Schmahmann, Bureau of Bureaucracy, 1993–99, various hardwoods, veneers, marquetry, mother of pearl, gold leaf, and brass, 96 x 36 x 24 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, (c)1993 Kim S. Schmahmann, photo by Dean Powell

Second image: Dante Marioni, Red Group (3 vessels), blown glass, 1995, 14 x 13 1/4 x 9 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance

Third image: Peter Voulkos, Rocking Pot, 1956, wheel-thrown and slab-constructed stoneware with colemanite wash, 13 5/8 x 21 x 17 1/2 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance and various donors and museum purchase, photo by Bruce Miller

Fourth image: Mariska Karasz, Skeins, about 1950, linen, cotton, and wool, 53 1/2 x 50 1/4 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance and museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, (c)1952 F. Schumacher and Co., photo by Bruce Miller

Bottom image: Pamela Studstill, Quilt #17, 1982, cotton and paint, 63 3/4 x 60 3/4 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of KPMG Peat Marwick, photo by Bruce Miller