Renwick Gallery 50th Anniversary Acquisition Campaign

Quilted artwork depicting eight African American soldiers

Bisa Butler, Don’t Tread On Me, God Damn, Let’s Go!— The Harlem Hellfighters, 2021–22, pieced, appliquéd, and quilted cottons, silk, wool, and velvet, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of David Bonderman. Photo by Lee Stalsworth 

Through the Renwick Gallery 50th Anniversary Acquisition Campaign, begun in 2020, SAAM has brought more than 200 objects by leading craft artists into its permanent collection. The campaign focuses on artworks made by a broadly representative and diverse group of American artists and increases the number of Black, Latinx, Asian American, LGBTQ+, Indigenous and women artists, among others, represented in the nation’s collection. 

The campaign kicked off the 50th anniversary of the museum’s Renwick Gallery as the nation’s premier museum dedicated to American craft. The artworks acquired, both through gifts and museum purchase, represent a range of craft mediums, including fiber, ceramics, glass, metal and wood. These objects deepen the history of the studio craft movement while also introducing contemporary artworks that push the boundaries of what we interpret the handmade to be in the twenty-first century. More than 130 of these new acquisitions are featured in the exhibition This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World.

Acquisition Highlights

Media - 2021.98.2 - SAAM-2021.98.2_1 - 143183
Bowl
Date1939
earthenware with uranium glaze
Not on view
Media - 2021.61.1 - SAAM-2021.61.1_1 - 143021
Endangered Species: Jarrilla
Date2006
wedge weaving
Not on view
Media - 2021.62 - SAAM-2021.62_1 - 143023
Celestial Body
Date2005
bronze, brass, and aluminum
Not on view
Media - 2019.19 - SAAM-2019.19_1 - 143144
Louie Bones — Omega
Date2017
earthenware, vitreous china, and mixed media
Not on view
Media - 2020.65 - SAAM-2020.65_1 - 143343
Perforated golden micaceous orb
Date2020
micaceous clay
Not on view
Media - 2021.48.1 - SAAM-2021.48.1_1 - 143153
Soundsuit
Date2010
fabric, beads, and sequins
On view
Media - 2021.18.1 - SAAM-2021.18.1_1 - 142995
Love, Dad
Date2012-2013
glass beads, thread, wooden table, letters
On view
Media - 2020.49A-B - SAAM-2020.49A-B_1 - 142597
Sustaining Traditions-Digital Memories
Date2018
black ash, sweetgrass, rit, copper, vial EAB, flashdrive
On view
Media - 2021.41.3 - SAAM-2021.41.3_1 - 143005
Head and Shoulders
Date2007
hand-built ceramics, freshwater pearls, garnets, crystals, cornelian sapphires, bronze wire, metal, goldleaf, and oil paint
On view
Media - 2021.77.2 - SAAM-2021.77.2_1 - 143069
Presence/​Absence: Touches II
Date1998
handwoven cotton and rayon
Not on view
Media - 2021.59 - SAAM-2021.59_1 - 143019
Araña
Date2004
hand built clay and stains
On view
Media - 2021.15 - SAAM-2021.15_3 - 142994
BLM‑4
Date2020
cotton fabric, cotton thread
On view
Media - 2021.64.1 - SAAM-2021.64.1_1 - 143079
George Floyd
Date2020
cotton fabric and cotton thread
On view
Media - 2021.64.2 - SAAM-2021.64.2_1 - 143081
Mermaid
Date2020
cotton fabric and cotton thread
On view
Media - 2021.64.3 - SAAM-2021.64.3_1 - 143083
Schoolgirl
Date2020
cotton fabric and cotton thread
On view
Media - 2021.41.4 - SAAM-2021.41.4_1 - 143007
Large Silver Globe
Date1978
raku, silver leaf
Not on view
A pink neon sign that reads "This Present Moment Used to be the Unimaginable future
This Present Moment
Date2019-2020
neon, custom controller, steel
On view
Media - 2021.48.27 - SAAM-2021.48.27_1 - 143155
Raphine
Date2015
lampworked glass
Not on view
Joe Feddersen, Horses and Deer, 2020, glass
Horses and Deer
Date2020
glass
Not on view
Media - 2020.55 - SAAM-2020.55_1 - 142475
Large Turquoise Urchin Basket
Date2019
brown ash and sweetgrass
On view
Media - 2021.81 - SAAM-2021.81_1 - 143177
Drag
Date2013-2014
collected detritus and steel
On view
Media - 2021.32 - SAAM-2021.32_1 - 143148
Song of Sorrow
Date2015
ink and acrylic paint on watercolor paper splints
On view
Media - 2021.5 - SAAM-2021.5_1 - 140819
Initiate
Date2020
ceramic
On view
Media - 2021.10 - SAAM-2021.10_1 - 142993
Our Destruction
Date2019
wool stroud cloth, wool, glass beads, crystals, sequins
On view
Media - 2021.86.1 - SAAM-2021.86.1_1 - 143072
Necklace Made for Patti Warashina
Artist
Daten.d.
silver, leather, and Plexiglas with two wood carvings by Julia Harrison and a carved wooden Japanese mask
On view
Media - 2021.80 - SAAM-2021.80_1 - 143176
Gorgonia 17
Date2018
nickel-plated bronze and mirrored blown glass
Not on view
Media - 2021.48.12 - SAAM-2021.48.12_1 - 143009
Dearest Sally Chair
Date2010
walnut, ash, and cherry with marquetry
Not on view
Media - 2021.21 - SAAM-2021.21_1 - 143073
Nut Case
Date2019
reclaimed wood, found hardware and fasteners, industrial felt, 178 acorns
On view
Media - 2021.75A-C - SAAM-2021.75A-C_1 - 143068
Teapot and Cup
Date1939-1945
slate stone
Not on view
Media - 2021.48.13 - SAAM-2021.48.13_1 - 143151
#505 Oak Savanna Sentinel
Date2014
boxwood with acrylic paint, gold and silver leaf powder, and nail lacquer
Not on view
Media - 2021.55.2 - SAAM-2021.55.2_1 - 143018
Small Dark Cloud
Date2012
willow and Rocky Mountain maple with encaustic finish
Not on view
Media - 2021.55.1 - SAAM-2021.55.1_1 - 143017
Sitting
Date2010
brown ash, fiberboard, oak
Not on view
Media - 2021.35 - SAAM-2021.35_1 - 142805
Portrait of Resilience, from the Flag Series
Date2020
dye discharge fabric, antique quilt fabric, vinyl, flag fabric, and African print fabric
On view
Media - 2021.83 - SAAM-2021.83_1 - 143071
still not
Date2019
mid-century fabric, quilting cotton,and denim with cotton sashiko thread
Not on view
Media - 2021.50.1 - SAAM-2021.50.1_1 - 143015
Riverside Revival: Lift Every Voice and Sing
Date2019-2021
clothes from the artist, donate clothes, donated corduroy, old choir robes from Black Churches in St. Louis, fragments of vintage quilts, Ghanaian fabric and embroidery
On view
Media - 2021.48.11 - SAAM-2021.48.11_1 - 143344
Founding Fathers Writing Table
Date2010
wood
Not on view
Media - 2021.1 - SAAM-2021.1_2 - 142997
Unapologetically Asian
Date2020
Korean silk, cotton canvas, muslin, elastic
On view
Media - 2021.98.1 - SAAM-2021.98.1_1 - 143354
Opera singer
Dateca. 1960
stoneware with glaze
On view
Media - 2021.48.10 - SAAM-2021.48.10_1 - 143352
Wolf Spirit
Date2011
maple and pigment
On view
Media - 2021.58 - SAAM-2021.58_1 - 143163
With You in a Moment
Date2016
honey locust, ash, shovel and lawn mower handles
On view
Media - 2020.64 - SAAM-2020.64_1 - 139931
Blue/​Purple Ombré with Rocks
Date2018
porcelain
On view
Colorful multi-media vase
Juicy
Date2021
glazed stoneware, enamel paint, luster
On view
Media - 2021.99 - SAAM-2021.99_1 - 143349
FOLDS CLXVIII
Date2019
clay, wood, and powder-coated steel frame
On view
Media - 2020.76.2 - SAAM-2020.76.2_1 - 140861
Goodbye, My Friend
Date2018
paper, fiber, pen and ink with collage
Not on view
Media - 2020.29.1 - SAAM-2020.29.1_1 - 139239
MMIW
Date2020
cotton fabric, ribbon, Czech seed beads, bone, shell
On view
Media - 2021.3 - SAAM-2021.3_1 - 143003
Ten Original Clans of the Myaamia
Date2016
wool felt with Czech seed beads, pony beads, brass thimbles, polyester tassels, satin ribbon, and cotton liner
Not on view
Media - 2021.50.2 - SAAM-2021.50.2_1 - 143016
Yellowave (black) 1
Date2020
black stoneware
Not on view
Media - 2021.28 - SAAM-2021.28_1 - 142999
Salish Clam Basket
Date2008
glass
On view
Media - 2020.63 - SAAM-2020.63_1 - 143145
Tall squash pot
Date2020
clay
On view
Media - 2021.48.2 - SAAM-2021.48.2_1 - 143010
Nike with Broken Wings
DateApril 2002
cotton, linen, and gold thread
On view
Media - 2021.22 - SAAM-2021.22_1 - 142998
Lungs
Date2020
glass
On view
Media - 2020.77 - SAAM-2020.77_1 - 142478
Egypt
Date1974
copper, champlevé enamel, rosewood, paper, lead pencil, glass
Not on view
Media - 2021.2 - SAAM-2021.2_4 - 143000
Monarch Nation
Date2019
carved bison horn, inlaid orange sandstone, white mother of pearl
Not on view
Media - 2021.63.2 - SAAM-2021.63.2_1 - 143024
Nounless
Date1989
acrylic on fired clay
Not on view
Media - 2021.79 - SAAM-2021.79_1 - 143070
Pope Basket
Date2021
sweetgrass and black ash splints with commercial dye
Not on view
Media - 2021.57A-D - SAAM-2021.57A-D_1 - 143162
Untitled
Date2007
glass
On view
Media - 2021.49.1 - SAAM-2021.49.1_1 - 143012
Heart of Gold, Female #2
Date2002
tapestry woven silk and metallic thread with custom mount
On view
Media - 2021.60 - SAAM-2021.60_1 - 143020
Yellow #4
Date1998
glass beads, glass, and thread
Not on view
Media - 2021.48.4 - SAAM-2021.48.4_1 - 143076
Leaf Vessel
Dateca. 2012
big-leaf maple leaf, kozo paper, watercolor
Not on view
Media - 2021.36 - SAAM-2021.36_1-000001 - 143355
OTRO MUNDO ES POSIBLE
Date2017
felt, fusible web, and bias tape on cotton
On view
Media - 2021.56 - SAAM-2021.56_1 - 143353
Thunderbird & Hawk
Date2011
glass
Not on view
Media - 2021.82A-C - SAAM-2021.82A-C_1 - 142811
Safe Journey
Date2021
cast and sand-carved glass on wooden pedestal
On view
Media - 2020.29.2 - SAAM-2020.29.2_1 - 139242
Yellow Cedar Face Mask
Date2020
yellow cedar and sinew
Not on view
Media - 2021.48.9 - SAAM-2021.48.9_1 - 143011
Peace Missile
Date1985
oak, walnut, laurel, hardwoods, brass, music box
Not on view
Media - 2021.52A-I - SAAM-2021.52A-I_1 - 143159
Facing the Unexpected
Date2013
western red cedar bark, ash, spruce root, and coated copper wire
Not on view
Media - 2021.49.3 - SAAM-2021.49.3_1 - 143014
Alice with Rose, from the series Alice/​Venus
Date2009
stoneware with underglazes
Not on view
Media - 2020.29.3 - SAAM-2020.29.3_1 - 139243
Ononkwashon: a/​Medicine Plants
Date2020
black velveteen, red flannel, Czech seed beads, sweetgrass, sage, and leather
On view
Media - 2021.84 - SAAM-2021.84_1 - 143180
Ohio Goza y Mas
Date2013
blown glass, resin castings, and mixed media
On view
Media - 2021.42 - SAAM-2021.42_1 - 143008
Wrapped Light 32
Date2008
cast glass, gold leaf, metal, pigmented waxes
Not on view
Media - 2021.11 - SAAM-2021.11_1 - 143146
When will the Red Leader Overshadow Images of the 19th
Date2018
35mm film from "Windwalker" (1981), red and white film leader, silver braid
On view
Media - 2021.18.2 - SAAM-2021.18.2_1 - 142996
Popular Devotion
Date2019
devotional medals, sterling silver, pewter
Not on view
Media - 2021.51 - SAAM-2021.51_1 - 143158
Run, Jane, Run!
Date2004
woven cotton, linen, barbed wire, caution tape
Not on view
Media - 2021.61.5 - SAAM-2021.61.5_1 - 143022
Santa Chingada: The Perfect Little Woman
Date1999-2000
ceramic and mixed media
On view
Media - 2021.70 - SAAM-2021.70_1 - 143065
Comforter
Date1994
cotton gloves
Not on view
Media - 2021.41.2 - SAAM-2021.41.2_1 - 143004
Random Order XIII
Date2006
cedar bark, cedar roots, bera grasses
Not on view
Media - 2021.53 - SAAM-2021.53_1 - 143347
Shanghai Tiger
Date2019
cast glass, stoneware, gemstones, gold leaf, steel base
Not on view
Media - 2020.56 - SAAM-2020.56_1 - 142992
Communion
Date1998
ceramic
On view
Media - 2021.54.1 - SAAM-2021.54.1_1 - 143161
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Date2018
silver, glass, wool, plastic, nylon, fur, leather, feathers and steel
Not on view
Media - 2021.74A-K - SAAM-2021.74A-K_1 - 143067
scoopbowl service
Date2010
porcelain with matte crystalline glazes and high temperature wire
Not on view
Media - 2021.72 - SAAM-2021.72_1 - 143066
Warrior with Color Face
Date2009
high-fired clay with glaze
On view

Bernstein-Chernoff Collection

Media - 2021.66.36 - SAAM-2021.66.36_1 - 143050

Judith Chernoff and Jeffrey Bernstein donated 43 works from their collection of sculptural wood art, all of which are on display in a dedicated gallery in the exhibition This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World.

Acquisitions Committee

The campaign was led by Nora Atkinson, the Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge for the Renwick Gallery with Mary Savig, the Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft; and Anya Montiel, curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The Renwick Gallery 50th Anniversary Acquisitions Committee—co-chaired by Myra J. Weiss, a member of the museum’s board of commissioners; and Carolyn Mazloomi, artist, curator, and scholar—included more than fifty knowledgeable collectors, artists, and craft enthusiasts from across the United States who volunteered to work closely with museum curators on this campaign.

Donors

Nedra and Peter Agnew
Alturas Foundation
Rebecca Benaroya
David Bonderman
Maureen Fennessy Bousa and Edward P. Bousa
Fleur S. Bresler
Sharon and Robert Buchanan
Judith Chernoff, MD, and Jeffrey Bernstein, MD
Frances Dubrowski and David Buente
Brenda Erickson
Mary Anne Fray
Donna M. Gottlieb
Diane and Marc Grainer
Corey Hampson and Aaron Schey – Habatat Galleries Michigan
Judy and Stuart Heller
Lloyd E. Herman
Pamela and David Hornik
Cecily and Bannus Hudson
Aiko Iseyama and Family
Jaimianne and Anthony Jacobin
Deena L. and Jerome A. Kaplan
Sharon Karmazin
Colleen and John Kotelly
Lorne E. Lassiter and Gary P. Ferraro
Alida and Christopher Latham
Cliff Lee
Leslie LePere
Tom Loeser
Joseph P. Logan
Wendy MacGaw
Michele A. Manatt and Wolfram Anders

Jane and Arthur Mason
Carolyn L. Mazloomi
Forrest L. Merrill
Alison and Glen Milliman
Clemmer and David Montague
Joel Mulhauser, MD
Merrily Orsini and Frederick Heath
Sheldon Palley, Lisa Palley, Donna Kass, and Kevin Palley 
Gwen and Jerome Paulson
The Porter Family
Shelly, Piper, and Oliver Powell
Chris Rifkin
Ted Rowland
Dorothy Saxe
Cynthia Sears
Sally Silberberg
Preston Singletary
Rebecca Anne Sive
Frances Spivy-Weber and Michael L. Weber
Michael J. Stein
Linda and David Stout
Jacqueline D. Urow and Tom Lynn
Paul Villinski
Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell
Patti Warashina
Judith S. Weisman
Myra and Harold Weiss
Todd Wingate and Steven Cason
Estate of Nancy Worden
Malcolm Wright
Denise M. Wynn