Shelter Structure

Norma Minkowitz, Shelter Structure, 1985, cotton, acrylic paint, pencil, and shellac, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Theodore Cohen in memory of his mother and her sisters: Rose Melmon Cohen, Blanche Melmon, Mary Melmon Greenberg and Fanny Melmon Liberman, 1998.122.16
Copied Norma Minkowitz, Shelter Structure, 1985, cotton, acrylic paint, pencil, and shellac, 8 7811 1210 34 in. (22.529.227.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Theodore Cohen in memory of his mother and her sisters: Rose Melmon Cohen, Blanche Melmon, Mary Melmon Greenberg and Fanny Melmon Liberman, 1998.122.16

Artwork Details

Title
Shelter Structure
Date
1985
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
8 7811 1210 34 in. (22.529.227.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Theodore Cohen in memory of his mother and her sisters: Rose Melmon Cohen, Blanche Melmon, Mary Melmon Greenberg and Fanny Melmon Liberman
Mediums Description
cotton, acrylic paint, pencil, and shellac
Classifications
Object Number
1998.122.16

Artwork Description

Shelter Structure has two distinct sections: the densely knit bottom and the transparent weblike top. Norma Minkowitz’s loose crocheting allows light to permeate the object, altering its appearance. She used shellac to stiffen the thread so that the otherwise delicate and flimsy material would hold its form. Minkowitz’s hollow works express both shelter and confinement. It is possible to peer inside her vessels through the stitching and to think of them as inviting, protective places, but her knitting also evokes the feeling of being caught inside with no way out.