Artist

J. Fred Woell

born Evergreen Park, IL 1934-died Deer Isle, ME 2015
Media - woell_j_fred.jpg - 90569
Courtesy J. Fred Woell
Also known as
  • James Frederick Woell
  • James Fred Woell
  • Fred Woell
Born
Evergreen Park, Illinois, United States
Died
Deer Isle, Maine, United States
Biography

J. Fred Woell was told by the art galleries of New York to “use gold or forget it.” The artist felt strongly that material should not determine a work’s value, and so began to create “anti-jewelry.” He explores themes of consumerism and violence in his humorous assemblages of discarded objects.

Works by this artist (6 items)

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J. Fred Woell, Come Alive, You're in the Pepsi Generation, 1966, sterling silver, copper, brass, steel, glass and found objects, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Kathleen Kriegman, 2006.34.1
Come Alive, You’re in the Pepsi Generation
Artist
Date1966
sterling silver, copper, brass, steel, glass and found objects
Not on view
J. Fred Woell, First Class Fare, 1975, sterling silver, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Rose Mary Wadman in memory of Alton J. Wadman, 2006.25
First Class Fare
Artist
Date1975
sterling silver
Not on view
J. Fred Woell, Democracy Speaks, 2003, wood, brass, paper, nickel, and bullet shells, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of J. Fred Woell, 2017.29
Democracy Speaks
Artist
Date2003
wood, brass, paper, nickel, and bullet shells
Not on view
J. Fred Woell, November 22, 1963 12:30 p.m., 1967, copper, silver, brass, gold leaf, newsprint photo, walnut, velvet, and glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Rose Mary Wadman, 1991.57.1
November 22, 196312:30 p.m.
Artist
Date1967
copper, silver, brass, gold leaf, newsprint photo, walnut, velvet, and glass
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2016.11 - SAAM-2016.11_6 - 124929
Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery
November 13, 2015–March 6, 2022
Renwick Gallery
Connections is the Renwick Gallery’s dynamic ongoing permanent collection presentation, featuring more than 80 objects celebrating craft as a discipline and an approach to living differently in the modern world.