Museum of Contemporary Craft facts for kids
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| Established | 1937 |
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| Dissolved | 28 February 2016 |
| Location | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Type | private: art |
The Museum of Contemporary Craft was a special place in Portland, Oregon. It was the oldest museum on the West Coast of the United States that focused on crafts. It opened in 1937 and closed in 2016.
Its goal was to help people understand and enjoy craft art more. The museum was famous for showing how art and craft are connected. It featured many different artists, materials, and ways of making things.
Lydia Herrick Hodge started the museum in 1937. It was first called the Oregon Ceramic Studio. She led it until 1960. The first building had an art deco style. It was designed for free by Henry Abbott Lawrence. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped build it.
The museum was first located at 3934 SW Corbett Avenue. In July 2007, it moved to 724 NW Davis Street. This new spot was in downtown Portland's Pearl District. The museum had a collection of over 1200 objects. These items showed the history of craft in the Pacific Northwest for more than 70 years.
Contents
The Museum's Journey
Starting as Oregon Ceramic Studio
Lydia Herrick Hodge studied at the University of Oregon. She founded the Oregon Ceramic Studio in 1937. This studio later became the Museum of Contemporary Craft. The studio building first opened in 1938. Other early helpers included Victoria Avakian and Katherine Macnab.
They wanted to add to local school programs. They worked with students and teachers. They also let artists use their large kiln. Their goal was to help artists show and sell their creations.
The first home of the Museum of Contemporary Craft was at 3934 SW Corbett Avenue. It stayed there for 70 years. The land was given by the Portland Public School district. The condition was that it would help local teachers and classes.
Ellis Lawrence, a dean at the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, strongly supported Hodge. His son, architect Henry Abbott Lawrence, designed the art deco building for free. Ellis Lawrence also raised money. He convinced university leaders to get building grants from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). For much of its history, volunteers, mostly women, ran the organization. Lydia Herrick Hodge was the studio director until she passed away in 1960.
Becoming Contemporary Crafts Gallery
In 1964, Ken Shores became the first paid director. He changed the name in 1965 to the Contemporary Crafts Gallery. He added more items to its collections. He also started a program for artists to work in schools.
Gordon Smyth became director in 1971. He liked to support new artists. Marlene Gabel took over in 1978. She connected with glass-blowing artists. She held yearly glass exhibitions. In 1987, the organization celebrated its 50th birthday. A book called 3934 Corbett: Fifty Years at Contemporary Crafts was published.
The building was updated several times. A big change happened in 1998. The Marlene Gabel Gallery was built then. It was designed by architect William Fletcher. This gallery held the museum's permanent collection.
Renamed Museum of Contemporary Craft
David Cohen became the executive director in 2002. The Contemporary Crafts Gallery was renamed the Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery. Namita Gupta Wiggers became Curator in 2004. She later became Director and Chief Curator.
In 2005, the museum's board decided to move. They felt the old location was hard for people to visit.
In 2007, the museum moved to 724 NW Davis Street. This was in the historic DeSoto Building. It was then renamed the Museum of Contemporary Craft. For the grand opening, Portland artist Tom Cramer painted a special car. A book called Unpacking the collection: selections from the Museum of Contemporary Craft was published in 2008. This showed the museum was focusing more on being a museum.
Richard Brown Architects designed the new building. It gave the museum almost twice as much space. The move cost about $6.5 million. Selling the old building only brought in $2 million. The new 15,000 square foot location brought more visitors. It hosted many shows with local and international artists. However, it did not help much with fundraising or financial support.
Working with Pacific Northwest College of Art
In January 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Craft joined with the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). This made them one of the biggest art organizations in Oregon. People hoped this partnership would make the museum stronger. It became known as the Museum of Contemporary Craft in partnership with Pacific Northwest College of Art.
In February 2016, PNCA announced that the Museum Of Contemporary Craft would close. Its collection was moved to a new Center for Contemporary Art and Culture at PNCA.
