Objects: USA facts for kids
Objects: USA (1969) was a super important art show in America. It helped change how people thought about "crafts." Before this show, crafts were often seen as different from "fine art" like paintings. But Objects: USA showed that artists could make amazing art using materials like clay, glass, and wood. It helped mix the ideas of art and craft together.
The show was put together by Lee Nordness, a gallery owner, and Paul J. Smith, who directed the Museum of Contemporary Crafts. A company called S. C. Johnson & Son paid for the artworks. They bought many pieces for the show and later gave them to museums across America.
The Objects: USA exhibition traveled to many places in the United States and Europe. A special book, called a catalog, was also made for the show. This book, Objects: USA (1970), became a very important guide for people studying crafts.
The Big Art Show
The Objects: USA exhibition first opened in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian National Collection of Fine Arts. This was on October 3, 1969. Today, that museum is called the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Later, the show came to New York City. It was at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts from June 9 to September 3, 1972. This museum is now known as the Museum of Arts and Design.
Objects: USA traveled a lot. It went to 22 museums in America. It also visited 11 places in Europe. Some of these places included the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Madrid. More than half a million people in America saw the exhibition.
Lee Nordness, one of the people who created the show, explained its goal. He said the show wanted to display art made by artists using materials usually called "craft media." These include clay, glass, fiber, and wood. He felt it was time to rethink how we label art. He believed that putting paintings into a "fine art" group and other objects into a "craft" group didn't make sense anymore.
Artists and Their Work
The show featured more than 500 art pieces. These were made by 308 different artists. The artists were chosen to be very diverse. They came from all over the country. They also represented different races, backgrounds, and genders.
These artists used traditional craft materials. This included ceramics (clay), fiber (like fabric or yarn), glass, metal, and wood. But they used these materials in new and exciting ways. Their art often looked like modern art styles. These styles included Abstract expressionism, Pop art, and Funk art.
Some of the many artists in the show were:
- Anni Albers (textiles)
- Sheila Hicks (fiber)
- Michele Oka Doner (mixed materials)
- Dorian Zachai (weaving)
- Lenore Tawney (textiles)
- Alma Eikerman (metal)
- Katherine Westphal (quilting)
- Gertrud and Otto Natzler (ceramics)
- Peter Voulkos (ceramics)
- Doyle Lane (ceramics)
- Harvey Littleton (glass)
- Richard Marquis (glass)
- Wharton Esherick (wood)
- Wendell Castle (wood)
- George Nakashima (wood)
- Dale Chihuly (glass)
- Ron Nagle (ceramics)
The exhibition was even shown on TV. It was featured on NBC's Today Show. Also, ABC made a one-hour film about some of the artists. It was called With These Hands: The Rebirth of the American Craftsman.
The Catalog Book
The book that went with the exhibition was called Objects: USA (1970). People have said this book became "iconic," like a legend. It was often called a "bible" or a "blue book" for people in the art world. It became a very important guide for art experts and places like Christie's auction house. It was a key reference for studying the field of studio craft.
Lasting Impact
Objects: USA didn't immediately make craft art equal to painting and sculpture. Some art critics in New York were not ready to accept craft as "fine art." They had old ideas about who could be an artist.
But, Objects: USA is still very important. It helped show that craft materials could be used for serious artistic expression. It reached many people across the country and even in other countries. It changed how people saw craft and the artists who made it.
The exhibition and the artworks in it are still talked about today. Art experts, historians, collectors, and artists still refer to Objects: USA.
Lloyd E. Herman said in 2010 that Objects: USA was "one of the most important exhibitions of the 20th century." He felt it showed a new and modern look at craft art that many people didn't know about. Gloria Kenyon from the Smithsonian American Art Museum also said that the ideas from the show are "still relevant today." She believes it made craft art easier for the public to understand in a new way.
To celebrate its importance, the Smithsonian American Art Museum held a special event. On July 19, 2019, they had a symposium. This was to mark 50 years since the original exhibition opened in 1969.
The Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin has many artworks from Objects: USA. They created their own exhibition called Objects Redux (2019-2020). This show explored how making things is a powerful force for people. The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft also hosted an exhibition in 2019.
There was also a new exhibition called Objects: USA 2020. It featured 50 artists from the original show. It also included 50 artists working today. This exhibition celebrated 50 years since the 1970 catalog book was published. A new book, Objects: USA 2020, was also released with this exhibition.
