Contacts:
Albert LeCoff/215.923.8000
albert@woodturningcenter.org
H. Tu/215.923.8000
Cabinets of Curiosities
Exhibition dates: May 2 to July 26, 2003
Press preview: April 30, 2003, 10 a.m. to noon
In celebration of the Furniture Society’s seventh annual conference, this year being held in Philadelphia from June 12 to 14, 2003, the Wood Turning Center proudly presents the exhibition Cabinets of Curiosities.
As old as human history itself, the making and collecting of art not only defines our civilizations collectively, but also signifies our individuality. Expanding on the traditional division of labor between the artist who builds the cabinet and the collector who fills it, Cabinets of Curiosities creates productive dialogues between artists of diverse backgrounds who, through the collaborative effort, become both the creators and collectors. A perpetual work-in-progress, the collaborative nature of these cabinets continues to pursue, collect, and hopefully inspire the ultimate act of curiosity- the participation of the viewer.
Co-organized by the Furniture Society and the Wood Turning Center, Cabinets of Curiosities is a juried exhibition that received 57 entries submitted by more than two hundred artists from around the world. The final presentation, selected by a panel of five distinguished jurors/curators, showcases 14 cabinets of extraordinary diversity and intrigue created by 50 interdisciplinary artists.
The cabinets and their makers are as follows:
• Round Guy Meets Square Guy by Michael Hosaluk and Mitch Ryerson;
• Holon Form by William Leete and Sam Chung;
• "Figurati..." (go figure yourself) by Amy Forsyth and Mark Sfirri;
• Story Book by Michelle Holzapfel, David Holzapfel, Donna C. Hawes, Dan MacArthur, Kim Thayer, Steve Smith, and Brown & Roberts Hardware;
• Time Standing Still by Po Shun Leong and Bob Stocksdale;
• Vargueño by Miguel Gomez-Ibanez and Joseph Reed;
• Givin’ Adolf His Props by Gideon Hughes and Adolf Volkman;
• Cirque de Cabinet byMichael Brolly, John Biggs, Zac Robbins,
Chris Coggiano, Tony Delong, and Lynne Brolly;
• Seeds of Curiosity: Staples of Transformation by Jack Larimore and Stephen Hogbin;
• Chest in a Bowl by Gordon Peteran;
• Top Secrets by Christopher Weiland and Kelly DeLor;
• Seven Wonders by Kurt Nielsen and Dan Essig;
• Threads Of Simplicity by Chris Becksvoort and Alex Dulberg;
• Ein Kleiner Wunderschrank (micro thaumata) by Doug Haslam,
Linda Chow, Fred Coates, Jeff DeBoer, Debra Yelva Dedyluk,
Mark Dicey, Gordon Galenza, Trudy Golley, Christina Greco,
Crys Harse, Bonny Houston, Paul Leathers, Kari McQueen, Les
Pinter, Colleen Rauscher, Bruce Watson, and Louise Williamson.
Published by the Wood Turning and edited by Jud Randall,
the exhibition catalogue and CD-ROM consist of essays by the exhibition jurors/curators Diane Douglas, former Director of Bellevue Art Museum, Washington; Brock Jobe, Deputy Director for Collections, Conservation and Interpretation, Winterthur Museum, Delaware; Tom Loeser, Professor, Department of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Rick Mastelli, Editor, Photographer, Videographer, and principal of Image & Word, Vermont; and Ursula Ilse-Neuman, Curator, Museum of Arts and Design, New York. The catalogue will be available in May, 2003, in the Wood Turning Center’s museum shop and bookstores nationwide.
To capitalize on the vitality of this project as well as its profound educational significance in the fields of turning and furniture, the cabinets will be on public display (either individually or in small groups) from March to April in local institutions. These institutions include the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Independence Visitor Center, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Franklin Institute, Independence Visitor Center, University of Pennsylvania Dental School, Philadelphia City Institute Library, Albert M. Greenfield School, Abington Friends School, and Camden Children's Garden. The cabinets will then be exhibited as a group at the Wood Turning Center from May 1 to July 26 2003.
A three-year national tour is scheduled to follow. As of January 2003, the national tour schedule is as follows: September to November 2003:
Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art – Ligonier
November 2003 to February 2004:
Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art – Loretto
March to April 2004:
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI
February 11 to May 8, 2005:
Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, CA
September – November 2005:
Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage, Alaska
The exhibition is make possible in part by Greater Philadelphia Marketing and Tourism Corporation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission and a private foundation.
January 6, 2003
VISITOR INFORMATION Hours Mondays to Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturdays Noon to 5 p.m.
Sundays Closed
