Blogs

Arts and Crafts Movement

Curator's Corner

Women's (Art) History Month 2020 II

Monday, March 9, 2020 | Karl Cole

Women’s (Art) History Month continues with tributes to three more interesting artists I have encountered in my art historical travels. ...

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Curator's Corner

American Renaissance Entrepreneur

Monday, October 15, 2018 | Karl Cole

I often happen upon an artist’s name and think, “Aha! I’ve never posted about this artist, and his/her work is awesome.” That’s what happened yesterday when I crossed pat ...

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Curator's Corner

Eye Candy for August

Monday, August 13, 2018 | Karl Cole

I can’t think that anybody doesn’t find the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and his designers to be absolutely beautiful specimens of glass art. Seeing some of his windows recently in Boston ...

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Curator's Corner

It's All in the Details, part 3

Friday, March 10, 2017 | Karl Cole

I’m not sure if the Benjamin Latrobe-like klismos side chair in the foreground is original to Lemon Hill, but the curving door is. This interesting detail is on the second-floor landing of the c ...

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Curator's Corner

Rookwood, A National Treasure

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 | Karl Cole

I’m a really big fan of American art pottery, so you can just imagine me doing a little jig of joy in my office when we recently acquired this gorgeous pitcher from the Brooklyn Museum! If I cou ...

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Curator's Corner

Revival Curiosities

Friday, November 6, 2015 | Karl Cole

I once was a teaching assistant in a furniture history course in grad school, and have subsequently loved historic furniture and design. One of the mantras we chanted about the history of furniture wa ...

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Curator's Corner

Design for Living with Flair

Monday, August 11, 2014 | Karl Cole

William Morris (1834–1896, British) is not the only artist who can be associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 1800s. I uncovered this artist in our collection who, in many ways, ...

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Curator's Corner

Furniture conforming to.....?

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 | Karl Cole

Traditionally, furniture was designed to conform to the human body and what was being worn at the time. That’s why we see low side chairs with no arms during the mid-1800s when women were wearin ...

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Curator's Corner

More Art in Everyday

Monday, April 30, 2012 | Karl Cole

I think one of the most fascinating areas that reflect aesthetics in everyday objects is furniture design. For a few centuries, furniture design was predicated on accommodating the human form based on ...

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Curator's Corner

Guess What? An Artist in Wood

Thursday, April 5, 2012 | Karl Cole

Have I ever indicated to you how much I despise the word “craft,” “decorative art,” or “minor art” to categorize something outside of the realm of painting-sculptur ...

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Curator's Corner

Art Deco Magic

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 | Karl Cole

Being born and raised in Chicago (but living in New England the last 15 years), my mind often wanders back to the many wonderful walks I took while living in the city. As an art historian, I was fasci ...

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Curator's Corner

Pioneer Art Educator

Wednesday, January 5, 2011 | Karl Cole

The late 1800s and early 1900s was an amazingly fertile period in American art. Between the 1870s and 1890s, thousands of American artists went to Europe to study art. This included the likes of ...

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Curator's Corner

American Domestic

Monday, August 16, 2010 | Karl Cole

When I lived in Chicago, I would take frequent walks around the various neighborhoods to scope out the gorgeous late 1800s and early 1900s domestic architecture. I would habitually develop Archit ...

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Curator's Corner

Wearable Art

Monday, August 24, 2009 | Karl Cole

By now you are probably aware that I am more than uncomfortable with the word "craft" when it comes to a myriad of art forms outside of painting, sculpture, and architecture. I've already ra ...

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Curator's Corner

"Anonymous" Artists

Monday, August 3, 2009 | Karl Cole

While visiting Cape Cod last weekend, I painted with my friend Erika and produced two little landscapes in acrylic. When I got home I thought, “Geez, where am I going to put these?” M ...

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Curator's Corner

Modern Furniture Design

Friday, June 26, 2009 | Karl Cole

When I was in graduate school, I was extremely fortunate to be a TA (teaching assistant) to the Furniture art historian. What a learning experience that was! As an art history major, I tended to think ...

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