German American Heritage Month: Pennsylvania German
The more things change, etc. I get really irritated with people who say in speeches that immigrants to the United States should “speak American.” For one thing, “American” isn& ...
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Curator's Corner
Layered Magnificence: Miyashita Zenji
I am eternally grateful for the ability to be “wowed” on a continual basis when I see works of art/artists I’ve never seen before! This may just be the art historian nerd in me, but ...
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Curator's Corner
Design for Living with Flair: Christopher Dresser
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
Comfort and Ingenuity: Thomas E. Warren
One of the most charming things, I think, is the enthusiasm of American designers after the “Industrial Age” kicked off in the early- to mid-1800s. The phenomenon led to the mass-productio ...
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Curator's Corner
It's Spring! Poster Stamps
Really, my sinuses are driving me crazy, and I’m yearning for SPRING. What better image to feature this week than springs? ...
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Curator's Corner
Sculpture as Jewelry: Liv Blåvarp
As you know, I consider artists in any medium to be ARTISTS, not “artisans” or “craftspeople” or “decorative artists.” When one looks at jewelry, even if it has bee ...
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Curator's Corner
Furniture conforming to...? Jere Osgood
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
National Jewish American Heritage Month: Helen Frankenthaler
As an art historian who grew up in the age of blossoming feminist art movements, one of my major disappointments has always been the significant women artists of previous movements who were not given ...
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Curator's Corner
Art on the Body: Annamaria Zanella Jewelry
Jewelry is one of those art forms that had previously been lumped under the designation “craft,” which you all know I hate, or decorative arts (not much better). The consideration of jewel ...
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Curator's Corner
More Art in Everyday: Frank Gehry
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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