Artist Birthday: Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto designed all of the furnishings for his buildings. Using native birch, Aalto designed a number of chairs and stools made entirely of bent plywood and laminated wood. He also invented some ...
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Curator's Corner
Gem of the Month: Oki Sato
It’s always refreshing to learn about a designer who combines an unconventional aesthetic with concern for our climate-changing planet, so Oki Sato’s Cabbage Chair is my Gem of the Month. ...
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Curator's Corner
Reused Design Materials: Tejo Remy
I read a very disturbing article recently, which stated that a large percentage of the clothes we could donate for reuse ends up in landfills. This is disturbing because a lot of the materials do not ...
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Curator's Corner
African American History Month: Thomas Gross, Jr. and Moses Williams
Let us not forget that African American artists have existed since the founding of America. Unfortunately, they were not colonists, but forced here as slaves on Dutch, Portuguese, French, Spanish, and ...
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Curator's Corner
American Artists Appreciation Month: Wendy Maruyama, James Castle, Margaret Wharton
August is “American Artist Appreciation Month” continues. We’ll end the celebration with two unusual interpretations of chairs. ...
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Curator's Corner
The Artistic Legacy of Conquest, part 2
This week's look at Spanish Colonial art continues, inspired by the exhibit Highest Heaven, currently on view at the Worcester Art Museum. ...
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Curator's Corner
Utilitarian Object or Sculpture?
First of all, let me clarify the use of “utilitarian” or “decorative arts.” These are unfortunately terms art historians are stuck with from the 1800s art history gods in Weste ...
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Curator's Corner
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
Old Styles, New Techniques: Furniture Revival
The history of furniture design has always been one of my favorite areas of study. Such study is even more rewarding when I learn about a “first” in regards to American furniture, which wa ...
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Curator's Corner
Some Thoughts about Stools
Does furniture have a soul? I sort of think it does. We sit on, lean on, and lie down on furniture for most of our lives. It’s hard to believe that something of our souls does not get infused in ...
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