Date: Fri 01-Oct-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: CAROLL

Quick Words:

Exposition-Bagdade

Full Text:

American Craft Exposition Celebrates Fifteen Years Of Museum Quality Crafts

(with 36 cuts)

By Susan And Al Bagdade

EVANSTON, ILL. - The American Craft Exposition (ACE) celebrated its 15th

anniversary August 26 to 29 at the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion on the Evanston

Campus of Northwestern University. Recognized as one of the nation's leading

craft shows, the exposition is sponsored by the Auxiliary of Evanston

Northwestern Healthcare. Proceeds from ACE support Connections, a center for

mental health and substance abuse services for teens and their families in the

Evanston and Glenbrook Hospitals communities.

ACE is the only show of its kind put on entirely by volunteers. Each year ACE

receives nearly 1,000 applications from craftsmen for the 139 available spots

at this prestigious show. Only six artists have made repeated appearances for

all 15 years. They are: David Paul Bacharach in metal, Lee Angelo Marraccini

in jewelry, Mary Lynn O'Shea in wearable fiber, Gabriel Ofiesh in jewelry,

Josh Simpson in glass, Greg Wells and Cindy Spolek in leather.

This year's lectures were given by two of the 15-year veterans. Josh Simpson,

artist-glass blower, spoke on "How I Lost My Marbles and Stumped the

Archaeologists;" and Gabriel Ofiesh, jeweler, spoke on "In the Right Place at

the Right Time."

The ACE is a juried, museum-quality crafts exposition where professional

artisans exhibit metal, glass, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, fiber decorative,

fiber wearable, leather, wood, paper, mixed media, and baskets. Show attendees

have the opportunity to meet the artists, discuss their work, and learn more

about the American Craft Movement since the artists are present during the

entire exposition.

The opening Benefit Preview Party is always very well-attended, and this year

was no exception. Early in the evening, the awards are given out in a large

variety of categories, and this is an eagerly anticipated part of the preview

evening. The show attracts about 15,000 people each year.

John Wesley Williams from Clintonville, W. Va., has been building furniture

for 25 years. Works in bird's-eye maple and ebony included a wonderful

delicate-looking desk and chair tagged $5,800. A tall table with natural alder

slab on curly maple and ebony stand was $3,200. A stand up desk and stool in

bird's-eye maple and walnut was $6,200.

New to ACE this year was Holly Merritt from Santa Cruz, Calif. Her media is

wearable leather utilizing a technique called "Shibori," which is an ancient

Japanese resist dyeing process which results in an exotic, organic animal-like

look on the leather garments. Holly also used hand woven leather on her hats

and an antique technique of ribbon foldings for the rose trims.

Leon Niehues from Huntsville, Ark., makes very unusual baskets from the young

white oak trees that grow in the Ozarks of Arkansas. He takes a log apart

layer by layer to produce the splint materials used in creating his baskets.

This is a technique not generally known outside the Ozark area. "It consists

of splitting and knife work to produce shaped ribs and fine splint." Niehues

has also exhibited in the White House Craft Collection.

Bill Perkins from Cedar, Mich., showed his wonderful twig furniture in the

form of rocking chairs in a variety of styles, shelves, tables and the like.

Most of the pieces are made from willow and maple.

Newcomer Meg Little from Newport, R.I., creates "On The Spot" handmade rugs.

Meg's rugs are 100 percent wool, spun and dyed for the carpet industry. Each

year she makes a selection of numbered, signed, limited edition rugs utilizing

up to 75 colors to achieve her artistic vision.

From Mokelumne Hill, Calif., Pamela Hill uses bold pattern and strong clear

colors in her handmade quilts used for both decorative wall pieces and bed

covers. All of the quilts are washable and use a lot of ethnic fabrics.

"Third Leg" is the name used by Debra Sachs and Marilyn Keating from

Gloucester City, N.J., for their creative selection of walking sticks. Two

examples included the raven cane and the stork cane, in maple and paint, which

feature glass eyes.

A new dealer in ceramics was Shawn Ireland Stoneware from Penland, N.C., who

makes functional pottery in earth tones that are fired in a kiln fueled with

wood. The resulting pottery has colors reminiscent of objects found in nature.

Another new exhibitor in ceramics was James Cameron Spiroff from Orlando,

Fla., who received the Evanston Hospital Purchase Award. One of his pieces

will grace the lobby of Glenbrook Hospital. Spiroff tries to emulate natural

patterns of plant growth in his ceramics. He continues to experiment with all

the possibilities of clay and glazes.

Unusual lighting designs were created by Joseph Shuldiner from Los Angeles,

Calif. He utilizes willow twigs and eucalyptus from neighboring areas which

are assembled into structures and covered with washi (Japanese handmade paper)

and glue sizing. The finished effect is a stretched skin-like covering, molded

to each bend and gesture of the wood.

Bobbie McClure from Van Horn, Tex., sculpted fiber brushes using lechuguilla,

palm leaf, coconut palm bark, palmyra, rice root, sotol, and sorghum grass

fibers. Additionally, she uses horsehair, camel hair, boar bristle, javelina

hair, porcupine quill, and various seeds and feathers. Most of her work

including the weaving, plaiting, wrapping and finishing are done by hand.

Winner of the Best of Wood Award was Michael D. Mode who maintains a one

person wood turning studio in New Haven, Vt. Mode creates a selection of

lidded vessels using a variety of burls and figured woods.

This year's Best of Metal Award went to Darlys Ewoldt from Chicago, Ill.

Examples included "Inward Journey" for $1,400, and "Stratifications" for

$3,500 in copper and patina that was angle raised, formed and fabricated.

There was always a crowd trying out the comfortable original design chairs at

Robert Erickson Woodworking from Nevada City, Calif. Examples included swivel

chairs, recliners, desk chairs, and rockers. "The comfort of each rocker is

further enhanced by Erickson's practice of custom fitting each chair to the

client by making appropriate adjustments in the height and depth of the chair

seat, the height of the headboard, width of the chair, and height of the arms

relative to the seat." He uses harvest tropical woods as well as more unusual

varieties.

Steve Baldwin from Omaha, Neb., used all natural hardwoods for his cars,

planes, tractors, and Noah's Ark which are all made like puzzles. The

Collector Series '57 Chevy was $2,500 and a fire truck was $600.

Douglas Green from Portland, Me., brought his unique concept furniture to ACE

for the first time. He works in black cherrywood and received a patent for a

system of interlocking joinery that allows the parts to slide and lock into

each other, using full-length dovetailed connections.

Best of Ceramics Award went to Terry Gess from Penland, N.C. His pottery is

influenced by Medieval English jugs and Fifteenth Century Islamic tin-glazed

wares. "Underlying all of my work is a desire to elaborate this kind of

awkward, clumsy beauty in my pots" states Gess.

Ralph Prata of Bloomingdale, N.Y., uses blocks of concrete to carve his

sculptural carvings. He creates his own concrete blocks and then hand carves

them. Most are left in their natural state.

W. Chester Old from Decatur, Ga., works in metal. His "Medusa," a flexible

vase in stone, woven metal, aluminum and glass, was $225; his "Karen" basket

in knitted stainless steel anodized aluminum was $130; and his knitted

stainless steel purse was $195. A "Stripe" foyer table of dyed wood, silver

and gold leaf top and brushed aluminum was $1,200.

Mathematically based baskets are the specialty of Billie Ruth Sudduth from

Bakersville, N.C. She utilizes the Nature Sequence known as Fibonacci Numbers.

Aaron Kramer Design, Urban Objects was practically sold out by Friday morning

of the ACE. His creations are based on reclaimed materials such as street

sweeper bristles used to create spheres. His sculptural furniture is made from

found objects.

From Frederic, Wis., Jon Michael Route utilizes pewter with touches of other

metals for his large and small boxes and teapots. His Smokestack "Teapot" was

$1,500, and "Teapot" with triangle was $2,500.

Gregg Lipton from Cumblerland, Me., received the Best of Furniture Award.

Lipton works in an old lumber mill and creates museum-quality furniture. Some

of his pieces are inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, others by Biedermeier and

others as the mood strikes. Several New York restaurants use his furniture.

Best of Jewelry Award went to Pat Flynn of High Falls, N.Y. Most of his pieces

were made of some combination of iron, 18 karat gold, platinum, diamonds,

pearls, precious stones and sterling silver.

JoAnne Russo is a basket maker from Saxtons River, Vt. Her detailed, intricate

baskets are inspired by Native American baskets of the Northeast and the

Southwest. Her materials are black ash, pine needles, sweet grass and

porcupine quills.

Stephen Zeh from Temple, Me., makes traditional Maine baskets such as a cheese

basket for $850, a feather basket for $3,600, a nest of baskets for $3,600,

and an 18 inch Maine pack basket for $2,475. They are made from select Maine

brown ash and each one is signed and dated.

New dealers Lesley Hansard and Rebecca Welsh from Kensington, N.H., in the

fiber wearable category won the Artistic Expression Award. They were

exceptionally busy selling all types of hats. No one could walk by their

exhibit without trying one on.