Art Fri Nov 06 2009

Beauty in Everyday Craft at Art Institute

One would not usually consider a silver teapot or a reclining chair to be art. A wooden wine cabinet seems more appropriate in a furniture store than an art museum. But what if it's a teapot from acclaimed manufacturer Christopher Dresser, or a chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright? Now that is art.

Arts and Crafts are daily labors that integrate art with everyday life. This idea is what the newest exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago attempts to show. Apostles of Beauty: Arts and Crafts from Britain to Chicago features nearly two hundred objects in a wide expanse of media, from ceramics to stained glass, woodwork to embroidery.

The exhibit traces the roots of the Arts and Crafts movement from mid-nineteenth century England. Through the rooms, one can see the influence of William Morris, particularly in his floral panels entitled "Cray." Continue on and the exhibit shows pieces inspired by Japan and their unique, novel designs. Once visitors move to the American art's scene, Chicago's role in the craft movement is displayed proudly. Establishments around the city, such as Hull House and James A. Patton House, became ideal locations to build on the art craze brought over from Britain. While Chicago followed in the footsteps of the Brits, it also helped transform the techniques and ways in which items were created. It is safe to say that Chicago stirred the movement into what it is today.

Organized by Field-McCormick Curator Judith Barter, the Apostles of Beauty exhibition showcases this compelling movement. And since it is the first exhibition to explore Arts and Crafts in over three decades, it is truly a rare--and memorable--opportunity that no Chicagoan should miss.

The exhibition opens tomorrow, November 7, 2009, and runs until January 31, 2010.Admission is free for member of the museum. Non-members pay $18 for adults, $12 for children and seniors.

— Vanessa Day / Comments (0)