At the Washington State History Museum through November
TACOMA—July 6, 2010— A major exhibition is opening August 7 at the
Washington State History Museum that brings to light the exceptional work from the Arts and Crafts Movement in Washington and Oregon during the first quarter of the 20th century. The
Arts & Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest, on view through November 28, showcases significant buildings and interiors, furniture, glass, metalwork, ceramics, textiles, fine art, graphics and book art, and photography with more than 100 objects drawn from public and private collections. Curators for the exhibition are Lawrence Kreisman, Hon. AIA Seattle, program director at Historic Seattle, and Glenn Mason, co-owner of Cultural Images, a museum and historical society consulting firm. The exhibit is circulated and organized by the
Museum of History and Industry, Seattle.
Coffee and a Lecture with the Curators September 11 ; 9:30-11 AM Join us for coffee and a lecture with Lawrence Kreisman and Glenn Mason, curators of
The Arts & Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest and authors of the acclaimed book of the same title. From architecture to applied arts and regional flavor, Kreisman and Mason explore the birth of the bungalow and the distinctive elements of the Arts and Crafts style. Refreshments served. Program included in Museum admission.
About The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest was active in disseminating information on the Arts and Crafts Movement, displaying the most important producers of work in America at fairs and art galleries, and advertising and selling these wares in shops and department stores. A vibrant arts community banded together to support one another, to learn the latest methods of working in clay, metal, glass, and wood, and to produce work that was often comparable to the better-known work of East and Midwest and California craftspeople. School children were brought up with a respect for handwork and with skills that would serve them well in building homes, making furniture, shaping metal work, doing embroidery, china painting, jewelry, and basketry—“beautiful necessities”—as exhibit curators define the Arts and Crafts Movement. Ultimately, these children’s view of the world changed as they became more attuned to the value of harmony, balance, color, and proportion in shaping a supportive environment.
The Arts & Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest is based on the critically acclaimed publication by the same title by Kreisman and Mason (Timber Press, Portland, 2007). The book explores the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement within a theme of regional identity, which found fertile ground in Washington and Oregon. Both states participated actively in the national Arts and Crafts Movement encouraged by exposure at two world's fairs that put the Pacific Northwest on the national and international map, Portland's Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition (1905) and Seattle's Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909). There were significant contributions to a broad range of architecture and design arts, some of the most successful strongly influenced by the remarkable setting, climate, local raw materials, crafts of native inhabitants, and exposure to Pacific Rim cultures.
The exhibit is supported by Selden’s Home Furnishings. 
