Rethinking Decoration
I just read a fascinating book about a theory of decoration. It’s “Rethinking Decoration: Pleasure & Ideology in the Visual Arts, by...
History Be the Judge
Jewelers who attended SOFA/NY last year may have been aware of a brewing controversy: Ruudt Peters’ new “Anima” series bears an...
SNAG 2010
I’m just back from the SNAG conference in Houston, still cleaning up loose ends. The conference was one of the best I have attended in...
Doing What to Hu? Jewelry at the Yale University Art Gallery
Two weekends ago, I spoke at a symposium on American jewelry at the Yale University Art Gallery. It was an interesting event with a...
Garth Clark’s Autopsy
There’s an interesting little book now available from the Museum of Contemporary Craft: Garth Clark’s “How Envy Killed the Crafts...
Rad Ron Arad?
I managed to see the Ron Arad exhibit at MoMA recently. The show was quite a production – clear evidence of the status that star...
Installation Saga
Last week, I opened my first solo exhibit of new work in eight years. That’s too long for a working artist. I’ve been busy with other...
Did Maria’s Dog Eat Her Homework?
It’s always awkward to read one’s own reviews. An artist usually has firm opinions about his/her work, and can get oversensitive about...
Inauguration Day
I’m not a deeply political person. My politics are liberal; long ago I was something of a naïve anarchist. I once voted for Angela Davis...
Seduction and Subversion
Having recently endured my 59th birthday, I’m compelled to wonder if my thinking shows my age. Certainly, some young would-be rebels on...