State of Craft

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Over the last four decades, Vermont emerged as one of the epicenters of the crafts revival in America. However, the artistic, social, and economic history of the contemporary crafts movement in the Green Mountain State has yet to be comprehensively researched and published or represented through a permanent collection in a major museum.

The Vermont Crafts Council, in anticipation of its 20th anniversary in 2010, is launching a multi-faceted, collaborative initiative encompassing documentation, interpretation, and exhibition. The purpose of the project is to illuminate the individual careers of master Vermont artists (makers) and to document the evolution of the larger crafts community (as reflected in the history of key organizations, events and projects) through three distinct periods—1965-1980, 1981-1990, and 1991-present. Project research will include archival study, oral history interviews, and curatorial survey/evaluation. Products from this four-year endeavor are:

• A major exhibit of the work of Vermont’s master craft artists at the Bennington Museum 05/17 - 10/08, 2010

• An exhibit publication documenting the exhibit and the project

• A series of Showcase Events created by history or craft organizations that illuminate an element of craft history.

• An archive of oral histories and visual material accessible through the Vermont Folklife Center.

Who will benefit?

The audience for the project will be the craft community itself (within Vermont and beyond); collectors (individual and institutional), tourists and cultural heritage advocacy groups and agencies; schools, colleges, and libraries.

Who are the partners?

The Vermont Folklife Center will provide fieldwork services and house the oral and visual documentation. The Bennington Museum will host the exhibit of contemporary Vermont crafts. Numerous craft and history groups and organizations will develop Showcase events.