HUMOR IN CRAFT
July 20, 2012
The exhibition Humor in Craft opened first at the Society of Contemporary Craft on July 20, 2012. I do wish that I could be there! What a hoot! Curated by Brigitte Martin, the exhibition is based on the book she authored by the same name Humor in Craft.
"Humor in Craft" opens at Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, MI.
Exhibition dates: March 4 - April 19, 2014
The opening was April's Fool Day, April 1, 2014
Get the book from your local library or bookstore to see silly, serendipity, superfluous, or simply entertaining interpretations of humor. Nothing is expected or ordinary. The full-color book includes 235 makers.
There are several catalog essays from a wide range of authors. A round of applause to everyone that attempted to write about humor. What a challenge! I found the essay by Garth Johnson memorable as he offered historical background on humor in ceramics.
Below a selections of work from the book:
"Corncorde" by Craig Nutt
Installed at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Sweet Tooth Necklace by Sanna Svedestedt
Team Mobiloil, by Donna M. McCullough
There are many more fabulous pieces.
Get the book. There is something for everyone!
I am thrilled to say I have several pieces in the book Humor in Craft. Womanizer Kitchen Queen (1982) is included in the exhibition Humor in Craft.
The blender body and lid are all painted copper construction. Essentially, I fabricated by hand a manufactured object as a commentary about our consumer society. Carefully constructed using sheet metal, the appliances are not found objects.
The ballerina inside the transparent plastic blender container pirouettes to a wind-up music box playing "May Your Wish Come True". (15" height x 5" width x 5.5" depth)
A custom-made pierced crown on the top of the blender container says Misstress of the Home. (Mistress in the title is misspelled intentionally.) I wanted the "MISS" to refer to the Miss America style of beauty competitions. It is also autobiographical as my name "Harriete" means "mistress of the home." Imagine that! Yes, it's true! I AM kind of obsessive about my house. No Kidding. Come and visit.
Womanizer, Kitchen Queen has a 10 Button Panel with plastic lamination. There is brass lettering on the front. The small black lettering says LOVE, HONOR, OBEY, CHERISH, MIX, BLEND, STIR, CREAM, SPREAD, BEAR.
This appliance is one appliance from a series of appliances made from 1980 to 1988. (scroll down on the sculpture page to see all the appliances.)
Immediately below is a slide presentation on YouTube with audio about how I designed and packed this work for shipping.
This post was updated on April 10, 2022, to provide current links.