Happiness Yardage
by Jack Lenor Larsen
Untitled by Kay Whitcomb
Mingei events for CRAFTING OPPORTUNITY will complement
both the Museum’s and Library’s engagement aspirations.
Historian Leigh Wishner of Fashion Institute of Design and
Merchandising Museum captivated audiences with her Museums
by the Yard on promotion of both artisanal and commercial
textiles in mid-century America. This month, visitors will try their
hand at punch needle rug hooking to craft woolen coasters in
eclectic mid-century hues. As the exhibition winds down in July,
local mid-century collectors Modern San Diego and Objects USA
will share their favorite acquisitions of the era and suggest ways
to start a bonafide collection. Throughout the run of the show, the
Library Shop will host Shop Mingei’s Pop-Up Shop with beautiful
handmade mid-century-inspired objects.
CRAFTING OPPORTUNITY exudes the pervasive spirit of
experimentation, which continues to inspire and delight makers
and collectors today. Mid-century craft and design blurred the lines
between fine and applied arts, craft and production, rustic and
modern and functional and conceptual. Women who had been
displaced from wartime work by returning veterans pursued a range
of opportunities in the field. A distinct sense of place - from the city
of San Diego to the pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico - existed
alongside domestic and international influences, and counterculture
was refreshingly compatible with commercial success.
CRAFTING OPPORTUNITY will be on view at the San Diego
Central Library Art Gallery, located at 330 Park Blvd., 9th Floor
in downtown San Diego. Be sure to take in the library’s own
permanent arts and cultural opportunities, from architecture
designed by Rob Quigly and four art installations including works
by Einar and Jamex de la Torre and Roy McMakin to the Rare
Book Room tracing the history of books over 4,000 years.
www.mingei.org
Chair by Doug Deeds
Weed Pots by Wayne Chapman
JUNE 2019 | GBSAN.COM 67