Displaying items by tag: katonah museum of art

In the almost 70 years since the term was first coined, “outsider art” — a somewhat dismissive designation for the work of self-taught artists — has been steadily finding its way inside the mainstream art world. These days, it is no longer unusual to see pieces by artists with no formal training displayed in even the most prestigious venues; just the past two years have seen such works included in exhibitions mounted by the Venice Biennale, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum, among others.

For much of the past half-century, though, the significance of self-taught art was largely recognized only by a few enthusiasts.

The Katonah Museum of Art celebrates the silver anniversary of its landmark building by Edward Larrabee Barnes (April 22, 1915 – September 22, 2004) with an exhibition exploring the work of this legendary architect in Westchester, where Barnes resided. Though internationally renowned for ambitious modernist museum structures, The Katonah Museum project was unique in design— an intimate, light-filled space surrounded by the natural beauty of this idyllic hamlet located just 45 minutes from New York City. Unlike many large projects Barnes had undertaken, this one was as much a form of personal expression as architectural design, with the informal feel of a domestic space for art.

The story of Barnes’ relationship to the Katonah Museum of Art crosses the worlds of business, art, and family life.

Ellen Keiter, who has been director of exhibitions at Katonah (N.Y.) Museum of Art, has been named as chief curator of the The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, according to a museum announcement.

Keiter succeeds H. Nichols B. Clark, the museum’s founding director and chief curator who retired in December. Clark continues his 13-year association with the museum in an emeritus role as a visiting lecturer and guest curator.

Beyond the Bed: The American Quilt Evolution, which is on view at the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, New York, traces the evolution of the North American quilt from the early 19^th century to the present day. The exhibition is guest curated by Jean M. Burke of Vermont’s Shelburne Museum and explores how the form, fashion and, function of quilts have changed over the centuries.

Beyond the Bed presents a wide variety of objects from bed coverings, wall decorations, and clothing to three-dimensional sculptures and furniture accessories. While, some of the quilts on view are traditional in pattern and construction, others are more progressive.

Highlights include a rare pincushion quilt attributed to a member of the Vanderbilt family; Ella B. Chase’s (unknown-1919) Pickwick Papers Crazy Quilt depicting characters from Charles Dickens’ Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club; a tromp l’oeil quilt carved by Fraser Smith (b. 1971) from a 200-pound block of wood; and a free-standing quilted sculpture by Dominique Ehrmann.

Beyond the Bed: The American Quilt Evolution will be on view through June 16, 2013.