“Objects of Substance” Contemporary Craft Exhibition Opens at the Warehouse Art Museum on April 21

Milwaukee, Wisconsin – (March 15, 2023) – “Objects of Substance,” a new exhibition running April 21 – July 22 at Warehouse Art Museum (WAM), features over 150 contemporary handmade works of art in clay, glass, wood, fiber and metal that expand the boundaries of craft.

The artworks, all from WAM’s permanent collection, include elegantly crafted functional objects along with pieces that push the boundaries of the “decorative arts” while honoring their roots in materials-based traditions. The works of art on display in “Objects of Substance” range in scale from intimate to monumental, from roughly hewn to elegantly polished, from playful to symbolically resonant.

With an emphasis on the work of artists who have defined new approaches to their mediums, “Objects of Substance” showcases pieces by more than 100 internationally renowned and emerging artists from Wisconsin, the United States and 15 other countries. This exhibition invites viewers to experience a wide range of materials and asks them to look closely to contemplate the artist’s approach to their medium and the physical act of creating art.

“Objects of Substance” continues a lineage of exhibitions beginning in the 1970s, in the United States and beyond, that have reconsidered handcrafted objects that were often dismissed for their association with the domestic realm and disparaged as “craft” or “design” rather than “art.” The works of art that are highlighted in this exhibition reveal these artists’ devotion to longstanding processes of making, to the relationship of form and surface, and to detail and finish. They also exemplify WAM Co-Founders Jan Serr and John Shannon’s abiding esteem for artists who are committed to making well-crafted objects by hand.

“I have a great deal of affection and respect for the craftsman,” Shannon said. For Serr and Shannon, these works of art are significant and meaningful  ̶  they are objects of substance.

Some of the exhibiting artists were among the first to expand and break free from expectations associated with the utilitarian forms and functions of their “craft” mediums. They often choose to create sculptural forms using materials and techniques of making that originate in these handicraft traditions. Others invoke the forms and functions of traditional handcrafted objects through new and unexpected materials. And some bring their technical mastery, deep knowledge of the physical properties of their materials, and aesthetic sensibility to creating exquisitely crafted objects that are made to be used.

 

Exhibition Dates

“Objects of Substance”

April 21 – July 22, 2023

 

Associated Programming

WAM will be offering a series of artist talks, lectures and curator-led tours. Check the WAM website for details, dates and times: WAMmke.org.

 

Guest Curator – Melanie Herzog

Melanie Herzog is the Guest Curator of “Objects of Substance.” She is a senior lecturer in Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and professor emerita of art history at Edgewood College. She holds an MFA in ceramics and a PhD in art history from UW-Madison. Her publications include Elizabeth Catlett: An American Artist in Mexico (2000) and Milton Rogovin: The Making of a Social Documentary Photographer (2006), as well as essays on various twentieth- and twenty-first-century artists. Recently she contributed to A Creative Place: The History of Wisconsin Art (2021).

Warehouse Art Museum and Research Center | WAM 

Background and Visitor Information

WAM is a private art museum specializing in modern and contemporary art that opened to the public in 2018. The permanent collection of over 7,000 works is international in scope while remaining personal at the same time, based on the vision of collectors Jan Serr and John Shannon. Dominant themes include figurative works, self-portraits, photography, monotypes, contemporary studio craft, and modern and contemporary Japanese art.

1635 W St Paul Ave | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Free and open to the public M-F | 10-4pm

Phone:  414.635.1848×110

Email: info@thewarehousemke.org

Website: WAMmke.org

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.