March 25, 2011 - July 31, 2011
1st Floor, Special Exhibitions Gallery
This exhibition will feature works by the following four extraordinary artists, who create works of superior craftsmanship that address the classic craft notion of function without sacrificing a contemporary aesthetic:
• Cliff Lee (b. 1951), a neurosurgeon whose practice is in Stevens, Pennsylvania, creates elegant porcelain vessels with the exactitude of a doctor, often using his knowledge of chemistry to re-create medieval Chinese glazes long thought lost to history.
• Matthias Pliessnig (b. 1978), a furniture maker in Philadelphia, uses boat-building techniques in new ways to create graceful forms with curved wood strips that may have up to 5,000 points of contact without the aid of hardware.
• Judith Schaechter (b. 1961), a glass artist based in Philadelphia, brings a wealth of knowledge about traditional stained-glass practice to her moody windows.
• Ubaldo Vitali (b. 1944), a fourth-generation silversmith and master conservator of historic silver working in Maplewood, New Jersey, uses classical techniques he learned in Rome to create luminous works for popes, kings, and presidents.
August 7, 2009 - January 3, 2010
1st Floor, Special Exhibitions Gallery
This exhibition features works by the following four artists:
• Christyl Boger (b. 1959), who creates large-scale gilded ceramic figurines that incorporate contemporary props
• Mark Newport (b. 1964), who examines issues of masculinity through knitted superhero costumes
• Mary Van Cline (b. 1954), who uses plate glass and pate de verre to construct sculptural pieces that often incorporate black-and-white photographs
• SunKoo Yuh (b. 1960), who creates densely layered ceramic sculptures that explore complex issues of family, faith, and community with Eastern and Western imagery
June 6, 2009 - Permanent
2nd Floor, Grand Salon
On view are 70 paintings from the 1840s to the 1930s -- landscapes, portraits, and allegorical works -- by 51 American artists, including Edward Mitchell Bannister, Romaine Brooks, Elliott Daingerfield, Daniel Garber, William Morris Hunt, George Inness, Homer Dodge Martin, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Abbott Handerson Thayer, John Henry Twachtman, and Irving R. Wiles. The room is installed salon style, with paintings hung one-atop-another and side by side.
Free Visitor Guide featuring short biographies of the artists
- Permanent
Craft Galleries, 2nd Floor
Features contemporary American crafts in glass, ceramics, metal, wood, and fiber. Highlights include:
• Game Fish (1988) by Larry Fuente (b. 1947)
• Bureau of Bureaucracy by Kim Schmahmann (a cabinet sculpture described by the artist as a "contemporary cabinet of curiosities")
• Ghost Clock by Wendell Castle
• Bancketje (Banquet) by Beth Lipman
• The Renwick 30th Anniversary Plate by Irma Starr
Located on the first floor, the shop features American crafts, books and graphics related to the collection. There is also a large selection of unique art materials for children.
Although the Renwick Gallery does not have an on-site café, many Smithsonian museums do.
Font
Share
Email
Digg
Print
StumbleUpon
Twitter
Reddit
RSS
