Wharton Esherick and the Birth of the American Modern

Exhibition: September 7, 2010 - February 13, 2011
Symposium: October 1-2, 2010
Gallery Hours: Mon - Sat, 10 - 5

The Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Architectural Archives at the University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with the Wharton Esherick Museum (Paoli, PA) and Hedgerow Theatre (Rose Valley, PA), announce an exhibition and symposium on Wharton Esherick, an artist whose distinctive synthesis of art, theater, dance, and design forged an early and compelling example of American Modernism. "Wharton Esherick and the Birth of the American Modern," the first major examination of Esherick's work and artistic development in over fifty years, explores Esherick's artistic evolution during the early decades of the twentieth century, culminating in the exhibition of his work as part of the Pennsylvania Hill House at the 1940 World's Fair in New York City.

The exhibition is in two venues on the University of Pennsylvania campus:

Kamin Gallery
Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center
3420 Walnut Street, first floor

Kroiz Gallery of the Architectural Archives
Lower Level of the Fisher Fine Arts Library
220 South 34th Street

The Kamin Gallery section of the exhibition explores the social, political, and artistic milieu of Esherick in the 1920s and 1930s and illuminates many of the institutions and relationships that made the American modernist movement possible. The Kroiz Gallery section of the exhibition explores Esherick's evolution as an artist in wood during this period. The exhibition will bring together a range of materials, from books, manuscripts, and photographs to prints, sculpture, and furniture, belonging to both the participating institutions and other collections.

The symposium is the Second Annual Anne d'Harnoncourt Symposium, in honor of the late director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The symposium begins on Friday evening with the keynote address, to be given by Dr. Peter Conn, the Vartan Gregorian Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania and author, most recently, of The American 1930s: A Literary History (2008). Following the keynote address is the exhibition opening reception, in both galleries. On Saturday the symposium continues with papers by leading scholars from various disciplines on a range of topics raised by the exhibition. The symposium will conclude with a visit to Hedgerow Theatre for dinner and a performance of a dramatic adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy.

Click here to visit the exhibition and symposium website for more information 
Click here for a printable version of exhibition and events brochure 
Click here for the complete symposium schedule 
Click here to register for the symposium 

Woodwork magazine is again offering Furniture Society members a tremendous opportunity to publish their work!

Woodwork plans to include a special gallery section devoted to recent work by Society members in the Winter 2011 issue, which will be available in November 2010. As you recall, 14 pieces by Society members were featured in Woodwork's Winter 2010 issue, including the back cover image.

This opportunity is only available to current Furniture Society members.

Entries must be received by Woodwork by September 14, 2010.

Entry Guidelines

To have your work considered for inclusion in this special section, your entry must conform to the following guidelines:

• Your Furniture Society membership must be current.
• Work completed during the past three years is eligible. You may submit images of up to three pieces. Image quality is considered: pro-quality images are preferred, but not required.
• Images must be large format, high resolution JPGs.
• Images should be sent by e-mail or on a disc.

Each Image must include the following information:

• Name (or title) of each piece.
• Year each piece was completed.
• Materials used to construct each piece.
• Dimensions of each piece, in inches. (H x W x D for vertical pieces and L x W (or D) x H for horizontal pieces.)
• Photographer's name.

High resolution digital images and piece descriptions should be emailed to Tim Johnson, senior editor:

tjohnson@americanwoodworker.com

Alternatively, a disc containing images and piece descriptions may be mailed to:

Woodwork Magazine
Attn: Tim Johnson
1285 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 180
Eagan, MN 55121

Images must be received by Woodwork by September 14, 2010 to be considered for inclusion.

"Seth Meyer and John Wells ... harvest local urban trees doomed by development, disease or storm damage, and turn them into custom furniture, each piece a distinct botanical narrative."
Read the full article at The New York Times 

FS2010: Polos & caps are available through our store. Quantities are limited and we won't be reissuing these shirts. Shipping is included in the price. Visit the store today!
Browse polos and caps in the store 

Vladimir Kagan blogs about his experiences at FS2010: FUSIONS. Take a look!
Visit Vladimir Kagan's Blog