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Smithsonian American Art Museum
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Did you know that our amazing little gem, the Renwick Gallery, turns 40 this year? We pride ourselves in what we've gathered and exhibited in these 40 years, but we also look forward with anticipation to the future of craft and building our collection. In July we opened 40 under 40: Craft Futures, a display of work by 40 artists so diverse in materials and methods, but so unified by ideas and motives. This fall we continue the celebration with a variety of programs that accompany the exhibition--some that even feature the artists themselves! We hope you will stop by when you're in the neighborhood, or maybe even make a special trip. I definitely think it's worth it! Mandy
Public Affairs
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Craft Futures Handi-hour
Thursday │ September 13 │ 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Get crafty just like the artists in 40 under 40: Craft Futures while sipping on autumncraft beer from Greg Engert at ChurchKey and listening to Zia Hassan. Exhibition artist Daniel Michalik joins in the fun to share his love of recycled cork and a craft project of his choosing. Also available: a sit 'n' knit for all skill levels, a scavenger hunt through the permanent collection galleries for prizes, including 2 tickets to our upcoming fashion show with Jeff Garner! Check out the
museum blog next week for how-to videos on our featured crafts. $20 admission (cash only at the door) includes 2 drinks, snacks, and all-you-can-craft.
A Dress to Change the World
Jeff Garner│Prophetik
Saturday │ September 22 │ 8 - 10 p.m.
The American debut of A Dress to Change the World, a co-ed couture collection designed by 40 under 40artist Jeff Garner to honor the late Princess Grace, takes center stage at the Renwick Gallery. Enjoy a pre-show sparkling wine toast and a catwalk show set to live music by Eric Heatherly and Sovereign in the Grand Salon. Round out the evening with remarks by Garner and mingle with other fashion-forward Washingtonians during a dessert reception.
Garner-who works under the Prophetik label-creates distinctive fashions inspired by the dressmakers of the Civil War era and his southern home of Franklin, Tennessee. His organic, sustainable garments are stocked in high-end boutiques across the United States, including Fred Segal in Santa Monica. He has dressed celebrities like Esperanza Spalding and Kings of Leon. Prophetik shows at London Fashion Week, where Garner was named "2010 Eco Men's Designer of the Year."
Tickets ($100) can be purchased here. All proceeds from ticket sales help the museum acquire works from artists featured in
40 under 40: Craft Futures.
DreamHome: Design Craft
 
Friday│ October 12 │ noon
Design Craft is a creative partnership between the Washington Design Center and the Renwick Gallery. Eight local designers were asked to choose a piece from the 40 under 40 exhibition to serve as the inspiration for each room design. Join two of the DreamHome designers Catherine Hailey and Miriam Dillon, and the 40 under 40 artists who inspired them, Uhuru and Sabrina Gschwandtner, to get an in-depth look at their creative processes.
Symposium │Nation Building
November 8 & 9 │ McEvoy Auditorium @ American Art
Nation Building will examine craft's increasingly urgent role within contemporary American culture. Coinciding with the fortieth anniversary of the Renwick Gallery as the Smithsonian American Art Museum's branch museum for contemporary craft and decorative arts, this program seeks to broaden the dialogue surrounding craft's recent histories, and to articulate rapid changes to the field since the beginning of the current century. Full schedule and details here.
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Save the Date
November 27 @ noon
November 29, 5:30 - 8 p.m.
American Craft Masterpieces
Select Wednesdays at noon
October 17 Vivian Beer's Slither. walk. fly
November 14 Andy Paiko's Spinning Wheel
Sit 'n' Stitch!
Thursdays, 12:30 - 2 p.m.
First Sundays, 2 - 4 p.m. |
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IMAGES
Handi-hour inspired picture by Lindsay Borst, winner of the July 2012 Handi-hour pics contest
Gown design by Jeff Garner in honor of Princess Grace, photo by Fairlight Hubbard, ©Prophetik
Right: Sabrina Gschwandtner, Hula Hoop, 2010, 16mm film and Polyamide thread, Smithsonian American Art Museum,Gift of Chris Rifkin in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, photo by Sabrina Gschwandtner
Andy Paiko, Spinning Wheel (detail), 2007, blown glass, cocobolo wood, steel, brass, and leather, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Peg and Bob Van Andel, photo by Andy Paiko |
Photography, jazz, craft, media arts...
what's your pleasure?
to receive only the items you want!
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Smithsonian American Art Museum
8th & F Streets NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
Renwick Gallery
Pennsylvania Ave at 17th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20006
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