Objects: USA

Objects: USA, the most comprehensive exhibition and publication of American crafts in the twentieth century, was curated by Lee Nordness and Paul J. Smith, sponsored by Johnson Wax, and opened in Washington, DC, in 1969. The show featured 308 works that ranged from "the unpretentious teapot to the monumental sculpture; from the everyday cutting board to the unique twelve-foot wooden cube," as Lee Nordness describes in this catalog. The categories of objects included in the show were ceramic, metal, plastic, mosaic, fiber, jewelry, enamel, and wood. In their variety, all works shared the conception that they were created and made from start to finish by a person or couple to their taste and satisfaction. Objects: USA subsequently traveled to 21 American and 11 European venues over the next three years, breaking attendance records at many stops. By the time it reached the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York in 1972, over half a million people had seen the exhibition. Publisher: Viking Press Release date: 1972 (3rd edition) Format: Hardcover Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.5" Pages: 360 OCLC: 1006635381