Boxes and Their Makers

Boxes and Their Makers makes a strong case for viewing contemporary craft, in all its forms, as a deeply personal exploration of the human spirit. To do so, it presents the astounding breadth of expression achieved by contemporary artisans within a single form (boxes) of a single medium (wood).

“The makers of these boxes didn't go into their workshops because there was a shortage of containers in the world. Rather, they went into their workshops on voyages of creative exploration—to transform raw materials into expressive objects,” says Peter Korn, Executive Director at Center for Furniture Craftsmanship.

The 33 craftspeople in this show come from across the United States and beyond. American exhibitors include: Bonnie Bishoff, Andy Buck, Kip Christensen, Jim Christiansen, Michael Cullen, Jenna Goldberg, Louise Hibbert, Ray Jones, Kim Kelzer, Bonnie Klein, Po Shun Leong, Tom Loeser, Michael Mode, Craig Nutt, Jay and Janet O’Rourke, Emi Ozawa, Jeffrey Seaton, Tommy Simpson, J.M. Syron, Jacques Vesery, and Phil Weber.

International exhibitors include: Andrew Potocnik and Richard Raffan from Australia, Michael Hosaluk and Steven Kennard from Canada, Jean-Christophe Couradin from France, Ulrike Scriba and Hans Weissflog from Germany, Yuji Kubo from Japan, and Robert Ingham, and Peter Lloyd from the United Kingdom.

The works in this exhibition were selected by three curators. Oscar Fitzgerald is an author, furniture historian, and decorative arts consultant. Toni Sykes is the Founder, Artistic Advisor, Board member, and former-CEO of The Guild, a company dedicated to helping artists market and sell their work. Kevin Wallace is Director of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai, California.

Future venues to which Boxes and Their Makers will travel include the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts, the Mobile Art Museum in Mobile, Alabama, and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin. In addition, Fox Chapel Publishing has published a 215-page, full-color book that serves as the show’s catalog. New Masters of the Wooden Box: Expanding the Boundaries of Box Making is available at the Messler Gallery.