VPA to host Nov. 19 symposium on state of crafts in the new millennium

VPA to host Nov. 19 symposium on state of crafts in the new millenniumNovember 01, 2005Jaime Winne Alvarez jlwinne@syr.edu

A Nov. 19 symposium, sponsored by Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts in conjunction with the Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery’s “Art of Gold” exhibition, will address the state and future of crafts in the new millennium. The symposium will be held at 2 p.m. in Shemin Auditorium, adjacent to the Lowe Gallery in Shaffer Art Building. Parking is available in paid visitor lots.

Panelists will address trends, how craft artists are dealing with new technology, what the name shift of the American Craft Museum to The Museum of Arts and Design signifies, whether there is a difference between North American aesthetics and issues compared to other parts of the world and what that difference means for the future of North American crafts, whether history is repeating itself, whether crafters are experiencing a transition similar to one that occurred previously, how colleges and universities are adapting to reflect changes in the art/craft fields and whether the movement is a fad.

Panelists include Lou Cabeen, artist and professor at the University of Washington whose work explores issues of contemplation and the role of locale in the construction of meaning; Bruce Metcalf, a studio jeweler from the Philadelphia area who has written articles about contemporary jewelry and craft issues; Natalie Fitz-Gerald, collector and owner of Casa Nova in Santa Fe, N.M., and member of the board of the Museum of Art and Design; and JudithSchwartz, head of sculpture/craft media at New York University, who is a critic, curator and author of national and international articles on contemporary craft issues.

For more information about the symposium, contact Barbara Walter, professor of metalsmithing,at bewalter@syr.edu or (315) 443-3004.

The Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery’s “Art of Gold” exhibit runs from Nov. 10 through Jan. 8, 2006. This traveling exhibition presents objects and jewelry by some of America’s finest studio goldsmiths. The show, which is the first exhibition of its kind in 25 years, celebrates the inventiveness of contemporary goldsmiths and the beauty of traditional materials and processes. An opening reception will be held in the Shaffer Galleria Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. The Lowe Gallery is open Tuesdays-Sundays, noon-5 p.m.; Wednesdays noon-8 p.m., and is closed on Mondays and major holidays. For more information on the gallery, call (315) 443-3127 or visit http://vpa.syr.edu/loweartgallery. The gallery is located in Shaffer Art Building on the Syracuse University Quad and is universally accessible. It is free and open to the public.