Feature Articles


February Issue 2000

Objects from the 20th Century at Melberg Gallery - Charlotte

As we usher in the new millennium, Jerald Melberg Gallery in Charlotte, NC, is pleased to announce an exhibition honoring the American craft and object movement, which has enjoyed a great resurgence during the late twentieth century. "Twenty Objects From The Twentieth Century" will be on view through Mar. 4.

This exhibition gathers twenty extraordinary objects by some of the foremost craftspeople working in the US including:
Harlan Butt (metal), Dale Chihuly (glass), Linda Darty (metal), David Ebner (wood), William Harper (metal), Robyn Horn (wood), Dick Huss (glass), Sidney Hutter (glass), Richard Jolley (glass), Jon Kuhn (glass), Cliff Lee (clay), Marc Leuthold (clay), Kimo Minton (wood), Albert Paley (metal), Don Reitz (clay), Richard Royal (glass), Michael Sherrill (clay), Helen Shirk (metal), and Emily Wilson (wood).

The hand-made object, whether it be in the form of wood, metal, glass or ceramic has come to be revered as a true art form deserving of its own attention and museums. Some methods and objects created in the last thirty years, such as metallurgy and ceramics, are reflections of objects and techniques from the past. At the same time, advances in technology have allowed for great new manipulations in many media, not the least of which is glass. Regardless of influence, it is an object's function, whether traditional, iconographical, representational or utilitarian, that makes it unique.

Helen Shirk's exceptionally bold copper vessels are strongly influenced by the Art Deco tradition, in both color and form. By comparison, Cliff Lee's more traditional ceramic vessels borrow from the conservative and meticulously precise heritage of Chinese sculpture.

Marc Leuthold's non-glazed ceramic disk is created with hundreds of radii deeply carved from the center to the circumference, making the matte charcoal object profile as intricate as the underside of a mushroom. Equally as complex is Harlan Butt's incense burner modeled in enamel, which evokes an Asian tradition with its cascading leaves along the body and the surprise twist of a snake at the base.

There are exceptional pieces of sculptural furniture included in the exhibition. Certainly the largest item in the exhibition is a five-foot square table by world-renowned Albert Paley. Paley forges steel in seemingly weightless ribbons. In contrast, David Ebner's hand-carved chair is both practical and ergonomically sound while being beautifully delicate and organic in form.

Continuing the gallery's commitment to glassworks, the exhibition includes gallery artists Dale Chihuly, Dick Huss, Jon Kuhn and Richard Royal and newcomer, Sidney Hutter. Some of the glass is blown, some etched and some constructed.

The artists included in the exhibition are represented in many of the world's foremost museums, including the American Craft Museum; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Mint Museum of Craft + Design; the White House Craft Collection; the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY.

For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 704/365-3000 or on the web at (http://www.jeraldmelberg.com).

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