About "Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection"
Arizona art collectors Sara and David Lieberman have one of the most extensive collections of contemporary baskets in the country. For the past 40 years, the Liebermans have created strong collections of ceramics, baskets and contemporary art. Originally from Minneapolis, the couple permanently relocated to Arizona in 1996, where they became active in the arts and education communities. The Liebermans strongly supported the development of the Arizona State University (ASU) Art Museum Ceramics Research Center, which exhibited their ceramics collection in 2003.
Intertwined challenges perceptions about the art of contemporary basket-making. More than 70 works by regional, national and international artists show the breadth of the art form with traditional and functional works exhibited along with mixed-media sculptures. The artists have manipulated a range of materials like grasses, fish skins, porcupine quills, grocery bags, postcards and pistachio shells to create intriguing objects that push the boundaries of basket-making.
"Sara and David Lieberman, with their impeccable eye and passion for contemporary craft, have assembled one of the best collections of contemporary baskets in the country," stated Heather S. Lineberry, who curated the ASU exhibition, along with nationally-known contemporary fiber artist and scholar, Jane Sauer. "The more than 150 baskets in their collection were first collected for their function, appeal and grounding in ancient traditions. But their selections soon included new works of great vitality that were more about expression and communication rather than function."
Intertwined is accompanied by a full-color catalogue with additional essays by Los Angeles artist Ferne Jacobs and scholar Kenneth R. Trapp, former Curator for the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Museum and the Oakland Museum of California. With the Intertwined exhibition, the Palo Alto Art Center is pleased to present work by San Francisco Bay Area-based pioneers in the field including Ed Rossbach, Kay Sekimachi, Lillian Elliot, Gyöngy Laky, and Katherine Westphal. Among the 70 works in the exhibition is traditional work by Native Americans and innovative work by major contemporary figures, expanding the very definition of a basket. These artists include Dorothy Gill Barnes, Carol Eckert, John McQueen, Ferne Jacobs, Norma Minkowitz, John Garrett, and others. The exhibition also features exceptional holdings by masters from Japan, including Nagakura Kenichi, Jiro Yonezawa, Hisako Sekijima, and Yamaguchi Ryuün.
"Intertwined will be a visual feast with highly textural, colorful and boldly shaped sculptural forms suspended from the ceiling and hung on walls, in addition to traditional settings," added Lineberry. "The exhibition and its accompanying catalog, with essays by Kenneth R. Trapp and Ferne Jacobs, provide an international look at contemporary basket-making and its current level of innovation and experimentation." Other artists in the exhibition include Kate Anderson, Dail Behennah, Nancy Moore Bess, Mary Black, Sally Black, Jerry Bleem, Jan Buckman, Jane Chavez, Jill Nordfors Clark, Noboru Fujinuma, Shokosai Hayakawa, Elsie Holiday, Hideaki Honma, Kazuaki Honma, Jan Hopkins, Lissa Hunter, Kiyoma Iwata, Nancy Koenigsberg, Leon Niehues, Pearl Nuvangyaoma, Lindsay K. Rais, Fran Reed, Hideho Tanaka, Tsuruko Tanikawa, Lisa Telford, Maseo Ueno, Dawn Walden, and Mika Watanabe. "Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection" was organized by the ASU Art Museum and made possible in part by Sara and David Lieberman; a grant from the Friends of Fiber Art International; Twin Rocks Trading Post, Barry and Steven Simpson, Bluff, Utah; Tai Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Mobilia Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts; Arizona Designer Craftsmen; and, the Friends of the ASU Art Museum. The exhibition at the Palo Alto Art Center is sponsored in part by the generous support of the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation, Lois and Ed Anderson, Susan Beech, Jan Schachter, Kay Sekimachi, and the Garden Court Hotel, Palo Alto. About the Palo Alto Art Center
The Palo Alto Art Center (founded 1971) is a nationally acclaimed, regional visual art center whose exhibition program focuses on documenting – and celebrating – the art and artists of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Center's mission is to foster creative process and thought by forging a greater appreciation and understanding of the visual arts through exhibitions, studio experiences and related educational programs. The Palo Alto Art Center, Division of Arts and Culture, City of Palo Alto, is funded in part by support from the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation and the Arts Council Silicon Valley, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the California Arts Council. The Center is open to the public without charge from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Sunday; and 7:00 -10:00 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday. The Center is located at 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303. For further information: Phone: 650-329-2366 / Email: artcenter@cityofpaloalto.org / Website: www.cityofpaloalto.org/artcenter Contact:
Anna Weldon, Publicist
Phone: 650-329-2605
Email: anna.weldon@cityofpaloalto.org |
