Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Contemporary Crafts from Utah

Admire and purchase decorative objects of porcelain, stoneware, fiber, metal, earthenware, and wood created by 12 artists from the western state.

June 3, 1982 – August 29, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Ascending Bowl #3

Visit a bowl, crafted from walnut by Mark Lindquist, whose emphasis on texture gives it a sense of motion.

May 1, 1982 – June 27, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Masks of the World

Admire and purchase masks of New Guinea, Java, Bolivia, Peru, and Native American cultures.

March 17, 1982 – May 31, 1982

Renwick Gallery

"Pink Gesture" (Glass Vessel)

Admire collaborating artists Margie Jervis and Susie Krasnican's fused successive layers of colored enamel on their sculptural glass vessel, enhancing the medium's ability to reflect color and light.

March 5, 1982 – April 25, 1982

Renwick Gallery

The Inedible Renwick Birthday Cakes

Commemorate the Renwick's 10th anniversary with the icon of all birthdays--the cake--executed in stuffed fabric, porcelain, crochet cotton, earthenware, steel, neon, and glass.

January 29, 1982 – April 25, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Good As Gold: Alternative Materials in American Jewelry

View 180 brooches, necklaces, and other body decorations made from glass, plastic, paper, wood, "found objects," and metals -- aluminum, brass, steel, bronze, niobium, and titanium.

December 3, 1981 – March 28, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Alternatives to Gold

Admire and purchase jewelry created by artists whose work is included in current exhibit, Good as Gold: Alternative Materials in American Jewelry.

December 2, 1981 – March 28, 1982

Renwick Gallery

See a retrospective exhibition of 150 glass works, supplemented by color photographs, a set of glassblower's tools and bench, and panels illustrating processes made famous by Paolo Venini, founder of the glass manufactory on the island of Murano.

August 21, 1981 – March 21, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Five Enamelists from Tallahassee

Admire and purchase bowls created by Patricia Bergstraesser, Teresa Coates, Edward Deren, Michael Williams, and Mary Kautz.

February 1, 1982 – March 14, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Elijah Pierce: Messages in Wood

Visit 15 carved wood panels, painted in bold colors, depicting religious themes and parables, created by Elijah Pierce, a Columbus, Ohio, barber and Baptist minister.

December 1, 1981 – February 28, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Pottery by Maria Martinez

See 2 bowls by the celebrated American Indian potter, who is associated with a distinctive black pottery.

December 1, 1981 – January 31, 1982

Renwick Gallery

A Holiday Cornucopia

Admire and purchase handmade holiday ornaments and decorative arts by 17 artists, many of whom have been represented in past Renwick exhibitions.

December 1, 1981 – December 31, 1981

Renwick Gallery

The Grand Beehive Exhibition

Enjoy approximately 100 objects that are diverse expressions of Utah's state symbol, the beehive, which was first adopted by the Mormon settlers of Utah,

April 24, 1981 – November 8, 1981

Renwick Gallery

The Animal Image: Contemporary Objects and the Beast

View both literal and fanciful representations of animals included in the 114 sculptural and functional objects on view by contemporary American artists and craftsmen.

March 13, 1981 – August 30, 1981

Renwick Gallery

A Renwick Bestiary

Admire and purchase animal images depicted on objects ranging from baskets, bowls, and furniture to toys, jewelry, mugs, molds, and rubber stamps.

June 19, 1981 – August 30, 1981

Renwick Gallery

Egypt Today: Embroidered Pictures from Akhmim

View 24 works created by contemporary craftsmen at Akhmim, a city which has flourished as a weaving center from some 4,000 years.

March 14, 1981 – August 23, 1981

Renwick Gallery

American Porcelain: New Expressions in an Ancient Art

View 108 objects selected from work submitted by craftsmen in 40 states, including figurative and abstract sculpture, place settings of dinnerware, and vessels designed as an art form.

November 7, 1980 – August 16, 1981

Renwick Gallery

A Feast of Color: Corpus Christi Dance Costumes from Ecuador

Delight in 4 complete fiesta costumes of cotton decorated with beads, ribbon, and foil, as well as individual pieces used during Corpus Christi festivities.

January 9, 1981 – July 12, 1981

Renwick Gallery

American Porcelain Artists

Admire and purchase place settings, bowls, vases, and vessels as well as ornamental and structural sculptures created by 11 of the artists whose work is included in the current Renwick exhibition, American Porcelain: New Expressions in an Ancient Art.

April 3, 1981 – June 14, 1981

Renwick Gallery

New Hampshire Crafts

Admire and purchase appliqued wall hangings, wool coverlets, pewter salad sets, silk scarves and mufflers, sterling silver and gold jewelry, and utilitarian and sculptural pottery, from the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.

January 8, 1981 – March 30, 1981

Renwick Gallery

Children's Toys: Renderings from the Index of American Design

See 24 watercolors depicting toys in the United States from the Colonial period to the end of the 19th century.

December 12, 1980 – March 12, 1981

Renwick Gallery

An Interior Decorated: Joyce Kozloff

Inspired by exotic and intricate motifs of Egyptian, Islamic and American Indian cultures, the New York artist transforms one of the Renwick's galleries into a striking array of color and pattern.

August 15, 1980 – March 1, 1981

Renwick Gallery

Painted Weavings by Lia Cook and Neda Alhilali

Examine 14 contemporary works created from industrial materials which have been woven, pressed, hammered, or rolled, and then painted.

August 15, 1980 – March 1, 1981

Renwick Gallery

Webfoots and Bunchgrassers: Folk Art of the Oregon Country

See 209 objects that reflect Oregon's ethnic diversity and ranching traditions.

October 3, 1980 – February 1, 1981

Renwick Gallery

Handcrafted Holiday Tree Ornaments

Admire and purchase articles created by American craftsmen of metal, glass, porcelain, textiles, and ceramics; some serve a double purpose and may be worn as pendants.

November 13, 1980 – December 20, 1980

Renwick Gallery