Discovery through Design

Initiatives in Art and Culture’s 24th annual conference explores Cleveland, Ohio, as a hub of the Arts & Crafts Movement

September 15-18
24th Annual Arts & Crafts Conference
Multiple venues in Cleveland, OH
www.artinitiatives.com

Each year, the Initiatives in Art and Culture’s Arts & Crafts Conference travels to a different American city to get the distinct flavor of a region through their unique style of decorative arts and architecture. IAC has crisscrossed the nation since 2005 to explore—and revel in—the diverse geographic manifestations of the arts and crafts movement. Viktor Schreckengost (1906-2008), design made at and by Cowan Pottery Studio, The New Yorker (Jazz) Bowl, ca. 1930. Glazed ceramic with sgraffito design. Overall: 11 1/4 x 16 1/4 in. Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severence Fund 2000.65.

If one had to summarize the underpinnings of the American arts and craft movement, an extension of a style that emerged out of Victorian-era England, it could be said that proponents of the trend believed that the connection between artists and their handicraft and the beautiful, functional items they created were essential to human fulfillment. These values are what sets this form of craftsmanship apart from traditional art like painting and sculpture. While at its roots utilitarian, style and design also provide a fascinating window into the society in which it was created.

Paul Fehèr (1898-1990) for Rose Iron Works, Muse with Violin Screen, 1930. Wrought iron, brass, silver and gold plating, cotton velveteen. Overall: 61½ x 61½ in. The Cleveland Museum of Art. Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2020.216. Photo: © Rose Iron Works Collections, LLC.

IAC’s definition of what constitutes arts and crafts makes room for a broad spectrum of styles with the ethos that it is less about particularities of style than the principles and ideals behind its creation. However, IAC’s focus is decorative arts and architecture.

There is no better way to experience the diversity of the movement than to move IAC’s conference to different locales as, historically, styles of craftsmanship are very much influenced, if not dictated by the regions where they were made.

Tichnor Bros. Inc. / George Klein News Co. Postcard featuring Terminal Tower with the strobe that helped guide aircraft and ships in its early years, 1930. Image: J. Mark Souther Postcard Collection.

This year, IAC explores Cleveland and its environs as a hub for the arts and craft movement and its influence on subsequent expressions elsewhere. The conference will look at Cleveland’s cultural connections to Chicago and other cities, its important metal-working and ceramic traditions, as well as its architecture and cultural markers and institutions that helped shape many aspects of the region.

The opening sessions will be held September 15 at the Cleveland Museum of Arts but for the remainder of the event, attendees will have the opportunity to tour close to 30 historically significant locations throughout the city and feature dozens of presenters and participants including collectors, preservationists, art and architectural historians, artisans and academics.

Cass Gilbert, 1917, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio.

“Each year Initiatives in Art and Culture’s Arts & Crafts Conference offers a fresh perspective on the Movement…To do so, IAC explores sources of influence, the roles of relationships in defining artistic product, materials and methods of fabrication, and the use of art as a lever for social change,” says IAC president Lisa Koenigsberg. “We are excited to explore the architecture and cultural environment…of Cleveland and benefit from leading authorities who bring their dynamic perspectives to bear throughout all of the four-day event.”