While processing a recent acquisition of exhibition records from the Renwick Gallery, I came across a number of entries from artists, studios, schools and manufacturers for a national competition sponsored by the museum. Besides the actual entry itself for the competition, what I found most fascinating were the variety of letterhead designs present among the paper entries. While seemingly simple in the execution, their aesthetic and layout were carefully selected to provide a glimpse to their recipient of the design style and language of the sender.
The entries were for the exhibition, Craft Multiples, which was at the Renwick from July 4, 1975 to February 16, 1976. It was an exhibition of 133 production objects selected by jury that consisted of Lois Moran, Director of the Research and Education Department of the American Crafts Council; Hedy Backlin-Landman, Director of the Danforth Museum in Framingham, Massachusetts; and Lloyd E. Herman, Director, Renwick Gallery. There were a total of 2379 entries that were divided into the following categories: metal, wood, glass, clay, fiber and a miscellaneous other. After its time at the Renwick Craft Multiples went on a three-year tour around the country.
Related Resources
- Exhibition Catalog: Craft Multiples, 1975, Renwick Gallery
Related Collections
- Accession 10-128: Renwick Gallery, Departmental Records, 1957, 1961-1989, 1997-2003, Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Lloyd E. Herman Papers, 1961-2002, Archives of American Art
- Hedy Backlin-Landman Papers, 1961-1977, Archives of American Art
- Beer Mug by William Bernstein, 1975.144.1, Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Music Rack by Richard R. John, 1975.171, Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Wastebasket by Marian John, 1975.140, Smithsonian American Art Museum
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