Above: Douglas Deeds, Chair made with recycled beer cans, first made in Syracuse, New York, ca. 1960. Courtesy of Douglas Deeds.

"San Diego’s Craft Revolution – From Post-War Modern To California Design"
Oct 16, 2011 - Apr 15, 2012

Mingei International Museum will open an original exhibition that documents a fascinating, inspiring and overlooked chapter of San Diego’s recent past. "San Diego’s Craft Revolution – From Post-War Modern to California Design" will reveal the important contribution of San Diego craftsmen to the post-war Southern California art scene.

The exhibition is part of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980. This unprecedented collaboration, initiated by the Getty Foundation, brings together more than sixty cultural institutions from across Southern California for six months beginning October 2011 to tell the story of the birth of the Los Angeles art scene and how it became a major new force in the art world.

From the postwar period beginning in the 1940s up through the 1970s, San Diego’s Craft Revolution will explore the progression from sleek modernism to unconventional handmade objects of use such as furniture, doors, jewelry and ceramics. Over 60 artists will be featured in the show, including Toza and Ruth Radakovich, Rhoda Lopez, Jack Hopkins, Arline Fisch, Martha Longenecker, Ellamarie and Jackson Woolley, Larry Hunter, Kay Whitcomb and James Hubbell. Many of these San Diego-based artists received national attention and participated in major Los Angeles exhibitions, including the California Design series held in Pasadena and Los Angeles.

"San Diego’s Craft Revolution – From Post-War Modern to California Design" will highlight many of the personalities and institutions in San Diego that fostered this creative community, including San Diego State University and the Allied Craftsmen. The Allied Craftsmen (AC), a membership organization for local craft artists, came to represent an extended family of San Diegans who would help define the concept of California Design in the 1960s and 1970s and gain widespread recognition in the areas of enameling, body ornament, architectural crafts and furniture design.

As a companion to the exhibition, the Museum will publish a 178-page exhibition catalogue with over 200 full-color images including art objects, invitations, snapshots and ephemera from the period. This publication includes a substantial essay by guest curator Dave Hampton, tracing the emergence and evolution of the Allied Craftsmen organization and contemporary craft in San Diego.

Location: Mingei International Museum: Balboa Park, 1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
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