When we first met the Milwaukee-based crafter and gallerist Faythe Levine back in 2006, she was an unknown, budding filmmaker on a mission to chronicle the new wave of DIY craft.

Two years and many YouTube teaser clips later, her highly anticipated, feature-length documentary, Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design, is about to make its debut at film festivals in January and at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York on February 12. She also has a new book out (same title as the film, co-authored with Cortney Heimerl) from Princeton Architectural Press, already in its third printing just a month after publication. She’s even been profiled in the New York Times, which dubbed her “the Ambassador of Handmade.”

We caught up with Faythe at the November 14 grand opening of the new home of the indy craft emporium ReForm School in Los Angeles, the first stop on her national book tour. With her Pre-Raphaelite curls, extravagant tattoos and quietly intense vibe, she was a formidable presence as she greeted friends and fans from the DIY community, many of whom were in town for Felt Club, the big craft fair that took place November 16 at the Shrine Auditorium.

So what’s it like, we asked her, to give voice to a movement?

“It’s all about capturing that contagious feeling of making things for yourself,” she replied. “And the movement is continuing to grow, with new work and new artists coming into the community. People are settling into their aesthetic and finding their niche, really owning their craft.” Leaders and role models have emerged in the field, she added, among them many of the makers featured in her film.

And her own busy life these days?

“Very scheduled. Very thought out.”

The evening was also a celebration for ReForm School, a trailblazing retail gallery for the cream of indy crafters. Owners Billie Lopez and Tootie Maldonado, best friends since high school, opened the store a few years ago in a quaint but tiny building in Silver Lake. Their high-ceilinged new space, not far from the original site, sits on a lively stretch of Sunset Boulevard lined with hip boutiques and cafes, and offers a vast display area for their wide selection of whimsical, eclectic merchandise. There’s also room for a new series of home ec classes led by Jenny Ryan, organizer of Felt Club and writer for the how-to magazine Craft.

Smithsonian
National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center
New York, New York
September 26, 2008-September 2009
Identity by Design: Tradition, Change and Celebration in Native Women’s Dresses

If you happen to find yourself in lower Manhattan these days and seeking distraction from the relentless Wall Street woes, you might want to duck into the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, in its resplendent home, the former U.S. Custom House at Bowling Green, and check out this exhibition of Native women’s dresses that has a great deal to say about the role of clothing in claiming identity. (At such a location, I couldn’t help retrieving—from the Great American Songbook in my brain—lines like “Blues down in Wall Street losing hope …/Big bargain today … Chief take it away!” or “Come you busted city slickers/Better take it on the chin/Father Nick has lost his knickers” from the Rogers and Hart 1939 tune “ Give it back to the Indians!")

The show was inaugurated in late September with a special event, “A Single Thread: Celebrating Native American Design & Style,” an awards-cum-luncheon honoring five designer craftspeople whose work testifies to the persistence of tradition as a spur to creativity. The luncheon, a benefit for the museum’s educational programs, featured as keynote speaker the noted textile designer and weaver Jack Lenor Larsen, and celebrated the achievements of Joe Baker (Delaware Tribe), who makes beaded works and textiles; Joyce Growing Thunder Fogarty (Assiniboine/Sioux), who makes traditional dresses and dolls; Dorothy Grant (Haida), a fashion designer; and Veronica Poblano (Zuni), and Denise Wallace (Chugach-Aleut), both jewelry artists. A small exhibition of works by each honoree was on view in the rotunda on the first floor.

This was the kickoff to the fascinating “Identity By Design: Tradition, Change and Celebration in Native Women’s Dresses,” which had been shown last summer at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington on the National Mall. It was moving to explore the 55 Native dresses from the Plains, Plateau and Great Basins regions (all belonging to the museum’s collection) curated by Colleen Cutschall, a co-curator and contributor to the catalog, who explained the significance of the dresses as “canvases for the expression of tribal culture and personal identity.” She started with the garments that represent the circle of life, those, for example, that marked the path to womanhood, such as a gold buckskin puberty dress, worn only once, when a young girl dances in public. The dress is melded to her body. It’s a sacred moment when the woman is centered between earth and sky, and she can bring blessings to the tribe. The Crow Tobacco Society dress, a garment showing a woman’s role in agricultural rites, was worn during a ceremony in which the wearer would be painted red and the paint would stain the dress.

The creators of this striking attire express their relationship to the natural world through their choice of materials—the bones, sinews, teeth and hides of animals such as deer, elk, and buffalo, and the quills of the porcupine. These dresses are remarkable for their decoration with masterful quillwork and beadwork designs—usually on the ample yokes—and also with treasured objects like ivory elk teeth, or imitation elk teeth made of bone, or metal objects such as thimbles, that the Indians acquired in trade. In addition to being decorative, the beadwork often carried symbolic significance. For example, in a Kiowa outfit, the beadwork showed symbols of the Native America Church, a way in the 20th century of bringing Native American beliefs and Christianity together.

A number of dresses celebrated a husband’s military exploits, such as a Sioux cloth dress alive with painted figures on horseback and brandishing weapons. And though much of the show sent a message of hope and joy, of honoring ancestors and looking forward, the tragic side of the tribal experience was not neglected. Ghost Dance dresses, representing a desperate chapter in the lives of Native Americans, were displayed in a dimly lit corner of the exhibition. No fancy beading or quillwork, but rather painted symbols such as stars and turtles rendered expressionistically.

You come away from the museum recognizing that this apparel is still very much a living tradition: among the high points were dresses created specifically for this show, including an elaborate example by Joyce Fogarty, one of the five design awardees. This dress took seven years to make—Fogarty did the beaded yoke, while family members made accessories like the leggings and the moccasins. Generally, ensembles like these are meant to be worn during dance competitions at contemporary powwows. As Cutschall eloquently explains: “A Native woman’s traditional dress today remains a symbol of her evolving cultural identity, communicating solidarity with her adaptive resilient people and manifesting a shared sense of beauty and spirit. Yet tribal styles are supple enough that this magnificent clothing still expresses the artist’s personal beliefs, emotions, and experiences throughout her dance of life.”

The companion book, with essays by Colleen Cutschall, Elizabeth Woody, Janet Catherine Berlo and Emil Her Many Horses, and many vintage and contemporary photos of the dresses being worn, co-published by the museum with Harper Collins is $24.95, www.americanindian.si.edu .

While there were no claims of Obama sightings, sounds of jubilation rose once again in Chicago during a celebration last night at the Museum of Contemporary Art, when artists across a broad array of disciplines—architecture and design, crafts and traditional arts, dance, literature, media, music, theater arts and the visual arts—were honored with United States Artists (USA) Fellowships.

Launched in 2006, USA, the national artists’ advocacy organization, annually provides support to outstanding artists, some still struggling to achieve their dreams, through its highly competitive national nomination process. This year, 50 unrestricted grants of $50,000 each were awarded to artists in recognition of their unique and vital contributions to their field.

It’s heartening to know that in the midst of an upside-down economy some worthy organizations continue to thrive and good fortune is still in store for many who’ve earned it. Consider Mary Jackson of Johns Island, South Carolina. Already the recipient of a 2008 MacArthur Fellowship (the “genius grant”), Jackson, who creates sweetgrass baskets, was also chosen as one of four USA Fellows in the crafts and traditional arts category. Joining Jackson in this group’s winner’s circle are Yupiq carver Alvin Aningayou, ceramist Richard Notkin and Judith Schaechter, who works exclusively in stained glass. Andrew Glasgow, the American Craft Council’s Executive Director, announced the awards in this category the evening before the fĂȘte, at a meeting of the Fellows, and served on the crafts and traditional arts panel to select these winners.

“Transformative” is how Glasgow described United States Artists. “USA transforms not only artists’ lives but how the public values what the artist does. The fellowships are a form of recognition and validate what artists do. They make a very big statement with awards larger than many people’s annual income. Being part of the jury process is a humbling experience.”

The themes of validation and recognition were echoed by the two Fellows I was fortunate enough to speak with.

“I am really thrilled and excited about the award!” said Judith Schaechter. And it’s great to be in Chicago—the post-election excitement is palpable.

“The award comes at a crucial time for me—financially and emotionally. I intend to use it to sustain myself, really
I don’t have a specific project in mind. I am at a point in my work where I really want to devote myself to my stained glass work and have for the first time really researched the history of the medium. Maybe that’s odd, since I’ve been at it for almost 30 years, but there you go. I would also very much like to do another large, architectural work, as I did for the Museum of Arts & Design. Primarily, the award will allow me to experiment more without the pressure of having to sell. This is hugely important to a mid-career artist—not just in terms of the freedom, but as a vote of confidence in my continued development creatively. I am looking forward to doing some atypical work!

For Schaechter, “an award like this is not just a financial boon but a strong validation for an artist. The suspicion and distrust of art in this country astounds me. That United States Artists cares about addressing that is fantastic, noble and very encouraging.”

From my office in Manhattan, I also had a chance to speak to Richard Notkin, who would like to “jump up and down and say whoopee! The award and recognition are very satisfying and the money ain’t bad either.” Notkin noted the absence of enough direct support to artists and “the belief, really quite mistakenly, that artists need to struggle.” He cited two types of struggle, the financial and the creative, the latter being the path to push through limitations and take new risks and the former as a universal struggle everyone shares in common. “When the financial struggle is removed, said Notkin, the artist is 100 percent free to pursue their creativity. I’m looking forward to trying new concepts and new directions.”

Hearing about the festivities in Chicago from Andrew Glasgow, I realized that going green is less than desirable when it refers to feelings of envy at missing an amazingly exciting production. Even so, it was nice to learn that the audience was regaled with the work of 2007 and 2008 USA Fellows as well as that of other artists and art leaders who support USA. Filling the museum’s theater with joy were performances and presentations by among others, tap dancer Dianne Walker, poets Forrest Gander and Joy Harjo, music by Robert Cazimero, Hawaiian style, plus Cajun music by Michael Doucet and his band, BeauSoleil, hip-hop theater artist Will Power and actor/artist Leonard Nimoy, aka Dr. Spock. Beam me up, Scotty!

Later in the evening everyone gathered for drinks, food, mingling and more music, giving USA Fellows and donors the chance to get to know one another. Let the merrymaking continue, because in the best of times and in the worst of times, artists will always find a way to make art.

The 15th annual SOFA exhibition provided plenty of fodder for conversation on the current state of craft. Whether good or bad, I’m a firm believer that it is the conversation that is important and there was plenty to talk about. But after so much talking all weekend I’m feeling a little tongue-tied on this Monday morning so thought I’d leave you with my last (illegal) images (disclaimer: I didn’t see the “No Photography” signs until the last day) from a long weekend. Enjoy! And if we missed something, let us know…

The third and final day of SOFA has come and with it many opinions on the success of the show. “This is the best SOFA’s been in years,” said one buyer who purchased a major Beth Lipman glass work from Heller Gallery . “I’ve been watching her a long time and when I found out she was pregnant with twins I knew I needed to buy now. She’s not going to have much time to do anything new during the next year.”

“SOFA’s as good if not better than past years,” said Gaby Naus of Duane Reed , pointing to the Ann Nathan Gallery , who is showing such artists as Christina Cordova and Gordon Chandler, as an example. “She always has great work and important artists.”

The three generations of Moulthrop men were also much talked about. “Stunning,” one browser was overheard saying about the tables, bowls and vases the family of woodworkers had on display. An adjective that was repeated about the intricate paper sculptures of Jennifer Falck Linssen at Del Mano.

With the enormity of the Navy Pier by the time you make it to the end of the exhibition hall, exhaustion and sore feet may be the most overwhelming feeling of all. But the trip is worth it because there is where you will have the opportunity to view the furniture of some of the greats— Wendell Castle , Vivian Beer , Tom Loeser and Thomas Hucker to name a few.

With this final day comes the discussion about what’s up next. There is much talk about the SOFA West that will be coming to Santa Fe in June 2009. What’ll come from that remains to be seen.

The first public day of SOFA Chicago came to an end last night and from the crowds (and the rumors of the big sales) one would never know that the U.S. economy was in such a deep hole. Chicago’s Navy Pier was overrun with an eclectic group of serious buyers, curious browsers and busloads of students on class field trips. Besides, not surprisingly, the many bored and impatient students—“When do we get to leave?” and “What a waste of 12 dollars!” were sentiments echoed throughout the day—the mood could be described as overwhelmingly positive.

Of course much of this enthusiasm stems from the new President-elect, who has seemed to given a renewed faith to the exhibitors and attendees. While my boss Andrew Wagner, did not find many people discussing Obama’s election last night, it was apparent today that politics and the economy were in the back of many of the gallery owners’ and artists’ minds.

“It was thrilling to be here in Chicago on the night of the election,” says Wendy Haas, co-owner of Cervini-Haas of Scottsdale, Arizona. “I laid awake in my hotel room for hours listening to the celebration. I can barely comprehend how wonderful this is.”

A quick fix for anyone feeling stressed over the economy (and for those feeling overstimulated from the vast array of in-your-face objects throughout the show) is a stroll over to Patina Gallery’s booth, where owners Ivan and Allison Barnett have created an “oasis” with warm yellow walls and blue carpet—a savior to viewers spending hours walking the cement floors of the Navy Pier—bringing a certain Santa Fe warmth to the Windy City. There one can relax while looking at intricate jewelry of Carla Reiter and Mike Shuler’s delicate holly wood and ebony bowls.

Perhaps the most stunning of all of the booths is that of SOFA Chicago newcomer, rakovaBRECKER Gallery. Centrally located, the booth pays homage to wood turning pioneer Melvin Lindquist. Set against black walls, the exhibition, which displays Lindquist’s definitive pieces plus that of his son Mark and five other artists whom he influenced— Giles Gelson , Stoney Lamar , Howard Werner , David Ellsworth and Gary Stevens —provides a close-up look at some of the most eminent woodworkers of our day.

The Quebec Craft Council’s “CREA Gallery”:http://www.metiers-d-art.qc.ca/crea/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=69&Itemid=236〈=en has brought it’s top game as well with the the work of Chantal Gilbert, a knifemaker/artist, who brings a new meaning to the art of war. The oversize necklace Kali la noire, brings together delicate rooster feathers and a metal blade which one could use to chop off heads as easily as vegetables.

There are some gems among the usual suspects as well. The jewelry of Petra Class, winner of the American Craft Council’s Award of Excellence at this year’s San Francisco show, is a standout at Aaron Faber along with the metal sculpture of Michael Good. Buyers seem to agree—Jackie Wax from the gallery says that although they are feeling the crunch like everyone else, the sales are good.

Over at Jane Sauer the always stunning newspaper and hemp weavings of Gugger Petter are on prominent display. Perhaps more interesting, however, is the Pyrex piece by Korean artist Brent Kee Young, Elliptical Construct
Leaning —seemingly delicate to the point where one doesn’t want to get to close due to the fear of breaking it by one brush of the hand—but actually strong and resilient.

Duane Reed is showing the work of Mary Giles, whose wall installation Diptych, which features small figures created from rust, brings an overwhelming sense of disintegration that has as much to with the display, a slow slide of many figures to few, as it does with the unconventional material used.

As the show continues into the second day it will soon be seen who the buyers find most exciting, which, to the galleries, is really whose opinion is matters most. But we’re interested in everyone’s opinions. Keep us updated on who you think are the true SOFA’s standouts!

Still buzzing from one of the most exciting presidential elections in recent (or even not so recent) memory, I jumped a plane out of LaGuardia on Thursday morning and headed to Chicago for what what would surely be one of the most exciting SOFA Chicago exhibitions in years. (For the uninitiated, SOFA is an acronym for Sculptural Objects and Functional Art.) Celebrating its 15th year, SOFA Chicago is now not only one of the longest running weekend long (from November 7th to 9th) shows featuring contemporary arts and design but can now proudly proclaim to share its hometown with the President-Elect of the United States, Barack Obama.

Taking a cab from O’Hare to my hotel, I’m not exactly sure what I expected to see but my vision of what Chicago might look like after the nation excitedly elected a hometown boy definitely had red, white and blue bunting and ticker-tape in it. Sadly, it seems like Chicago cleans up pretty quickly and any trace of what looked like an epic celebration on Tuesday night were gone. But there was still a decidedly electric feel in the air downtown and those others who had flown in for SOFA also seemed in chipper moods as we prepared for the opening night festivities.

SOFA is nothing if not impressive. Even if high-end sculptural objects (and “functional art”) are not necessarily your thing it is worth a visit for the shear scope of the event. While Navy Pier has always struck me as an odd location for an art event of this magnitude (kind of like holding the Armory show at South Street Seaport or moving it west to San Francisco’s Pier 39) the good people who have been putting together SOFA for years have managed to convert this anesthetic urban playground designed to make suburban visitors feel safe in the city, into an otherworldly event space brimming with excitement. At least that was the feeling rolling up to Entrance Two last night.

Walking inside the cozy confines (Cubbies!!! What happened? That really would have been something if you had broken “the curse” this year!) didn’t disappoint. However, I must say I expected more fervor surrounding the election but not one person mentioned it to me. Perhaps Obama, with his tax-plans favoring non-millionaires, is loved by artists and makers but not so much by collectors (seemingly the majority of the crowd on this night). But I digress, back to the grand entrance. The first thing your eye is drawn to is the “Black Box” created by the Litvak Gallery of Tel Aviv to showcase the glasswork of Lucio Bubbacco. Again, even if highly (I’m tempted to say overly and unnecessarily) decorative, figurative glass sculpture is not your thing, the presentation is eye-popping. And that is the great thing about Litvak’s presentation and SOFA Chicago in general—they’ve got the presentation down. So even though walking the aisles might not produce the adrenaline rush of say, the first black man being elected President of the United States (that’s unfair, I know!), the professionalism and expertise with which each gallery presents its artists’ work makes the search for the real gems hidden amongst the over 100 international galleries a real pleasure—especially when you can do it with a glass of wine! (Disclaimer: The glass of wine is a pleasure of opening night. I wouldn’t suggest trying this throughout the rest of the weekend. Or, if you must, keep it under wraps. A flask could come in handy.)

As anyone who has ever been to an opening night anywhere knows, it’s never the best time to offer an assessment of work on display or even to see much of anything (too much talking, too many people and of course, too much of the aforementioned wine). But I (and my American Craft colleagues) are hoping to weigh in on some of the more interesting work, lectures, presentations, demonstrations, tours, films (!!! SOFA has expanded their extracurricular activities quite extensively which is a fantastic plus!!!) and people on view throughout the weekend. So check back often and by all means, let us know what we’ve missed, what we’ve slighted and/or praised and what you think is a must see. We welcome all comments—don’t be shy!

If there’s one thing that can be said about Jed Morfit (shown with Bullheaded) it’s that he’s never boxed himself in. The 35-year-old’s career spans sculpture, illustration, fabrication, printmaking and teaching. This defining factor has allowed him to explore and break down many barriers in the art world. Something not all artists have been able (or even want) to do.

“In the beginning, I tried to keep everything compartmentalized,” Morfit says. “Fine and commercial art communities often don’t have a lot of respect for each other and I didn’t want my work in one to negatively impact the other.” While in some ways he still keeps his commercial work and sculpture separate—his illustrations can be found on jed​morfit.com and his sculptures at jed​morfit.com —he dissolved many of the imaginary lines drawn between his various endeavors. “To me it’s all about problem solving, and the distinction between commercial and fine art is really just a question of who defines the art,” he explains. “In commercial work the parameters are defined by the client. In fine art, by the artist.”

Discovering the likenesses between the two came through understanding the differences. Morfit first encountered these differences upon entering the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003 to pursue an M.F.A. in sculpture. “I was amazed to meet people who just went to the studio and let the process guide them,” Morfit says. “My experience was one of design and built against a deadline.” Putting “blinders” on his commercial skills, Morfit learned to allow process to lead, letting ideas unfold over time.

Morfit also arrived at RISD with a traditional view of sculpture that he did not see being studied at the institute. “As a kid, I went to museums, not galleries, and I didn’t go to art school,” he says. “When I got to risd my conception of sculpture was much more about the Met than MOMA,” he con­tinues. “At school, I was exposed to all of this amazing new work, and artists like Roman Signer and Roxy Paine, but I was struck by how short our cultural memory was. Artists like Noguchi or Brancusi were considered ancient history. It was as though there had been no sculpture before modernism.”

Once again Morfit found himself interweaving two genres—creating traditional sculpture with an updated sensibility, such as ceramic busts held against the wall by heavy counterweights, and fountains where the water sprayed invisibly against the inside of the figure. It was during this exploration that Morfit developed an interest in bas relief. He attempted large panels, but was unsatisfied, feeling that they were awkward and anachro-nistic. Then he moved on to plates. “I wanted something that would feel familiar, and at the same time provide a framework for the new stories I wanted to tell,” he explains. “Plates seemed like the right object— something ubiquitous and utilitarian, with a consistent shape that would automatically link all the different imagery I wanted to get at.”

His first step toward this was making the plates, such as Avelokitesvara and the Blue Birds of Happiness, in plaster and mounting them as wall installations. Moving forward he plans to cast the plates as ceramics, so people can create their own installations on the dinner table—allowing them to tell their personal stories. “I think of it as vernacular sculpture, art that exists in contact with everyday existence,” he says. “They take an everyday object and transform it into something different.”

As Morfit continues to investigate these narratives, he shares his insights at Richard Stockton College, a liberal arts school in Pomona, New Jersey, where he started the sculpture program. “Designing that program from the ground up has had a profound impact on my work, and on how I think about sculpture,” Morfit reflects. “Our goal is give students the tools to engage in a conceptually rigorous investigation of the material world, and to let that lead where it may.”

Modern Americana: Studio Furniture from High Craft to High Glam
By Todd Merrill and
Julie V. Iovine
Rizzoli International Publications
New York, New York
$75

Modern Americana—the designation seems an oxymoron, the first word suggesting pared-down functionality and the second bringing to mind the folksy or the Pop, or Colonial furnishings. The authors of this survey—Todd Merrill, a dealer and specialist in postwar designers, and Julie V. Iovine, executive editor of The Architect’s Newspaper —have chosen it to define a rather eclectic group of 27 furniture maker/designers whose work, produced from the 1940s into the 1990s, represents an original strain of design characterized by novel forms and excellent craftsman­ship. “Americana is a term that has been used to describe American folk and decorative arts and furniture,” they write in the introduction. “While modernism in the design sense originat­ed in Europe, the tradition of small-scale production of high-end furniture by artist-craftsmen who designed, built, and controlled the production of their furniture is a particularly strong American paradigm.”

The cast of characters is divided into four groupings, though the lines between categories can be blurry. Within each section, the authors profile each designer-maker, focusing on artistic vision and creative process.

For those familiar with the studio craft field, the names Wharton Esherick, Wendell Castle, Sam Maloof, Arthur Espenet Carpentar and Jack Rogers Hopkins, creator of the Edition chair —among the seven in the first category—are well-known as pioneers; in the designer craftsmen group are George Nakashima, Vladimir Kagan, and sometime collaborators Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell; the custom design section features the luxe creations of Tommi Parzinger, T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Karl Springer and James Mont, while the decorator-designer section includes Paul Laszlo and Samuel Marx.

Modern Americana is valuable as well as entertaining for its abundant illustrations—im­ages of the designers, their furniture, sketches and drawings and, most important to convey period ambience, the interiors featuring their works. In some instances their own homes are pictured, as with Maloof, Carpenter and Esherick (examples of the “high craft” of the book’s title), and in others, interiors designed for the rich and famous, such as William Haines’s 1948 living room for the actress Joan Crawford or Charles Hollis Jones’s acrylic tables and lamps for the home of Loretta Young (representing “high glam”).

Although person by person, the 27 makers and designers presented here are eminently worthy of research and appreciation, it is not utterly convincing that they collectively have a great deal in common beyond the fact that their works are fetching premium prices at auction today. It is extremely gratifying to admirers of the pioneers of studio furniture to see their work considered as a style in the larger context of American mid- to late-20th-century design but the book doesn’t seem to acknowledge that the pioneers of studio craft established a furniture movement that has taken hold, attracted a second and even a third generation of adherents and museums and a knowledgeable segment of the public, and con­tinues to produce expressive, innovative, well-crafted work into the 21st century. Looks like a follow-up book may be in order.

Musée-Atelier du Verre
Cenae 9: L’Alchimie du Verre (The Alchemy of Glass) Joan Crous
Sars-Poteries, France
September 11 – December 1, 2008

The scene is spectral—a banquet table after a meal laden with plates, wine glasses, silverware and leftover food, but with color in gradations from white through deep sapphire blue through dark gray, and the whole setting covered with a grainy, ashy crust as if newly excavated from layers of earth and ravaged by time. Yet this is no relic of an ancient cataclysm but a recent work of glass art.

Joan Crous, a Spanish-born artist who lives and works in Italy, created the piece during a two-month residency at the Musée-Atelier Départemental du Verre (Glass Museum and Workshop) at Sars-Poteries in the north of France.

The aura of objects unearthed is intentional. He is inspired by the vestiges of objects preserved at Pompeii and Herculaneum by volcanic lava, and uses his own technique of “fossilization,” using glass powder, or fritted glass. The work he created in Sars-Poteries is the ninth in the Cenae series, which grew out of the fact that he had frozen the leftovers of his own nuptial dinner and, looking at them later, liked the effectof frost. He subsequently devoted himself to the theme of a memorable, even sacred, repast (cenae is a reference to the Last Supper) frozen in glass.

Crous’s Cenae 9: L’Alchimie du Verre was the result of a collaboration. He arranged a dinner at a local restaurant, l’Auberge Fleurie, and planned the menu with its chef, Benoüt Cisecky. He invited local glassblower Olivier Juteau to create the place setting using models from 19th-century Sars-Poteries catalogs. Meanwhile, Crous and his assistant, Radovan Ragic, prepared his “pre-fusions,” the glass powders of different granulations that would coat the table settings during the fossilization process.

The ceremonial dinner for 15 guests took place February 7 at the restaurant, after which the artist and his assistants removed the “dirty” plates, which held such leftovers as lobster claws and gingerbread, into an adjoining room set up as a small laboratory, in which these objects were coated with the mysterious glass powders in preparation for their firing in the kilns of the glass workshop. The completed work, a ghostly blue feast, was in the end many things—a homage to a village with a past and present glass tradition, a tribute to Louis MĂ©riaux for his many contributions to the museum/workshop and a celebration of the artistic potential of a magical medium.

An illustrated catalog in French and English is $30 from the Museum and Glass Workshop, museeduverre@cg59.fr.