Glenn Adamson

Last updated
Glenn Adamson
Born1972 (age 51–52)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Cornell University
Yale University
Occupation(s)Author,
Curator,
Researcher

Glenn Adamson (born 1972) is an American curator, author, and historian whose research and work focuses on the intersections of design, craft, and contemporary art. [1] Adamson is currently editor-at-large of The Magazine Antiques , [2] editor of Journal of Modern Craft, a freelance writer and a curator. Adamson has held previous notable appointments as the Director of the Museum of Arts and Design, Head of Research at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and as Curator at the Chipstone Foundation. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Glenn Adamson was born in 1972 and raised in Boston, Massachusetts along with his identical twin brother Peter Adamson. [4] He earned his B.A. in History of Art from Cornell University in 1994 and his PhD in Art History from Yale University in 2001. [5]

Museum and curatorial work

Museum of Arts and Design

From 2013 to 2016 Glenn Adamson served as the Nanette L. Laitman Director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, NY. Adamson's hire at the Museum of Arts and Design came as a somewhat surprise. [6] Previously, Adamson had been a critic of the museum, using a 2011 review of the exhibition The Global Africa Project in the magazine Art in America to critique the institution itself. Adamson's critiques included the architecture of the museum's new building and their gallery layouts, the 2002 name change, and the "incoherent execution" of exhibitions. [7] Holly Hotchner, director of the Museum of Arts and Design from 1996 to 2013, responded to Adamson's critiques in a letter to the editor of Art in America in 2011 where she defended many of the topics Adamson critiqued. [8] In spite of this previous tension, the museum found Adamson to be the "most exciting candidate" [6] when searching for Hotchner's replacement in 2013.

In 2016, when Adamson stepped down from his post as Director at the Museum of Arts and Design, the museum stated:

"During his tenure, Dr. Adamson led the institution through a period of significant growth of its programming and resources, and built a new leadership team. Dr. Adamson spearheaded an exhibitions program that explored and expanded MAD's unique mission and role in the arts ecology of New York and the nation, including NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial; Ralph Pucci: The Art of the Mannequin; Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft, and Design, Midcentury and Today; Wendell Castle Remastered; Studio Job: MAD HOUSE; and Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years. Dr. Adamson created the position of Windgate Research Curator, in collaboration with the Bard Graduate Center, to further enhance the scholarship of MAD's publications and exhibitions. He also expanded MAD's noted artist-in-residence program by engaging younger artists from traditionally under-represented communities, through an initiative funded by a grant from the New York Community Trust." [9]

Victoria and Albert Museum

From 2005 to 2013 Glenn Adamson served as the Head of Research at the Victoria and Albert Museum. [10] During his time there, Adamson published several books and essays, as well as co-curated the exhibition Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–1990 along with Jane Pavitt. [11] Adamson was also a key proponent in initiating the "Rapid Response Unit" of the V&A, where contemporary objects like 3D printed guns and "pussy hats" are added to the museum's collection quickly in direct response to contemporary culture. [12]

Chipstone Foundation

Glenn Adamson served as Curator for the Chipstone Foundation from 2000 to 2005. [2] The Chipstone Foundation focuses on the study, preservation, and championing of American material culture with heavy emphases on the decorative arts. [13] This mission can be seen reflected in Adamson's work there, where he curated such historically American focused exhibitions as Skin Deep: Three Masters of American Inlay and Tea Table Coffee Table. [14] [15] In addition to his curatorial work, Adamson also made regular contributions to the Chipstone's journals American Furniture and Ceramics in America. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Guest curatorial work

Selected publications

Books

Book collaborations

Articles and essays

The Journal of Modern Craft

The Journal of Modern Craft (first launched in 2008) is a peer reviewed academic journal focused on interdisciplinary writings on the topics of design, craft, art, architecture, and related fields. [70] The journal is published by Taylor & Francis, and releases three issues a year. The editorial board consists of Glenn Adamson (USA); Tanya Harrod, Independent Scholar (UK); Edward S. Cooke Jr., Yale University (USA); Stephen Knott, Kingston University (UK); Elissa Auther, Windgate Research Curator, Bard Graduate Center and Center for Craft, Creativity and Design (USA); Jenni Sorkin, University of California (USA). The journal is funded in part by the Windgate Charitable Foundation and The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, with Joseph McBrinn, University of Ulster (UK) as the Book Review Editor, and Namita Wiggers, Museum of Contemporary Craft (USA) as the Exhibition Review Editor. [71]

Personal life

Adamson is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. [72] [73]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendell Castle</span> American artist (1932–2018)

Wendell Castle was an American sculptor and furniture maker and an important figure in late 20th century American craft. He has been referred to as the "father of the art furniture movement" and included in the "Big 4" of modern woodworking with Wharton Esherick, George Nakashima, and Sam Maloof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Arts and Design</span> Art museum in Manhattan, New York

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the museum celebrates the creative process through which materials are crafted into works that enhance contemporary life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Fordjour</span> American artist

Derek Fordjour is an American interdisciplinary artist and educator of Ghanaian heritage who works in collage, video/film, sculpture, and painting. Fordjour lives and works in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Wilson (artist)</span> American visual artist (born 1949)

Anne Wilson is a Chicago-based visual artist. Wilson creates sculpture, drawings, Internet projects, photography, performance, and DVD stop motion animations employing table linens, bed sheets, human hair, lace, thread and wire. Her work extends the traditional processes of fiber art to other media. Wilson is a professor in the Department of Fiber and Material Studies at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Walsh (designer)</span> Irish designer

Joseph Walsh is a self-taught Irish furniture maker and designer. He was born in County Cork, where he established his studio and workshop in 1999. From the outset, he pursued innovation in making through traditional techniques, often from other craft forms, which enabled new making methods and forms. This led to significant early commissions including various ecclesiastical clients, the Embassy of Japan and the National Museum of Ireland.

JB Blunk (1926–2002) was a sculptor who worked primarily in wood and clay. In addition to the pieces he produced in wood and ceramics, Blunk worked in other media, including jewelry, furniture, painting, bronze, and stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joris Laarman</span> Dutch designer, artist and entrepreneur (born 1979)

Joris Hendricus Laarman is a Dutch designer, artist, furniture maker, and entrepreneur best known for his experimental designs inspired by emerging technologies. Laarman's projects are a blend of technology, art and design, with a focus on the potential of 3D printing. Major projects include 3D-printed stainless-steel bridge in Amsterdam, which showcases the potential for creating adaptive, lightweight, and uniquely designed structures using 3D printing. Laarman has also explored furniture design, including the 'Bone' series which used 3D-optimization software to achieve optimal construction. The designer's work often evokes a futuristic feel while nodding to historical art movements, exemplified by pieces like his "Digital Matter" series. When Laarman speaks about his work he discussed the implications and responsibilities that come with breakthrough technologies.

Tanya Aguiñiga is a Los Angeles–based artist, designer, and activist.

Max Lamb is a British furniture designer who combines traditional, often primitive, design methods with digital design. He is known for employing unusual approaches to using natural materials, including pouring pewter onto sand, and volcanic rock.

Wendy Maruyama is an American visual artist, furniture maker, and educator from California. She was born in La Junta, Colorado.

Judy Kensley McKie is an American artist, furniture designer, and furniture maker. She has been making her signature style of furniture with carved and embellished animal and plant motifs since 1977. She is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Inimfon "Ini" Joshua Archibong is an industrial designer, creative director, artist and musician who is active in product design, furniture design, environmental design, architecture, watch design, and fashion.

Samuel Ross is a British fashion designer, creative director, and artist. He is known for founding the fashion label A-COLD-WALL*, Industrial Design studio SR_A SR_A, and the Black British Artists Grants Programme. Since founding these organisations, Ross has collaborated with companies such as Apple, LVMH, Nike. Ross's output is often characterised as "social architecture for the body", captured through abstraction, brutalism, and deconstruction.

Diedrick Brackens is an American artist and weaver. Brackens is well known for his woven tapestries that explore African American and queer identity.

Stephen Burks is an American designer and a professor of architecture at Columbia University. Burks is known for his collaborations with artisans as well as incorporating craft and weaving into product design. He is the first African American to win the National Design Award for product design.

Objects: USA (1969) was a groundbreaking exhibition considered a watershed in the history of the American studio craft movement. It "blurred lines between art and craft, artist and artisan". The exhibition featured a survey collection of craft works by artists from across the United States. Artists were approached and works chosen by New York gallery owner Lee Nordness and curator Paul J. Smith, the director of the Museum of Contemporary Crafts. The exhibition was funded by S. C. Johnson & Son, which purchased the pieces for the exhibition and later donated many of them to American museums. The Objects: USA exhibition appeared at thirty-three locations in the United States and Europe. The accompanying exhibition catalog Objects: USA (1970) became a classic reference work.

Faye Toogood is a British designer based in London. She started her career working as an editor and stylist at The World of Interiors before founding her own studio in 2008. Her work spans furniture, interiors, and fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Sae Jung Oh</span> South Korean artist (born 1982)

Jay Sae Jung Oh is a South Korean-born, Seattle-based artist and designer. She is known for her sustainable and environmentally-friendly recycled plastic and leather cord furniture works notably, her Salvage Chair series made with everyday objects intricately hand wrapped in raw leather creating a unified a sculptural design object.

Courtney M. Leonard is a multimedia artist, filmmaker, and activist from the Shinnecock Nation in Long Island, New York. Her work revolves around issues of ecology and Native identity, specifically their intersection with water, which is essential to the Shinnecock. Leonard primarily uses clay and her ceramic artwork has been inspired by the whaling coastal culture of the Shinnecock Nation. She has contributed to the Offshore Art Movement and now focuses on her work, BREACH, which is centered on environmental sustainability.

Najla El Zein is a Lebanese artist and designer.

References

  1. ↑ "MAD Man: Glenn Adamson on Making New York City's First Craft Biennial". Blouinartinfo.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  2. 1 2 daren (10 November 2016). "Glenn Adamson Leads Course on Material Culture and Current Events". ADHT. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  3. ↑ "Glenn Adamson – Art Jewelry Forum". artjewelryforum.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  4. ↑ "Glenn Adamson Appointed As Director Of Museum of Arts And Design". madmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  5. ↑ "Glenn Adamson Appointed Director, Museum of Arts and Design". Artinamericamagazine.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  6. 1 2 Pogrebin, Robin (4 September 2013). "A Critic of a Design Museum Will Lead It". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Issues & Commentary: Tsunami Africa". Artinamericamagazine.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  8. ↑ "A Response to 'Tsunami Africa,' Glenn Adamson's Commentary on 'The Global Africa Project' in the March issue of 'Art in America' - gap.madmuseum.org". gap.madmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  9. ↑ "Museum History". Madmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  10. ↑ "Glenn Adamson on New York and London's Distinct Museum Cultures". Hyperallergic. 5 May 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  11. ↑ Khemsurov, Monica. "Sept 24: "Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–1990"". W Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  12. ↑ "The surprise objects finding a home at the V&A". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  13. ↑ "Chipstone's Mission". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  14. ↑ "Tea Tables and Coffee Tables by Sarah Fayen from Antiques & Fine Art magazine". Antiquesandfineart.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  15. ↑ "Glenn Adamson — Design History". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  16. 1 2 "Glenn Adamson – Mannerism in Early American Furniture: Connoisseurship, Intention, and Theatrically – American Furniture 2005". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Glenn Adamson – The Politics of the Caned Chair – American Furniture 2002". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  18. 1 2 "Glenn Adamson – The American Arcanum: Porcelain and the Alchemical Tradition – Ceramics in America 2007". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  19. 1 2 "Jeremy Adamson – The Furniture of Sam Maloof – Review by Glenn Adamson". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  20. ↑ "Glenn Adamson". The MIT Press. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  21. ↑ "Industrial Strength Design". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  22. ↑ "fix fix fix". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  23. ↑ "Fix Fix Fix – 15 February – 24 March 2013". Gallery SO. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  24. ↑ ""Things of Beauty Growing": British Studio Pottery – Yale Center for British Art". britishart.yale.edu. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  25. ↑ "Static". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  26. ↑ "Static – Exhibitions – Friedman Benda". Friedmanbenda.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  27. ↑ "Beazley Designs of the Year". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  28. ↑ Holland, Oscar (16 August 2017). "And the best designs of the year are..." CNN Style. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  29. ↑ ""Raw Design" at the Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco". Blouinartinfo.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  30. ↑ "Crafting America". Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  31. ↑ "Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth". www.chatsworth.org. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  32. ↑ Bertoli, Rosa (2023-03-17). "Chatsworth House design exhibition explores contemporary design themes in an eclectic setting". wallpaper.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  33. ↑ Madlener, Adrian (2023-03-17). "How Can You Make an English Manor Filled With Old Masters Feel Contemporary? At Chatsworth House, the Answer Is Cutting-Edge Design". Artnet News. Archived from the original on 2023-03-19. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  34. ↑ "Friedman Benda NY considers design as motifs of 'The New Transcendence'". www.stirpad.com. Archived from the original on 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  35. ↑ Barandy, Kat (13 January 2024). "the new transcendence: friedman benda highlights artists from andrea branzi to samuel ross". designboom architecture & design magazine. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  36. ↑ Madlener, Adrian (2024-01-16). "Glenn Adamson and Friedman Benda examine spirituality in contemporary design". wallpaper.com. Archived from the original on 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  37. ↑ Anklam, Caitlin (2024-06-01). "Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  38. ↑ Glenn Adamson. "Craft: An American History". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  39. ↑ Glenn Adamson. "Fewer, Better Things : The Hidden Wisdom of Objects". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  40. ↑ Glenn Adamson. "The Invention of Craft". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  41. ↑ Glenn Adamson. "The Craft Reader". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  42. ↑ Glenn Adamson. "Thinking Through Craft". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  43. ↑ "Industrial Strength Design". Mitpress.mit.edu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  44. ↑ Creating Ourselves ARTBOOK – D.A.P. 2017 Catalog Whitechapel Gallery Books Exhibition Catalogues 9780854882571 . Retrieved 11 December 2018.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  45. ↑ "Art in the Making: Artists and their Materials from the Studio to Crowdsourcing". Thames & Hudson USA. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  46. ↑ "Things of Beauty Growing – Yale University Press". yalebooks.yale.edu. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  47. ↑ "Peter Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years". Black Dog Press. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  48. ↑ "Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism". Cranbrook Art Museum. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  49. ↑ "Manchester University Press – Surface tensions". Manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  50. ↑ "Global Design History: 1st Edition (Paperback) – Routledge". Routledge.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  51. ↑ "Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–90 (Hardback)". Vam.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  52. ↑ Hand + Made The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft ARTBOOK – D.A.P. 2010 Catalog 9781933619262. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  53. ↑ Unpacking the Collection ARTBOOK – D.A.P. 2010 Catalog Museum of Contemporary Craft Books Exhibition Catalogues 9780972898133. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2018.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  54. ↑ Adamson, Glenn (2019-04-16). "How Sheila Hicks Changed the Way We Think About Sculpture". Frieze. Archived from the original on 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  55. ↑ Adamson, Glenn (2019-10-17). "Gloria Kisch: A Career at the Crossroads of Art and Design". Frieze. Archived from the original on 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  56. ↑ Adamson, Glenn (2019-01-25). "Midlife Crisis on an Unlimited Budget: Marc Newson's Furniture for the 1%". Frieze. Archived from the original on 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  57. ↑ "A Young Designer's Pulpy and Surprisingly Personal Furniture". Hyperallergic. 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  58. ↑ "Katherine Westphal, Fiber Art Pioneer, Dies at 99". Hyperallergic. 16 March 2018. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  59. ↑ "A Shrewd Designer Balances Craft and Commerce". Hyperallergic. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  60. ↑ "Great Estates: How Contemporary Ceramics Are Keeping Chatsworth Relevant". frieze.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  61. ↑ "Fallen Idylls". The Magazine Antiques. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  62. ↑ "Introducing our September/October 2018 issue – Crafts Council". Craftscouncil.org.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  63. ↑ "The Seamless Weaving of Fine Arts with Crafts". Hyperallergic. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  64. ↑ "Weaving Together the Story of a Forgotten Pop Artist and Her Rugs". Hyperallergic. 5 April 2017. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  65. ↑ "Normal Design". Artinamericamagazine.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  66. ↑ "Silver Spoons". frieze.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  67. ↑ "The Complexity Complex". frieze.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  68. ↑ "Demo Job: Craft, Art, and the Politics of Demonstration – Art Jewelry Forum". artjewelryforum.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  69. ↑ "Summer Work: The Art of Pae White • 32 – Spring 2013". Afterall.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  70. ↑ "The Journal of Modern Craft, Aims and scope". Tandfonline.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  71. ↑ "The Journal of Modern Craft, Editorial board". Tandfonline.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  72. ↑ "Glenn Adamson — Bio". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  73. ↑ "Glenn Adamson — Design in Dialogue". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 2022-10-24. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.