Artists craft new work out of manufactured objects in exhibition at Museum of Contemporary Craft

Manufactured: The Conspicuous Transformation of Everyday Objects
Guest co-curated by Steven Skov Holt and Mara Holt Skov
August 28, 2008 - January 4, 2009
Museum of Contemporary Craft upper lower exhibition spaces

PORTLAND, OR - April 16, 2008 - From August 28, 2008 to January 4, 2009, Museum of Contemporary Craft will present Manuf®actured: The Conspicuous Transformation of Everyday Objects, an exhibition exploring how artists are taking mass manufactured objects and transforming them by hand to create art. Featuring works in a wide variety of disciplines, the exhibition focuses on pieces which operate simultaneously as art, craft and design. In development since early 2006 by guest co-curators and internationally-recognized design leader Steven Skov Holt and art historian Mara Holt Skov, the exhibition is the first of its kind to present a definitive look at this new, distinct object class.

Drawing on Marcel Duchamp's concept of the "readymade" - art objects created from found objects - the Skov Holts push boundaries of traditional craft, attempting to provide a fuller understanding of materiality and making. With work as diverse as Cat Chow's Bonded, a dress made entirely of one continuous zipper, and Jason Rogenes' towers crafted from polystyrene, Manuf®actured provokes as many questions as it answers, illuminating issues such as over-abundance, re-appropriation, the relationship between creator and creation and environmental awareness through thought-provoking reuse. The exhibition includes work by 17 artists from the U.S., England, France and the Netherlands, including: Hrafnhildur Arnardottir, Boris Bally, Harriete Estel Berman, Jerry Bleem, Constantin Laurene Boym, Cat Chow, Sonya Clark, Mitra Fabian, Hella Jongerius, Livia Marin, Régis Mayot, Devorah Sperber, Jason Rogenes, Laura Splan, Marcel Wanders and Dominic Wilcox.

Chronicle Books will publish a book to accompany the exhibition. The fully-illustrated 160-page volume will feature essays by Steven Skov Holt and artist chapters by Mara Skov Holt.

Steven Skov Holt is distinguished professor of industrial design at California College of the Arts. He is former editor of I.D. Magazine, co-founder of the product design program at Parsons School of Design, and was a design leader at agencies Smart Design, Zebra Design and frogdesign. Mara Skov Holt is an art historian and has worked for several years in the fashion industry. Together, they authored Blobjects Beyond: The New Fluidity in Design (Chronicle Books 2005).

Museum of Contemporary Craft will present the premiere of the exhibition, which is available to travel. The Museum will also host several related education programs including a lecture by Steven Skov Holt and Mara Holt Skov and workshops with Cat Chow and Sonya Clark. A full listing of related programs will be available on the Museum's Website at www.MuseumofContemporaryCraft.org.

ABOUT MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
Committed to the advancement of craft since 1937, Museum of Contemporary Craft is one of Oregon's oldest cultural institutions. Centrally located at a new site on Portland's North Park Blocks, the Museum is a vibrant center for investigation and dialogue, expanding the definition of craft and the way audiences experience it. Admission to the Museum is free; donations are welcome.