Shy Boy, She Devil, and Isis : the Art of Conceptual Craft : Selections from the Wornick Collection / Gerald W. R. Ward and Julie M. Muniz ; with Contributions by Kelly H. L'ecuyer and Nonie Gadsden ; and an Essay by Matthew Kangas

Boston : MFA Publications : New York, N. Y. : Distributed Art Publishers / A. D. P., 2007. First Edition. Hardcover. The works presented in Shy Boy, She Devil, and Isis: The Art of Conceptual Craft, from the well-known California collection of Ronald C. And Anita L. Wornick, capture an exciting shift in the evolution of contemporary sculptural arts. Beginning in 1985, the Wornicks assembled a major collection of contemporary decorative arts, primarily by Americans but also including European, Australian, and Asian artists. This collection features works created after 1980 and represents a coming of age of the studio craft movement across the world. Working in clay, glass, metal, wood and fiber, the 107 artists featured in this book--including Dale Chihuly, Viola Frey, Peter Voulkos, John Cederquist and Mary Van Cline--are distinct in their move away from the functional and toward the ""purely"" sculptural. Matthew Kangas' introductory essay notes how these works surpass and overturn the arbitrary, misleading category of craft, while Gerald W. R. Ward and Julie Muniz discuss the material innovations shown by these artists, whose works, taken together, define the cutting edge of craft. The pieces in Shy Boy, She Devil, and Isis exemplify the skills and individualities of their makers; as a group, they suggest a bold conceptual shift and an erasure of the boundaries separating craft from fine art. An exceptional copy; fine in an equally fine dw. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Literally as new; 8vo 8"" - 9"" tall; 183 pages; Description: 183 p. : col. Ill. ; 25 x 30 cm. Published on the occasion of an exhibition held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Sept. 11, 2007-Jan. 6, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-181) and index. Subjects: Wornick, Ronald C. , 1932- --Art collections --Exhibitions. Wornick, Anita L. --Art collections. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston --Exhibitions