Objects: USA/The Johnson Collection of Contemporary Crafts

Objects: USA was a groundbreaking survey of objects created in the United States from craft materials--enamel, ceramic, glass, metal, jewelry, plastic, mosaic, wood, and fiber--at the end of the 1960s. The exhibition, conceived and curated by gallery owner Lee Nordness, presented a sweeping range of the work being produced in the field of craft, from the more traditional and functional work of silversmith Bob King and furniture maker Sam Maloof, to the envelope-pushing works of ceramist Peter Voulkos and fiber artist Sheila Hicks. The exhibition, accompanying catalog, and film were sponsored by the S.C. Johnson Wax Company.

Paul Smith, at the time Director of the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (now the Museum of Arts and Design), served as co-curator and advisor. Together Smith and Nordness traveled throughout the United States selecting works both from well known artists, such as Otto and Gertrud Natzler, and young, emerging artists (many of whom would go on to become famous, such Dale Chihuly). The exhibition, which premiered at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC in 1969, drew record crowds during its tour of twenty-two institutions in the United States, and eleven in Europe. At the close of the exhibition, most of the 308 objects in were donated to the hosting venues. As per the original arrangement between Paul Smith and Lee Nordness, the Museum of Contemporary Crafts received first choice on one third of the objects.

Objects: USA was a pivotal exhibition in the history of craft, for its wide exposure to audiences nationally and internationally, its contribution of craft objects to collections all over the United States, and its capture of a transitional moment in the field.