From the Ground Up: Peters Valley School of Craft at HAM

Hunterdon Art Museum & Peters Valley School of Craft are pleased to present, “From the Ground Up,” the first-ever exhibition examining Peters Valley‘s fifty-year history and key moments that have defined the institution – from its earliest formation as an experimental craft colony, to the building of its renowned Japanese wood-fired or Anagama kiln in 1980, to the prominence of women blacksmiths at Peters Valley in the early 2000s.

The exhibition will run in the galleries of the Hunterdon Art Museum from October 4, 2020 – January 10, 2021.

The exhibition is curated by Elizabeth Essner. “From the Ground Up” will combine historical ephemera with significant works in fiber, jewelry, ceramics, wood, photography, and metal by artists involved at Peters Valley, as well as on-site artist residencies to allow further engagement with artists working in craft-based materials.

Selected artists whose work will be in the exhibition are Vivian Beer, Bruce Dehnert, Fawn Navasie, Luci Jockel, Kirk Mangus, Emil Milan, Shiro Otani, Malcolm Mobutu Smith, Stephen Shore, Toshiko Takaezu, Louise Todd Cope, MJ Tyson, and Andrew Willner.

Set in the wooded landscape of the Delaware Water Gap National Park in Layton, NJ, Peters Valley was first proposed in 1970 as a planned colony of artists and craftspeople. The resident blacksmiths, ceramists, fiber artists, metalsmiths, woodworkers, and photographers who populated the site’s 18th and 19th-century buildings created a vibrant community engaged in creating. Over time, as Peters Valley’s educational mission moved from the margins to the center, it grew into the craft school it is today, which brings together artists of local, national, and international renown with students for immersive materials-based workshops.
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This exhibition was made possible in part by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the NEH or NJCH. Additional support for this exhibition was provided by the Windgate Foundation, the Marie and John Zimmermann Fund. The exhibition catalogue was funded by the Windgate Foundation and John Sheridan and Andrea DuFlon.

Purchase the exhibition catalog now!

https://hunterdonartmuseum.org/