From the Ground Up: Peters Valley School of Craft at the Hunterdon Art Museum

From the Ground Up: Peters Valley School of Craft is the first major exhibition to trace the remarkable fifty-year history of this New Jersey craft school.

Founded in 1970, Peters Valley was the result of an experimental idea: a planned craft community set in the natural beauty of a newly-formed national park, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Resident artists in ceramics, wood, fiber, photography, blacksmithing, and fine metals have shaped the vital spirit of Peters Valley. Craft education has also anchored Peters Valley’s mission, making the school’s immersive materials-based courses a vibrant meeting ground for exchange.

Installed in the galleries of the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, NJ through January 10, 2021, the exhibition features historical and contemporary work and artist residencies. The show illuminates key moments in Peter Valley’s formation and illustrates its crucial impact on art and artists over the last five decades.

Artist residencies during the exhibition will include weaver Cynthia Alberto and her Brooklyn-based weaving studio Weaving Hand, jeweler Lauren Eckert and woodworker Janine Wang.

In conjunction with this exhibition, the Hunterdon Art Museum is offering three free virtual artist lectures featuring each of the resident artists who will be in the 1st floor galleries October – December. Each artist has a connection with Peters Valley and will be sharing how the institution has shaped their careers, as well as describe their artistic process and current and upcoming projects. This program is free to attend but pre-registration is required to receive the link. See below for dates.