Craft Happenings

Adorned with Memory

The Heard presents necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings from the notable collection of Native art assembled by the late Arizona grocery-store magnate Eddie Basha. The show underlines Basha’s longtime support of Native creativity and his friendships with artists including Duane Maktima (Laguna Pueblo/Hopi), Terry and Joe B. Reano (Santo Domingo Pueblo), and Carl and Irene Clark (Diné).

Mata Ortiz: Ceramics from the Collection of Norman Sherman and Virginia Chambers Sherman

An exhibition of pottery created by contemporary artisans in the town of Mata Ortiz, Mexico, at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

OUT of the Jewelry Box

Expanding the voices represented in MAD’s permanent collection, OUT of the Jewelry Box considers the importance of queer perspectives in the world of studio and contemporary art jewelry.

The Art and Design of Howard Smith

Smith (1928–2021) was among the handful of postwar Black craft artists with strong ties to industry; his textiles and ceramics were produced by some of Scandinavia’s top design firms. Along with his commercial designs, some of which incorporate African motifs, this retrospective highlights his diverse art practice, including paper cuts, jackets turned into sculptures, and shamanistic masks made from hats.

Familiar Texture: The Fibers of Childhood and Home

The textiles and fiber works on display here, by Farah Al Qasimi, Hangama Amiri, Keith Jackson, Yvette Mayorga, Tressa Prisbrey, and Dalila Sanabria, will present childhood memories of home. Each work depicts an evocative interior space: living rooms, bedrooms, storage spaces. “Each of these sites,” write the organizers, “memorialize social and environmental influences that shaped the future of an individual.

Source Material: Lessons in Responsible Fashion

This exhibition argues that the overproduction and overconsumption of fashion in today’s world pose a threat to our environment. Historical garments from the Textile Museum’s collection will be displayed along with clothing by contemporary fashion designers who have returned to the more respectful attitude toward materials and resources that the older works embody.