André Gali (ed.) | Norwegian Crafts

Curatorial discourse has been an increasingly important aspect of contemporary art for more than fifty years. In the 1960s the German term Austellungsmacher and the French faiseur d’exhibitions were introduced into critical art discourse. With this, there appeared to be a new mode of thinking about exhibitions, with curators taking on a new role as ‘authors’ in the concept and realisation of their work.
 
The emergence of the freelance curator implies that there are no absolute truths about art or the world and that there can only be suggestions. However, one could say that through curating – presenting art in ever different contexts – new truths are being produced. The book Crafting Exhibitions introduces some of the processes that go into making an exhibition, from developing concepts to the physical realisation. The four curators contributing to this book are Glenn Adamson, Maria Lind, Marianne Zamecznik and Anne-Britt Ylvisåker, who all offer very different approaches to the craft of exhibition making and show some of the possibilities and challenges of working with the medium of the exhibition.
 
By showing different approaches and working methods, this book aims to contribute to a rethinking and revitalisation of the exhibition format within the field of crafts and applied arts.
 
With contributions by
Glenn Adamson (Museum of Arts and Design, New York)
Maria Lind (Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm)
Anne Britt Ylvisåker (KODE – Art Museums of Bergen)
Marianne Zamecznik (freelance curator and exhibition
designer, Berlin)
 
Crafting Exhibitions is the third volume in the series Documents on Contemporary Crafts. The series is published by Norwegian Crafts and offers critical refl ection on contemporary crafts, seeking to stimulate critical discourse within this field.
 
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Trude G. Ugelstad
Preface
André Gali
New Modes of Curating and Presenting Crafts
André Gali
Exhibition Making as a Driving Force in Contemporary
Craft Discourse
Marianne Zamecznik
Crafting Museum Exhibitions: Use or Abuse of Art Works
Anne Britt Ylvisåker
From Me to You: A Personal Account of Craft Curation
Glenn Adamson
Tensta Museum: Reports from New Sweden
Maria Lind
 
Contributors
André Gali is editor-in-chief of Norwegian Crafts Magazine and series-editor of Documents on Contemporary Crafts. He is also founding editor of the Nordic art quarterly Kunstforum and the website www.kunstforum.as, founded in 2009. Gali holds a Master’s degree in theatre theory. As a freelance art critic, photographer, essayist, journalist and lecturer, Gali has published essays on art and economy, queer and feminist art practices, the gaze of the middle class, and contemporary art jewellery. Gali has been on the board of the Norwegian Critic’s Association
(2009–2011) and leader of the art section at the Norwegian Critic’s Association (2010–2012).
 
Glenn Adamson is the director of the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York. He was previously head of research at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London, where he helped initiate and shape major exhibitions, managed partnerships with museums and universities, and led academic fundraising. During his tenure at the V&A Adamson also curated modern and contemporary design exhibitions. He is founding co-editor of the Journal of Modern Craft, a peer-reviewed academic journal. Adamson received his BA in art history from Cornell University (1994) and earned his doctorate in art history from Yale University (2001). He serves as chairman of the board of trustees for the Crafts Study Centre, Farnham, and is the most recent recipient of the mid-career Iris Award for outstanding contributions to the decorative arts.
 
Maria Lind is a curator and writer based in Stockholm.
Currently she is the director of Tensta konsthall, Stockholm.
 
Marianne Zamecznik  is a freelance curator and exhibition designer based in Berlin. From 2007 to 2010 she served as program director at 0047, an independent Oslobased organization for projects in and in between the fields of art and architecture. Focusing mainly on exhibition making, her practice overlaps the fi elds of art, design and craft. She is a guest lecturer at Oslo National Academy of the Arts and an artistic consultant for KORO, Public Art Norway. Zamecznik studied at Oslo National Academy of the Arts and at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm.
 
Anne Britt Ylvisåker holds a Cand. Philol. degree in art history from the University of Bergen. She works as senior curator at KODE - Art Museums of Bergen, where she has chief responsibility for contemporary craft, textiles and ceramics. From 2008– 2011 she participated in the research group Creating Artistic Value – A Research Project on Rubbish and Readymades, Art and Ceramics, funded by the Research Council of Norway. She taught art history at the Norwegian National College of Craft and Design (Statens Høgskole for Kunsthåndverk og Design) (1988– 1996) and was director of Sogn Folk Museum (1992– 1994).