March 31, 2010
Visiting Artist program features art historian
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The School of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University Carbondale welcomes art historian Glenn Adamson to its Visiting Artist program series.
Adamson will deliver a free lecture at 4 p.m. on Monday, April 5, at the University Museum Auditorium in Faner Hall.
Adamson is deputy head of research at the Victoria and Albert Museum of the Royal College of Art in London, England, where he also serves as head of graduate studies.
Adamson’s recent book, “Thinking Through Craft,” presented by Berg Publishers in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, addresses the way artists think about craft -- as opposed to art. With chapter titles such as “Sensual,” and “Pastoral,” Adamson’s approach examines the role of craft in disciplines such as architecture and design, and challenges the notion that “craft” is somehow second fiddle to “art.”
Adamson’s research focus, in addition to modern craft and design, includes English and American furniture and ceramics in the 17th and 18th centuries and decorative arts theory.
Other books include “The Craft Reader,” and “Industrial Strength Design: How Brooks Stevens Shaped Your World.”
The Student Fine Arts Activity Fee helps fund the School of Art and Design’s Visiting Artist Program.