Craft is the finest art at ‘The Fine Art of Craft’

by Sara Miller

       Some art critics will tell you that “craft” is an off-putting word. Throughout history, people who choose to create with wood, glass or fiber were often considered the red-headed stepsisters of the art world - their work pushed to forgotten corners of galleries by more “traditional” works in oil or watercolor.

“The Fine Art of Craft,” a new exhibit that runs through May 23 at the Center for the Arts Evergreen, will end any doubts about the artistic merit of craft. The exhibition brings the work of weavers, sculptures and woodworkers to the main stage, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that these works of craft are indeed fine art.

The show is the brainchild of Sandi Nitsche and Sue Bittell. Both women are retired art educators and working artists.

“I work in clay and fiber mostly,” says Bittell. “Sandi works in textiles and beading.”

This is the third show that Bittell ad Nitsche have curated together. The first, in 2005, was a juried clay and fiber show. The second show was an invitational show in the same media.

This year the duo wanted to do something a little different. Stephen Sumner, the center’s executive director, helped the women come up with a new invitational idea. Bittell and Nitsche each invited five artists. They asked each of those artists to invite a colleague to participate. The results were beyond anyone’s expectations.

“This concept has always generated wonderful shows. Instead of having two curators, you have 12 or more. The result was an amazing mix of aesthetics,” says Sumner.

Given the broad-reaching scope of the invitations, the show grew from simply clay and fiber to include wood and glass as well. The work of 23 artists appears, with approximately half of those artists living and working in the Evergreen area.

Pat Morrow is a custom woodworker from Evergreen. One of her pieces, Henry Reborn, is an undulating bench made from Siberian elm and hard maple. The piece was recently selected to appear in a national design book.

Sara Miller, a freelance writer and a resident of Evergreen lives with her husband, two children and a dog.