The Deep-Rooted Expression of Ceramics | Hyperallergic

One does not, perhaps, consider ceramic objects to be immediately gendered, possess sexuality, or be particularly political. But pottery is one of the oldest practices among humans, and is so rooted in fundamental domestic and utilitarian concerns that there is literally no known human society that has not made vessels of some kind. This was something curator Anders Ruhwald, who has served as artist-in-residence and head of the Ceramics Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art since 2008, held very firmly in mind as he assembled contributors for This is the Living Vessel: person. This is what matters.

Treasure: Cranbrook exhibit spotlights Pewabic’s legacy | The Detroit News

Santa came a little early last week when I had the opportunity to preview the encyclopedic exhibition of Pewabic Pottery opening Saturday at Cranbrook. One of the largest private collections in the nation, “Simple Forms, Stunning Glazes” features the 117-piece collection of Gerald W. McNeely, recently donated to Cranbrook by the New York-based collector. I toured the luminous exhibition with director of the Center for Collections and Research’s Gregory Wittkopp and collections fellow Stefanie Dlugosz-Acton, who curated the exhibition. Both shared their thoughts about the collection and exhibition with Trash or Treasure readers.

Tagged: Mary Chase Stratton, Pewabic

Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum Announce Leadership Changes

Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Aug. 26, 2015 – Christopher Scoates, the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum, announced a series of leadership changes today at both the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum.

Tagged: Andrew Blauvelt, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, Gregory Wittkopp, Scott Winter

Gregory Wittkopp Named Full-Time Director of the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research

Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Aug. 25, 2015 – - Following the successful run of recent exhibitions at Cranbrook Art Museum, including Nick Cave: Here Hear, Cranbrook has announced that Gregory Wittkopp will assume leadership of the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, becoming the Center’s first full-time Director in September. This move is a natural evolution of Greg’s work at Cranbrook, given that, for the past 30 years, his career has focused on stewarding Cranbrook’s collections and architecture.

Tagged: Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, Gregory Wittkopp

Cars, the Cranbrook Way

There are few things that history buffs love more than archives, and there is almost no archive that can rival—digitally at least—the Internet Archive for sheer volume and accessibility. Looking for a late 19th-century trade catalogue for a New York lantern company? They probably have that. Interested in Princeton University’s 1886 Scientific Expedition? Well, read all about it. What about former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to Morocco in 1957? Enjoy!

Tagged: Advertisements, Eliel Saarinen, Oldsmobile, Shoshana Resnikoff

A Tale of Two Paintings – Cranbrook and the University of Michigan

At the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, we spend a lot of time thinking about ourselves.  That sounds self-centered, but it’s the nature of the job – we uncover connections between different areas of Cranbrook, building historical and cultural relationships that help us to better preserve Cranbrook history and shape its future.  Cranbrook doesn’t […]

Tagged: Benjamin West, Painting, Shoshana Resnikoff, University of Michigan