Turning Wood into Art : The Jane and Arthur Mason Collection [Hardcover]

Suzanne Ramljak (Author), Michael Monroe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

The Jane and Arthur Mason Collection is one of the world's premier collections of lathe-turned wooden objects. Comprising more than 125 extraordinary works by 43 craft artists, the collection ranges from bowls and vessels to abstract sculptural pieces, many made from exotic or unusual woods. The artists represented include most of the major figures in the field of wood turning from 1960 to the present-such as Virginia Dotson, David Ellsworth, Ron Kent, Mark and Mel Lindquist, Ed and Philip Moulthrop, and Bob Stocksdale-men and women who have used their artistry to reveal and heighten the natural beauty of wood.

This sumptuously illustrated book, the companion volume to a traveling exhibition organized by Mark Richard Leach, director of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, North Carolina, features illuminating essays by two leading craft experts as well as by Arthur Mason himself.

141 illustrations, 130 in full color, 9 x 11 1/2"

SUZANNE RAMLJAK, a curator of exhibitions at the American Federation of Arts and a guest curator at the American Craft Museum, writes frequently for ARTnews, Art & Antiques, and American Craft. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

MICHAEL W. MONROE is the former director of the American Craft Council and the former curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American Art. He is also the author of Abrams' The White House Collection of American Crafts. He lives in Reston, Virginia.

MARK RICHARD LEACH is director of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was formerly curator of 20th-century art at the Mint Museum of Art. He lives in Matthews, North Carolina.

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE Mint Museum of Craft + Design,Charlotte, North CarolinaMay 20-Oct. 8, 2000

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810944839
• ISBN-13: 978-0810944831
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393,610 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars a labor of love, January 11, 2012

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Noor S. Khalsa "N.S. Khalsa" (Espanola, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Turning Wood into Art : The Jane and Arthur Mason Collection (Hardcover)

The authors' obvious passion for their subject comes through. I really enjoyed reading about their journey. Don't just jump ahead to all he photos; it's a worthwhile read.

6 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Turning Love into a Gift, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Turning Wood into Art : The Jane and Arthur Mason Collection (Hardcover)

The collection that the Masons have built out of a love of art, craftmanship and wood turns into a real gift to those who do not have the luxury to study these pieces first-hand. The photos of their home shows that their attraction with creation is not limited to wood but to light, paintings and melding life with art.

The photos display the pieces so well that some just seem to glow and brighten on the page. It makes it difficult to look at a tree or salad bowl without imagining the possiblities.