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Glenn Adamson

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Glenn Adamson
Born1972 (age 51–52)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCornell University
Yale University
Occupation(s)Author,
Curator,
Researcher

Glenn Adamson (born 1972) is an American curator, author, and historian whose research and work focuses on the intersections of design, craft, and contemporary art.[1] Adamson is currently editor-at-large of The Magazine Antiques,[2] editor of Journal of Modern Craft, a freelance writer and a curator. Adamson has held previous notable appointments as the Director of the Museum of Arts and Design, Head of Research at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and as Curator at the Chipstone Foundation.[3]

Early life and education[edit]

Glenn Adamson was born in 1972 and raised in Boston, Massachusetts along with his identical twin brother Peter Adamson.[4] He earned his B.A. in History of Art from Cornell University in 1994 and his PhD in Art History from Yale University in 2001.[5]

Museum and curatorial work[edit]

Museum of Arts and Design[edit]

From 2013 to 2016 Glenn Adamson served as the Nanette L. Laitman Director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, NY. Adamson's hire at the Museum of Arts and Design came as a somewhat surprise.[6] Previously, Adamson had been a critic of the museum, using a 2011 review of the exhibition The Global Africa Project in the magazine Art in America to critique the institution itself. Adamson's critiques included the architecture of the museum's new building and their gallery layouts, the 2002 name change, and the "incoherent execution" of exhibitions.[7] Holly Hotchner, director of the Museum of Arts and Design from 1996 to 2013, responded to Adamson's critiques in a letter to the editor of Art in America in 2011 where she defended many of the topics Adamson critiqued.[8] In spite of this previous tension, the museum found Adamson to be the "most exciting candidate"[6] when searching for Hotchner's replacement in 2013.

In 2016, when Adamson stepped down from his post as Director at the Museum of Arts and Design, the museum stated:

"During his tenure, Dr. Adamson led the institution through a period of significant growth of its programming and resources, and built a new leadership team. Dr. Adamson spearheaded an exhibitions program that explored and expanded MAD's unique mission and role in the arts ecology of New York and the nation, including NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial; Ralph Pucci: The Art of the Mannequin; Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft, and Design, Midcentury and Today; Wendell Castle Remastered; Studio Job: MAD HOUSE; and Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years. Dr. Adamson created the position of Windgate Research Curator, in collaboration with the Bard Graduate Center, to further enhance the scholarship of MAD's publications and exhibitions. He also expanded MAD's noted artist-in-residence program by engaging younger artists from traditionally under-represented communities, through an initiative funded by a grant from the New York Community Trust."[9]

Victoria and Albert Museum[edit]

From 2005 to 2013 Glenn Adamson served as the Head of Research at the Victoria and Albert Museum.[10] During his time there, Adamson published several books and essays, as well as co-curated the exhibition Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–1990 along with Jane Pavitt.[11] Adamson was also a key proponent in initiating the "Rapid Response Unit" of the V&A, where contemporary objects like 3D printed guns and "pussy hats" are added to the museum's collection quickly in direct response to contemporary culture.[12]

Chipstone Foundation[edit]

Glenn Adamson served as Curator for the Chipstone Foundation from 2000 to 2005.[2] The Chipstone Foundation focuses on the study, preservation, and championing of American material culture with heavy emphases on the decorative arts.[13] This mission can be seen reflected in Adamson's work there, where he curated such historically American focused exhibitions as Skin Deep: Three Masters of American Inlay and Tea Table Coffee Table.[14][15] In addition to his curatorial work, Adamson also made regular contributions to the Chipstone's journals American Furniture and Ceramics in America.[16][17][18][19]

Guest curatorial work[edit]

Selected publications[edit]

Books[edit]

  • Craft: An American History (Bloomsbury, 2021)[37]
  • Fewer Better Things: The Hidden Wisdom of Objects (Bloomsbury, 2018)[38]
  • The Invention of Craft (Bloomsbury, 2013)[39]
  • The Craft Reader (Berg, 2010)[40]
  • Thinking Through Craft (Berg, 2007)[41]
  • Industrial Strength Design: How Brooks Stevens Shaped Your World (MIT Press, 2003)[42]

Book collaborations[edit]

  • Creating Ourselves: The Self in Art (Whitechapel Gallery, 2017) (co-authored with Frances Borzello, Nicholas Cullinan, and Amelia Jones)[43]
  • Art in the Making: Artists and Their Materials from the Studio to Crowdsourcing (Thames & Hudson, 2016) (co-authored with Julia Bryan-Wilson)[44]
  • Things of Beauty Growing: British Studio Pottery (Yale University Press, 2016) (co-edited with Martina Droth, and Simon Olding)[45]
  • Peter Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years (Black Dog Publishing, 2016) (co-authored with Elissa Auther, Barbara Paris Gifford, Jim Melchert, Ruby Neri, Andrew Perchuk, and Jenni Sorkin)[46]
  • Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism (Arnoldsche, 2014) (co-authored with Edward S. Cooke, Jr., Helen W. Drutt English, Robert Slifkin, and Gregory Wittkopp)[47]
  • Surface tensions: Surface, finish and the meaning of objects (Manchester University Press, 2013) (co-edited with Victoria Kelley)[48]
  • Global Design History (Routledge, 2011) (co-edited with Giorgio Riello and Sarah Teasley)[49]
  • Postmodernism: Style and Subversion (V & A Publishing, 2011) (co-edited with Jane Pavitt)[50]
  • Hand + Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft (Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, 2010) (co-authored with Valerie Cassel Oliver and Namita Wiggers)[51]
  • Unpacking the Collection: Selections from the Museum of Contemporary Craft (Museum of Contemporary Craft, 2010) (co-authored with Janet Koplos and Namita Wiggers)[52]

Articles and essays[edit]

  • Sculpture: An Art of Craft and Storytelling (Art in America, 2022)
  • How Sheila Hicks Changed the Way We Think About Sculpture (Frieze, 2019)[53]
  • Gloria Kisch: A Career at the Crossroads of Art and Design (Frieze, 2019)[54]
  • Midlife Crisis on an Unlimited Budget: Marc Newson’s Furniture for the 1% (Frieze, 2019)[55]
  • A Young Designer's Pulpy and Surprisingly Personal Furniture (Hyperallergic, 2018)[56]
  • Katherine Westphal, Fiber Art Pioneer, Dies at 99 (Hyperallergic, 2018)[57]
  • A Shrewd Designer Balances Craft and Commerce (Hyperallergic, 2018)[58]
  • Great Estates: How Contemporary Ceramics Are Keeping Chatsworth Relevant (Frieze, 2018)[59]
  • Fallen Idylls (The Magazine Antiques, 2018) [60]
  • The Future Starts Here: Jes Fan (Crafts Magazine, 2018)[61]
  • The Seamless Weaving of Fine Arts with Crafts (Hyperallergic, 2017)[62]
  • Weaving Together the Story of a Forgotten Pop Artist and Her Rugs (Hyperallergic, 2017)[63]
  • Normal Design (Art in America, 2017)[64]
  • Silver Spoons (Frieze, 2017)[65]
  • The Complexity Complex (Frieze, 2017)[66]
  • Demo Job: Craft, Art, and the Politics of Demonstration (Art Jewelry Forum, 2016)[67]
  • Summer Work: The Art of Pae White (Afterall, 2013)[68]
  • Issues & Commentary: Tsunami Africa (Art in America, 2011)[7]
  • The American Arcanum: Porcelain and the Alchemical Tradition (Ceramics in America, 2007)[18]
  • Mannerism in Early American Furniture: Connoisseurship, Intention, and Theatricality (American Furniture, 2005)[16]
  • The Politics of the Caned Chair (American Furniture, 2002)[17]
  • The Furniture of Sam Maloof (American Furniture, 2002)[19]

The Journal of Modern Craft[edit]

The Journal of Modern Craft (first launched in 2008) is a peer reviewed academic journal focused on interdisciplinary writings on the topics of design, craft, art, architecture, and related fields.[69] The journal is published by Taylor & Francis, and releases three issues a year. The editorial board consists of Glenn Adamson (USA); Tanya Harrod, Independent Scholar (UK); Edward S. Cooke Jr., Yale University (USA); Stephen Knott, Kingston University (UK); Elissa Auther, Windgate Research Curator, Bard Graduate Center and Center for Craft, Creativity and Design (USA); Jenni Sorkin, University of California (USA). The journal is funded in part by the Windgate Charitable Foundation and The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, with Joseph McBrinn, University of Ulster (UK) as the Book Review Editor, and Namita Wiggers, Museum of Contemporary Craft (USA) as the Exhibition Review Editor.[70]

Personal life[edit]

Adamson is currently based in Brooklyn, New York.[71][72]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "MAD Man: Glenn Adamson on Making New York City's First Craft Biennial". Blouinartinfo.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b daren (10 November 2016). "Glenn Adamson Leads Course on Material Culture and Current Events". ADHT. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Glenn Adamson – Art Jewelry Forum". artjewelryforum.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Glenn Adamson Appointed As Director Of Museum of Arts And Design". madmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Glenn Adamson Appointed Director, Museum of Arts and Design". Artinamericamagazine.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b Pogrebin, Robin (4 September 2013). "A Critic of a Design Museum Will Lead It". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Issues & Commentary: Tsunami Africa". Artinamericamagazine.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  8. ^ "A Response to 'Tsunami Africa,' Glenn Adamson's Commentary on 'The Global Africa Project' in the March issue of 'Art in America' - gap.madmuseum.org". gap.madmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Museum History". Madmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Glenn Adamson on New York and London's Distinct Museum Cultures". Hyperallergic. 5 May 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  11. ^ Khemsurov, Monica. "Sept 24: "Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–1990"". W Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  12. ^ "The surprise objects finding a home at the V&A". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Chipstone's Mission". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Tea Tables and Coffee Tables by Sarah Fayen from Antiques & Fine Art magazine". Antiquesandfineart.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Glenn Adamson — Design History". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Glenn Adamson – Mannerism in Early American Furniture: Connoisseurship, Intention, and Theatrically – American Furniture 2005". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Glenn Adamson – The Politics of the Caned Chair – American Furniture 2002". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Glenn Adamson – The American Arcanum: Porcelain and the Alchemical Tradition – Ceramics in America 2007". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Jeremy Adamson – The Furniture of Sam Maloof – Review by Glenn Adamson". Chipstone.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Glenn Adamson". The MIT Press. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Industrial Strength Design". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  22. ^ "fix fix fix". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Fix Fix Fix – 15 February – 24 March 2013". Gallery SO. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  24. ^ ""Things of Beauty Growing": British Studio Pottery – Yale Center for British Art". britishart.yale.edu. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  25. ^ "Static". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  26. ^ "Static – Exhibitions – Friedman Benda". Friedmanbenda.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Beazley Designs of the Year". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  28. ^ Holland, Oscar (16 August 2017). "And the best designs of the year are..." CNN Style. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  29. ^ ""Raw Design" at the Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco". Blouinartinfo.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  30. ^ "Crafting America". Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  31. ^ "Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth". www.chatsworth.org. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  32. ^ Bertoli, Rosa (2023-03-17). "Chatsworth House design exhibition explores contemporary design themes in an eclectic setting". wallpaper.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  33. ^ Madlener, Adrian (2023-03-17). "How Can You Make an English Manor Filled With Old Masters Feel Contemporary? At Chatsworth House, the Answer Is Cutting-Edge Design". Artnet News. Archived from the original on 2023-03-19. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  34. ^ "Friedman Benda NY considers design as motifs of ‘The New Transcendence’". www.stirpad.com. Archived from the original on 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  35. ^ Barandy, Kat (13 January 2024). "the new transcendence: friedman benda highlights artists from andrea branzi to samuel ross". designboom architecture & design magazine. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  36. ^ Madlener, Adrian (2024-01-16). "Glenn Adamson and Friedman Benda examine spirituality in contemporary design". wallpaper.com. Archived from the original on 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  37. ^ Glenn Adamson. "Craft: An American History". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  38. ^ Glenn Adamson. "Fewer, Better Things : The Hidden Wisdom of Objects". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  39. ^ Glenn Adamson. "The Invention of Craft". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  40. ^ Glenn Adamson. "The Craft Reader". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  41. ^ Glenn Adamson. "Thinking Through Craft". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  42. ^ "Industrial Strength Design". Mitpress.mit.edu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  43. ^ Creating Ourselves ARTBOOK – D.A.P. 2017 Catalog Whitechapel Gallery Books Exhibition Catalogues 9780854882571. Retrieved 11 December 2018. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  44. ^ "Art in the Making: Artists and their Materials from the Studio to Crowdsourcing". Thames & Hudson USA. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  45. ^ "Things of Beauty Growing – Yale University Press". yalebooks.yale.edu. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  46. ^ "Peter Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years". Black Dog Press. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  47. ^ "Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism". Cranbrook Art Museum. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  48. ^ "Manchester University Press – Surface tensions". Manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  49. ^ "Global Design History: 1st Edition (Paperback) – Routledge". Routledge.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  50. ^ "Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–90 (Hardback)". Vam.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  51. ^ Hand + Made The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft ARTBOOK – D.A.P. 2010 Catalog 9781933619262. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  52. ^ Unpacking the Collection ARTBOOK – D.A.P. 2010 Catalog Museum of Contemporary Craft Books Exhibition Catalogues 9780972898133. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2018. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  53. ^ Adamson, Glenn (2019-04-16). "How Sheila Hicks Changed the Way We Think About Sculpture". Frieze. Archived from the original on 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  54. ^ Adamson, Glenn (2019-10-17). "Gloria Kisch: A Career at the Crossroads of Art and Design". Frieze. Archived from the original on 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  55. ^ Adamson, Glenn (2019-01-25). "Midlife Crisis on an Unlimited Budget: Marc Newson's Furniture for the 1%". Frieze. Archived from the original on 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  56. ^ "A Young Designer's Pulpy and Surprisingly Personal Furniture". Hyperallergic. 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  57. ^ "Katherine Westphal, Fiber Art Pioneer, Dies at 99". Hyperallergic. 16 March 2018. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  58. ^ "A Shrewd Designer Balances Craft and Commerce". Hyperallergic. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  59. ^ "Great Estates: How Contemporary Ceramics Are Keeping Chatsworth Relevant". frieze.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  60. ^ "Fallen Idylls". The Magazine Antiques. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  61. ^ "Introducing our September/October 2018 issue – Crafts Council". Craftscouncil.org.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  62. ^ "The Seamless Weaving of Fine Arts with Crafts". Hyperallergic. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  63. ^ "Weaving Together the Story of a Forgotten Pop Artist and Her Rugs". Hyperallergic. 5 April 2017. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  64. ^ "Normal Design". Artinamericamagazine.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  65. ^ "Silver Spoons". frieze.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  66. ^ "The Complexity Complex". frieze.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  67. ^ "Demo Job: Craft, Art, and the Politics of Demonstration – Art Jewelry Forum". artjewelryforum.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  68. ^ "Summer Work: The Art of Pae White • 32 – Spring 2013". Afterall.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  69. ^ "The Journal of Modern Craft, Aims and scope". Tandfonline.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  70. ^ "The Journal of Modern Craft, Editorial board". Tandfonline.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  71. ^ "Glenn Adamson — Bio". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  72. ^ "Glenn Adamson — Design in Dialogue". Glenn Adamson. Archived from the original on 2022-10-24. Retrieved 2022-10-24.

External links[edit]

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