Through most of the 19th and 20th centuries quilts have been perhaps the least visible of American folk art and self-taught art expressions. Unlike weather vanes and paintings, quilts are relatively large and fragile, and this limited them to a special area of collecting. The African American quilts in this book represent a creative departure that until recently had not been widely appreciated. Beginning in 2002, however, the quilts of Gee’s Bend-a remote African American community in Alabama-were exhibited at major museums throughout the United States, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art. These exhibitions shocked the art world, and record-breaking crowds attended them because of the quilts’ audacious graphic originality and power. Critics and public alike realized that these humble creations were as modern and sublime as any of the art hanging in the other galleries within the museums.

Corrine Riley’s collection, exhibited at the Mingei International Museum and documented in this beautifully illustrated catalogue, broadened dramatically the scope of our appreciation for the phenomenon of African American quilt art. Her collection has been “picked” from almost every state in the South, and it features examples from hundreds of artists. Though none of these creators would call themselves artists, the work itself speaks otherwise. This 96 page publication includes pieces made by individuals as well as groups of women working together as families and communities.

• soft cover ISBN – 978-0-914155-28-7
• published by Mingei International Museum
• text by Corrine Riley, and Roger Ricco
• format: soft cover only
• dimensions: 9″ x 11″
• 96 page plus cover / 53 color plates
• publications year: 2011
• soft cover: out of print
• order number: FAP-122 S
• out of print

Michael Cooper is an incomparable artist who relentlessly challenges and expands any preconceived boundaries between art, craft, and design with his feet firmly planted in all worlds. Cooper’s outrageous contraptions command and merit our high regard, inciting curiosity and pure wonder in those who experience them. Suspended between technological invention and creative genius, his work is accessible to all, yet like none seen before. Recognized for its flawless precision and craftsmanship, his sculpture continues to be admired by those who appreciate his brilliance of design and the junction between art and science. Cooper is completely driven in his practice and expends huge amounts of time conjuring ideas and bringing them to fruition.

Over the years, Cooper’s kinetic sculptures have employed increasingly sophisticated and complex mechanical movements, from relatively straightforward motor-cable-pulley mechanisms of to the microprocessor-controlled pneumatic systems.

The construction of these kinetic pieces relies heavily on a skillful use of steel, wood and aluminum. Some shapes, such as the stamped steel spheres and hemispheres that show up in several of his sculptures, Cooper gets ready-made through his arsenal of mail-order parts catalogs. Others are slightly modified stock parts that he TIG-welds to form his desired shapes; tungsten inert gas welding, when done well, is a very clean way of joining aluminum or steel.

• soft cover ISBN – 987-0-9760119-3-4
• hard cover ISBN – 978-0-9760119-2-7
• published by the Museum of Craft and Design
• text by Harold B. Nelson and Glenn Adamson
• format: soft cover and hard cover
• dimensions: 9.25″ x 12″
• 76 page plus cover / 44 color plates
• publication year: 2011
• soft cover: LIMITED COPIES $24.95
• soft cover order number: FAP-121-S

Dr. Irving Lipton was instrumental in developing the careers of leading figures in wood art and bringing attention to their work. As these individuals in turn had a major impact on the field, Dr. Lipton’s value as a patron of the arts was invaluable.

“I viewed writing “A Cutting Edge, Contemporary Wood Art and the Lipton Collection” to be a tremendous responsibility,” says the book’s author, Kevin Wallace. “Dr. Lipton’s legacy was so intimately intertwined with the legacies of the artists, and I sought to accurately record the history of the contemporary wood art field.” Toward this end, Wallace created a work that is essentially an oral history of the field of contemporary wood art, told by the artists who created the field, and with commentary by museum curators and directors.

From his first acquisitions, Dr. Lipton saw the importance of sharing the works. At any given time, large numbers of works from the collection were touring internationally. He ultimately donated a large portion of his collection to a number of organizations and institutions. The largest number of works are divided between five museums across the United States: The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, Long Beach Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and Yale University Art Gallery.

• hard cover ISBN – 978-0-9819933-2-4
• soft cover ISBN – 978-0-9819933-3-1
• Published by Fine Arts Press
• written by Kevin Wallace
• hard cover format: clothbound with dustjacket
• dimensions: 9.5″ x 12″
• 216 page plus cover / over 220 color plates
• publication year: 2011
• soft cover: $35
• hard cover: $48
• soft cover order number: FAP-120 S
• hard cover order number: FAP-120 H