Modern in the Making: Post-War Craft and Design in British Columbia

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The Vancouver Art Gallery, "Modern in the Making: Post-War Craft and Design in British Columbia," 2020

Featuring over 300 works, Modern in the Making: Post-War Craft and Design in British Columbia examines the furniture, ceramics, textiles, fashion and jewellery that defined West Coast modern living in the mid-twentieth century. In the three decades following the Second World War, thousands of people immigrated to British Columbia seeking the benefits of its resource-based economy, mild climate, natural amenities and inventive spirit. This optimistic post-war environment fostered the development of exceptional design and craft practices, deeply influenced by the tenets of modernism: simplicity, fine craftsmanship and functional design for everyday use. The most comprehensive view of mid-century craft and design from this region assembled to date, the exhibition reveals how local histories, immigration patterns and materials impacted interpretations of modernism in British Columbia, while also recognizing this cultural movement’s inherent ties to colonial expansion.

ARTISTS

Barbara Baanders / Hans-Christian Behm / Niels Bendtsen / Idar Bergseth / Paul Binkert / B.C. Binning / Alice Bradbury / Elaine Bully / Cyril G. Burch Ltd. / Robin Bush / Sharon Butler / Robert Calvert / Mollie Carter / Toni Cavelti / Mary Chan / Madeleine Chisholm / Jean Clarke / Stan Clarke / Betty Clazie / John Clazie / Columbia Furniture / Peter Cotton / Crane Furniture Ltd. / Doug Cranmer / Judith Cranmer / Crown Ceramics / Florence Daniels / Robert Davidson / Olea Davis / Walter Dexter / Reginald Dixon / Axel Ebring / Vee Elder / Gathie Falk / Lynda (Powell) Gammon / Hilde Gerson / Herta Gerz / Sophie Locke Gibson / Penny Gouldstone / Helga Grove / Jan Grove / Kathleen Hamilton / Marjory Hamilton / Hammond Furniture / Frances Hatfield / Francisca Hayman / Michael Henry / Mano Herendy / Marjorie Hill / Gillian Hodge / Fred Hollingsworth / Phyllis Hollingsworth / Hollywood Furniture Manufacturing / Honey Hooser / Henry Hunt / Avery Huyghe / Tam Irving / Island Weavers / Nellie Jacobson / Charmian Johnson / Thomas Kakinuma / Zoltan Kiss / Helmut Krutz / Ann Kujundzic / Zeljko Kujundzic / Heinz Laffin / David Lambert / Edwin Larden / Glenn Lewis / Desmond Loan / Adeline Lorenzetto / Janet MacLeod / A.P. Madsen Ltd / Sasha Makovkin / Rex Mason / Ruth Mathers / Heather Maxey / Rodney Maxwell-Muir / Marian McCrea McClain / Duncan S. McNab / Ruth Meechan / Santo Mignosa / Earle A. Morrison / Mouldcraft Plywoods / Ellen Neel / Zonda Nellis / Anne Ngan / Wayne Ngan / Leonard Osborne / Pacific Veneer / Mary Peters / Dexter Pettigrew / Setsuko Piroche / Vera Ramsay / Ravine Pottery / John Reeve / Bill Reid / Rose Marie Reid / Cliff Robinson / Hilda Ross / Evelyn Roth / Carole Sabiston / J. Scali Woodworking / Adolph Schwenk / Louise Schwenk / Doris Shadbolt / Marion Smith / Spider Loom Ties / Ethel Squier / Joanna Staniszkis / Alfred Staples / Ian Steele / Gordon Stewart / Karl Stittgen / Strahan and Sturhan / Ron Thom / Willy Van Yperen / Julia “Madame” Visgak / Jean Marie Weakland / Robert Weghsteen / Gertrude Weir / Lore Maria Wiener / Martha Wiens / Monica Williams / Chuck Yip