History in the Making: 2011 Renwick Craft Invitational

The Renwick Craft Invitational is a biennial exhibition series established in 2000 to honor the creativity and talent of craft artists working today. This catalog from the fifth presentation in the series features works by four extraordinary artists: Ubaldo Vitali, a fourth-generation silversmith and master conservator, creates luminous works for popes, kings, and presidents. Neurosurgeon Cliff Lee crafts elegant porcelain vessels, often using his knowledge of chemistry to recreate medieval Chinese glazes. Judith Schaechter's moody, innovative stained glass windows incorporate influences from gothic art to punk rock. And Matthias Pliessnig combines boatbuilding techniques and 3-D computer design to create furniture forms out of steam-bent oak, using no hardware.