Tonight, the Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York, was the site of the sixth annual Loewe Foundation Craft Prize announcement. The work of the 30 finalists, who utilize items as diverse as pearls, bark, paper, and recycled bags, along with other classic materials including ceramics, glass, bronze, and wood, was displayed inside the former studio of the influential sculptor Isamu Noguchi, the first time a public exhibition has taken place in his space.
“Noguchi wanted to bring tradition into the 20th century,” explained Matthew Kirsch, the Curator of Research at the museum during a tour of the grounds earlier in the morning. “He hated what he called ‘the false horizon of the pedestal,’ and wanted to bring sculpture into everyday life.” In that sense, the Noguchi Museum was indeed an ideal setting to bring to life Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson’s vision, which aims to not only celebrate the art of craft, but show the myriad ways that it can, and should be, a part of the modern cultural conversation, just like contemporary art.