Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft, and Design

Annie Block -- Interior Design, 2/1/2013 2:00:00 AM

See a well-worn medium in a whole new light in “Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft and Design” at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design, March 19 to July 7. The show explores cutting-edge conceptual and technical trends in woodworking via more than 75 installations, sculptures, objects, and furniture pieces by 57 global artists and designers, including Martin Puryear, Maarten Baas, and Ai Weiwei.

The exhibition premiered at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, last September, but several works have been added specifically for the New York run. Among them are: Nina Bruun’s ethereal ribbonlike perch, a dramatic split and cantilevered shelf by Joseph Walsh, Laurel Roth’s sheep skull blinged out with gold leaf and Swarovski crystal, Siamese twin–style Windsor chairs by Christopher Kurtz, and Ricky Swallow’s sculpture that, amazingly, looks just like a beanbag.