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REVIEWS
THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
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by Lawrence Kreisman and Glenn Mason
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| Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2007. Illustrations, photographs, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 400 pages. $39.95 cloth. |
| In a major social and cultural study, Lawrence Kreisman and Glenn Mason's The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest surveys the impact of that artistic movement in Oregon and Washington between 1900 and 1925. The authors attempt to "examine products and buildings by regional designers, architects, and artisans in order to convey how the Arts and Crafts movement influenced urban and rural lifestyles" (p. ii). The key question they ask is how regional practitioners of the Arts and Crafts aesthetic adapted designs developed in the eastern United States and overseas to reflect the climate, landscape, and lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest. The study is wide ranging, well researched, and provides examples from all corners of the two states to support the authors' presentation. |
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Drawing on a wealth of written documentation, a large repository of buildings in the Craftsman style, and surviving Arts and Crafts objects in a variety of materials, Kreisman and Mason masterfully convey the essence of the movement and its talented practitioners in many artistic fields. To establish a context for the advent of the Arts and Crafts movement, the authors take great care to describe how the movement's ideals came to the Pacific Northwest. The authors emphasize the role of the major expositions in Portland (1905) and Seattle (1909) and the educational efforts of other public institutions, such as libraries, art museums, and colleges, in stimulating interest in the Arts and Crafts ethos. In Part One of the book, the authors provide the national and international context and describe the design philosophy of key Arts and Crafts thinkers and artisans and how they disseminated their message. The remaining three parts focus on architecture, applied arts, and artistic expression through painting, print making, and photography. Appropriately, the craftsman style of architecture and its public and private application is covered at length. Those who love bungalows will not be disappointed in the authors' discussion of the subject. Of particular interest is the discussion of how Native American hand-crafted objects became a focus and inspiration of the Arts and Crafts movement in the Pacific Northwest and how this development helped keep alive traditional Native American crafts in the region. Also of great value to both scholars and lay readers is the authors' recovery and discussion of well known and not so well remembered artists and crafts persons of the various artistic endeavors of the movement. The collective biographies and critical evaluations form a beginning point for further consideration of their lives and work. |
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An outstanding feature of this book is its high design quality and the execution of a layout that expertly deploys illustrations and photographs to support and expand on the text. Timber Press should be commended for the thoughtful and high quality production represented by this volume. This readable and handsome work describes and analyzes an important aspect of the art and culture of the Pacific Northwest during the early twentieth century and serves as a valuable reference for further research. Scholars, collectors, and interested lay readers will all enjoy and benefit from reading this book. |
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| William F. Willingham
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| Portland, Oregon |
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