Humble Spirit / Priceless Art
Mingei International Museum, US
03.09.2021 – 04.07.2022
Exhibition view, credit: Mingei International Museum
HUMBLE SPIRIT / PRICELESS ART shines light on objects made of the humblest of materials and priceless for its imagination and manual skill.
Curated by Mingei Executive Director and CEO, Rob Sidner, HUMBLE SPIRIT / PRICELESS ART shines a light on the humblest of materials—clay, straw, paper, cotton, tin—and objects not typically associated with luxury or ostentation. These works were created from everyday found materials, but are nevertheless full of spirit, beauty and delight, upending our traditional thinking about what art is.
This exhibition will include Japanese brushes, Mexican combs and kites from India, among other Museum treasures. Many of the objects in this exhibition were made by persons, who were, no doubt, respected members of their communities, whose names are no longer known to us. This exhibition honors each of them and all the unknown craftspeople of the past and present whose imagination, skill and creativity continue to greatly enrich our lives.
Kite with Tassel, Mingei International Museum, Gift of Martha W. Roth
Higomari, Mingei International Museum, Gift of Leanne Hinton in honor of Sam and Leslie Hinton