American Craft Council Time
By Suzi Brozman
sbrozman@atljewishtimes.com
Who cares if the American Craft Council show opens Friday, March 13? Just be careful not to pick up that one-of-a-kind glass vase too cavalierly.
Suzi Brozman
This show is one of the highlights of the year, a time to see what’s going on in the world of affordable, handmade artwork. It features ceramics, leather, clothing, glass, metal, jewelry, wood and much more, and it offers us frustrated crafters the chance to meet the creative souls who turn their dreams into functional and artistic wares — the kind of stuff I wish I could create.
Just in time for Passover, the ACC show provides a real chance to find unique hostess gifts, both Judaic and secular. Some 225 artists from all parts of the country will be showing many things you’ll have trouble convincing yourself you don’t need and just as many you know you can’t live without.
One of the show’s popular exhibitors is Jewish Atlantan Barry Rhodes. He’s one of 26 Georgians selected to exhibit here, and fans look forward to his work from year to year. He started his ceramics career in the 1970s at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
His sculpted works reflect the facades of downtown Decatur’s mills and storefronts. His interests in pottery and physics show in the repeating patterns, balancing the inorganic nature of hard edges with Oriental flower patterns.
“The crazy-quilt approach seems to work as a fitting metaphor for my life and work,” he said.
While working as a computer scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rhodes spends his free time creating his amazing sculptural clay works. His pieces are in such collections as the Mint Museum in Charlotte and Agnes Scott College in Decatur.
In 2013, he received an Award of Excellence from the ACC.
The $75 ACC preview party is Thursday, March 12, from 6 to 9 p.m. If you miss that advance shot at the items on sale, you can head for the Cobb Galleria Centre from Friday through Sunday and mingle with the expected 10,000 other attendees.
Visit www.craftcouncil.org/Atlanta for more details and tickets ($12 in advance, $13 at the door for a one-day pass; $29 for a three-day pass).
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