June 28, 2014 – October 5, 2014
Jennifer Crupi: A Display of Gestures,organized by the Museum of Craft and Design will be the first presentation of this celebrated conceptual-metalsmith artist’s work on the West Coast.
This exhibition includes 13 handcrafted works of art made from sterling silver and aluminum that address ways we communicate with each other through body language and specific movements. Crupi’s wearable, articulated and interactive objects become instruments for gestural behavior, often taking a humorous approach to pointing out actions we make to express concealed frustration or anxiety. By exploring gesture as ornament, Crupi creates a physical “prompt” akin to choreography that can be observed and even traced. By scripting gestures for the wearer, Crupi blurs the distinction between object maker and theatrical/performance director.
Jennifer Crupi is a Full Professor at Kean University, Union, NJ where she has taught since 1999. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., Museum of Contemporary Craft, OR and the Samuel Dorskey Museum of Art, NY.
The Museum of Craft and Design’s exhibitions and programs are generously supported by the Windgate Charitable Foundation and Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund. Additional funding provided by the Rotasa Foundation.
Curator: Marc D’Estout
Exhibit Design: Ted Cohen
Jennifer Crupi
Ornamental Hands: Figure Two
(shown worn)
sterling silver, acrylic, inkjet print
8.5″ x 5.5″x 15″
2011
photo: Christian Luis
